Black Eyed Pea Soup Recipe

Name: Black Eyed Pea Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 1 16 oz package black-eyed peas (dried beans); 2 cups diced ham (or one ham hock or smoked turkey leg); 6 cups collard greens (or kale); 1 onion chopped; 2 carrots (diced); 2 celery stalks (diced); 1 cup sliced mushrooms; 2 cups whole cherry tomatoes; 2 cloves garlic; 1 bay leaf; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 4 cups chicken broth; 3-4 cups water; salt; 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

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This easy Black Eyed Pea Soup Recipe is a great way to ring in the New Year with tradition and flavor! Loaded with black-eyed peas, packed with greens, vegetables, and ham, it's smokey, flavorful and so delicious!

Love a great pot of beans? You can find step-by-step directions for how to cook dried black beans here.

A white bowl filled with black eyed pea soup with ham. — Black Eyed Pea Soup Recipe is a quick soup full of flavor and goodness!

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Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
FAQ's
Tips
More recipes using black-eyed peas and greens!
Serve with
Black Eyed Pea Soup
Recipe backstory

Why you'll love this recipe

✔️ this is an easy recipe and is loaded with vegetables.

✔️ hearty, affordable and delicious.

✔️ because eating black-eyed peas on New Year's is supposed to bring you good luck and hey.... I need all the luck I can get! 😉

Ingredients

For the exact measurements, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

black-eyed peas, dried
smoked turkey or ham
kale or collard greens
onion
carrots
celery
mushrooms
cherry tomatoes
garlic
bay leaf
dried Italian seasoning
pepper
red pepper flakes
chicken broth
olive oil

Two white bowls filled with black eyed pea soup with ham. — Black eyed peas for luck and greens for wealth - hey, I'll take whatever I can get! 😋

Instructions

This is an overview, for detailed instructions just scroll down to the bottom!

Pick through the beans, check for small rocks, and blemished beans, and remove them. Prepare the beans by following the product directions by either soaking the beans overnight or using quick soak directions.
After soaking, pour out the water the beans have been soaking in and rinse the beans well.
In a large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and greens to the pot. Season and sauté' until tender, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the beans back to the pot. Add chicken broth and add water. Cover and increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook on a slow bubble until the beans are tender
When the beans are tender, remove turkey leg or ham hock from the stew. When it is cool enough to handle, carefully remove the meat and add it back to the stew.
Lastly, check the seasonings. You may need a touch of salt. Enjoy!

FAQ's

Do you have to soak dried black eyed peas before cooking?

It's not mandatory, but soaking the beans prior will decrease the cooking time.

How long to cook dried black eyed peas?

It takes 60-90 minutes to fully cook the peas.

Why do people eat black eyed peas for on New Year's Day?

Legend has it that black-eyed peas bring good luck when eaten on New Year's Day!

Tips

Any good bean soup made with dried beans takes time to make. Beans have to be picked through, soaked, and cooked. Even with the "quick cooking method" it will still take time, however, this soup is definitely worth it.

This stew is spot on - loaded with greens & black-eyed peas. It's full of veggies too and is so flavorful. It's low calorie too and a surprisingly healthy meal!

This makes a BIG pot of Black-Eyed Pea Stew. The first thing to do when the soup is ready is remove a quart of stew and freeze it. This soup freezes great and for those days you don't want to cook....you are covered, gotta love that!

You know me, I love my soups and stews! If you want to learn how to make the BEST soups and stews, check out Homemade Soup; A Complete Guide!

Pro Tip - To be sure the beans are done, give the stew a good stir. Pick out 5-6 beans and test all of them. Just bite down on the beans. Often times you'll find one is done, but the other may need a few more minutes.

Black-eyed pea soup in a white bowl with a spoon. — Black-Eyed Pea Soup Recipe is perfect when you want a hearty meal!

More recipes using black-eyed peas and greens!

Serve with

You'll definitely want to make some easy dinner rolls - or if this is your first time baking, this recipe for easy yeast rolls for beginners is amazing! It makes the softest rolls.

Recipe backstory

Happy (almost) New Year's to you! I hope your Christmas was magical and you had time to share and make lovely memories with family and friends.

Ours was fantastic - we had a Christmas meal with Dan's Mom, I made a prime rib and baked potatoes. Then we zipped up to Sacramento to spend time with my family. Don and Alice were hosting Christmas and it was full of great food and fellowship.

Actually, we played a super cool game called THAT'S IT where a description is shared and then everyone tries to guess the word. We were all being so silly that my stomach hurt because I laughed so hard! It was a great Christmas!

Do you embrace tradition for New Years? I'd love to hear yours! Often on New Year's Day people eat black-eyed peas to bring them luck & greens to bring them wealth so here's hoping the timing is terrific to share this recipe today!

I wish you the very best that life has to offer! Thank you for your support this year, your comments, ideas and suggestions are so appreciated. Eat, drink and be merry! Happy New Year to you & yours!!! We are welcoming in 2019 and excited because it's going to be a fantastic year!

Comments

4.75 from 8 votes (3 ratings without comment)