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    Home » Recipes » Soup Recipes

    Black Eyed Pea Soup

    Published: Dec 30, 2014 · Modified: Dec 27, 2022 · by Debra with 2 Comments · 1218 words. About 7 minutes to read this article. · This post contains affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Filled with pork and greens, this easy black eyed pea soup recipe is packed with lucky foods for the New Year! Using canned black eyed peas and pre-cooked kielbasa in this soup gives you maximum flavor with minimum effort.

    A bowl of black eyed pea soup with a spoon in it.

     This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy here.

    I want you to have good luck and prosperity in the New Year, so I suggest you make this easy black eyed pea soup recipe, pronto. It's filled with many of the traditional New Year's Day foods. Greens and black-eyed peas to bring money and prosperity, and pork to keep you moving forward toward bigger and better things.

    You can make it ahead, so it's ready on New Year's Day when you're too tired and hungover to do anything but reheat. It's full of rich flavor from kielbasa and bacon. The longer it simmers, the more pork-y flavor, and the more earthiness from the black-eyed peas.

    Serve it with cornbread - another lucky New Year's Day food - and add a splash of vinegar and/or hot sauce if you so desire.

    You can really make this all fall and winter long for a hearty, warming meal, and I suggest you do!

    Jump to:
    • This quick and easy black eyed pea soup is perfect for New Year's Day or any chilly fall or winter day!
    • What are the traditional foods for New Year's Day?
    • Ingredients you'll need
    • How to make black eyed pea soup
    • FAQ
    • Black eyed pea soup tips and variations
    • Storage and reheating instructions
    • More soup recipes
    • Recipe

    This quick and easy black eyed pea soup is perfect for New Year's Day or any chilly fall or winter day!

    • Full of the "lucky foods" traditionally eaten on New Year's Day.
    • Made with canned black eyed peas and pre-cooked kielbasa for easy prep.
    • Kale serves as our greens and cooks quickly which means a shorter total time on the stove.
    • Gluten free and dairy free!
    • Can be made up to three days ahead.
    • It's a great hangover remedy!

    What are the traditional foods for New Year's Day?

    On New Year's Day we all want to eat foods that will bring wealth, good luck, prosperity, and will keep us progressing forward. Some traditional New Year's Day foods are:

    • Pork
    • Black-Eyed Peas
    • Greens
    • Cornbread
    • Ring-shaped foods
    • Pomegranate
    Onion, carrots, kale, kielbasa, black eyed peas and bacon on a white plate.

    Ingredients you'll need

    • Black-eyed peas: I use canned black-eyed peas. Let's keep this quick and easy.
    • Kielbasa: Kielbasa adds a nice smoky flavor to the soup, and since it's precooked, you only need to brown it a little, which is a real time saver.
    • Bacon: This is going to give us the rendered fat we need to cook the vegetables and more pork for prosperity!
    • Kale: You can use tuscan kale or curly kale, both work well.
    • Carrots and onions: Our aromatic base for the soup broth.
    • Chicken stock and salt: I generally buy low-sodium stock at the store, the bacon and kielbasa will add a bit of salt so you want to be able to control the amount yourself. But if you have homemade stock, by all means use it.
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    How to make black eyed pea soup

    Step 1: Prep the onions, carrots, bacon and kielbasa

    Dice the onion and carrots. Cut bacon into small squares, slice kielbasa.

    Step 2: Brown the bacon and kielbasa

    Place a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. I use my Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven for this recipe. Cook bacon and kielbasa until bacon is crisp and kielbasa is browned.

    Step 3: Sweat the carrots and onions

    Remove bacon and kielbasa from pot and drain excess grease. In the same pot, cook carrots and onion until onion is translucent and carrots soften.

    Step 4: Add the black eyed peas and other remaining ingredients and simmer the soup

    Add bacon, kielbasa, black-eyed peas and chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil.

    Reduce heat to simmer and add kale. Simmer at least 20 minutes until all flavors are melded, or longer if you wish.

    Serve with cornbread.

