This black-eyed pea soup is hearty, smoky and delicious! It's easy to make and packed with veggies like tomatoes, carrots and collard greens. A delicious meal-worthy soup that's perfect for any day of the year!
Beans and greens are said to bring luck if you eat them around the start of a new year. Specifically, they're thought to bring wealth, with beans representing coins and green representing all the green dollar bills you'll acquire during the coming year. Black-eyed peas in particular are traditionally enjoyed in New Year's dishes like hoppin' John.
I'm not sure if I buy any of that personally, but I do think black eyed peas and greens are lucky, if solely for the fact that they make for the start of a delicious and hearty meal!
So this black-eyed pea soup will be on my menu this New Year's Day. In fact, it'll probably be on the menu many, many days throughout the coming year as well, because it's some seriously tasty business. It's also pretty easy to make, and the recipe makes a nice big batch, so you'll have plenty to share with friends or enjoy as leftovers.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive oil. Feel free to substitute another high-heat oil if you'd like. Coconut oil, canola oil, corn oil and vegetable oil will all work.
- Onion.
- Carrots.
- Celery.
- Garlic.
- Vegetable broth.
- Black-eyed peas. We're using canned black-eyed peas to make life easy! If you prefer to cook yours from scratch, go for it. Try this method for cooking black-eye peas.
- Diced tomatoes. We're keeping things simple by using canned tomatoes as well!
- Spices. You'll need smoked paprika, dried thyme, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Collard greens. Prefer to use a different leafy green? Feel free! Keep in mind that softer greens like spinach will cook faster, in just a few minutes.
- Salt and pepper.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Heat the oil in a pot and add diced onion, sliced carrots, and diced celery. Cook everything for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften, then add minced garlic and cook the mixture for about another minute.
Add the broth, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, and spices. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil, then lower the heat so that the soup is just cooking at a low boil.
Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes, giving it a stir from time to time.
Stir in the collard greens. Let the soup continue simmering until the greens are tender.
Tip: You may need to add the collard greens in increments, stirring in a handful at a time and letting it cook until it begins to wilt before adding more.
Take the pot off of heat and season your black-eyed pea soup with some salt and pepper to taste. Ladle it into bowls and dig in! I highly recommend serving it with a side of crusty bread, or homemade vegan cornbread or corn muffins.
Tip: While not required, hot sauce makes a great accompaniment to this soup. I like to serve mine with a bottle of Crystal or Tobasco sauce on the side.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover black-eyed pea soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about four days, or in the freezer for about three months.
More Bean Soups
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📖 Recipe
Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 medium celery stalks, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 4 (15.5 ounce/439 gram) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce/411 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 large bunch collard greens, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots and celery. Sweat the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and cook it with the vegetables for about 1 minute, or until it becomes very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, smoked paprika, thyme, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the collard greens. Continue simmering the soup until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes. You can add a bit of water or extra broth if it reduces too much.
- Remove the pot from heat and season the soup with salt to taste.
- Serve.
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Excellent, wholesome, much enjoyed.
I made before New Year's and froze several containers of this soup Great flavor, froze well and I will make it again.
Very good recipe for New Year's Day. First recipe like this that I have made that was worth repeating. I did use fire-roasted tomatoes and just 1 Tbsp of garlic.
I made this soup for New Year’s Day, and it was fantastic! I’ve never made anything like it before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was delicious. It’s very hearty and comforting, and I really liked the smoky flavor. The optional hot sauce was also very good. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!