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    FAQ

    Can you freeze black eyed pea soup?

    This soup freezes very well. Cool it in the refrigerator then freeze in an airtight container for up to two months.

    Can you make this black eyed pea soup vegetarian?

    Absolutely! Just eliminate the bacon and kielbasa and prepare the rest of the ingredients as directed.

    Can you make black eyed pea soup ahead of time?

    You can make this black eyed pea soup up to three days ahead.

    Black eyed pea soup tips and variations

    • If you have the time, you can absolutely use dried black-eyed peas to make this soup. You'll need to soak them beforehand and may need to lengthen the cooking time to allow them to reach the proper texture.
    • For a creamier texture, purée some of the black eyed peas with an immersion blender or in a regular blender.
    • Almost any greens will work here, kale, collards (they will take longer to cook), or even fresh or frozen spinach.
    • If you like it spicy, add the chile pepper of your choice when cooking down with the carrots and onions.
    • Add sweet potatoes to make it even heartier, or to stretch any leftovers you may have.

    Storage and reheating instructions

    • Store black eyed pea soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
    • To reheat, bring to a simmer over medium-low heat in a large saucepan.
    • When reheating leftovers, I sometimes add more chicken stock, or additional vegetables to stretch it into more servings.

    More soup recipes

    • When you're craving a pot pie but you don't want to bake, Chicken Pot Pie Soup will come to your rescue.
    • Beer Cheese Potato Soup with Bacon is ready in minutes, it's one of my favorite weeknight meals when the weather turns chilly.
    • White Chicken Chili puts a spin on the classic, made with white beans and smoky poblano peppers.

    Recipe

    A bowl of black eyed pea soup with a serving spoon in it.

    Black Eyed Pea Soup

    Filled with pork and greens, this easy black-eyed pea soup recipe is packed with traditional New Year's Day foods! Using canned black-eyed peas and pre-cooked kielbasa in this soup gives you maximum flavor with minimum effort.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soups
    Cuisine: southern food
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Keyword: Black-eyed pea soup for good luck in the New Year
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 246kcal

    Equipment

    • chef's knife
    • cutting board
    • large stock pot

    Ingredients

    • 3-4 slices bacon cut into small squares
    • 1 smoked kielbasa sausage
    • 3-4 carrots diced
    • 1 onion diced
    • 2 cans black-eyed peas
    • 6 cups kale roughly chopped, stems removed
    • 8 cups low sodium chicken stock
    • kosher salt to taste
    • cracked black pepper to taste
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Dice the onion and carrots. Cut bacon into small squares, slice kielbasa.
    • In a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, cook bacon and kielbasa until bacon is crisp and kielbasa is browned. Remove from pot and drain excess grease.
    • In the same pot, cook carrots and onion until onion is translucent and carrots soften.
    • Add bacon, kielbasa, black-eyed peas and chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add kale. Simmer about 20 minutes until all flavors are melded, or longer if you wish.

    Notes

    • You can make this easy black-eyed pea soup a few days ahead so all you have to do is re-heat it on New Year's Day. It tastes even better once the flavors have had a chance to meld together. 
    • I use my Lodge enameled cast iron Dutch oven for this recipe. It holds the heat well and cooks everything evenly when going from frying the bacon to sweating the veggies to simmering the soup.
     
     
    This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy here.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 977mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 11801IU | Vitamin C: 84mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 4mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. jennifer clement

      December 31, 2021 at 6:34 am

      5 stars
      Really liked this soup! I added yukon potatoes - yum. And I am hinky about kale, but in a soup it is perfect.

      Reply
      • Debra

        January 04, 2022 at 5:41 pm

        Hi Jennifer!

        So glad you pushed past that kale fear and tried this soup! That's what starting the New Year is all about, pushing past our fears and trying new things!

        Stay adventurous and thanks for reading!

        Debra

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Debra! I love to cook and eat and travel, and cook the things I eat when I travel! I'm a detail-oriented Virgo, so it's my jam to simplify recipes and break them down into easy to follow steps. I help you bring the world to your table!

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