Black Eyed Pea Soup

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For a delicious and hearty bowl of soup, try my Black Eyed Pea Soup with Ham. I soak the peas overnight, then add them to a soup that is flavored with ham and laden with a variety of colorful vegetables including collard greens, onion, celery, mushroom and tomato.

Black Eyed Pea Soup

This is my favorite black eyed pea soup recipe and it’s based on a traditional Southern black eyed pea soup. The soup is laden with wholesome vegetables and packs a real punch of flavor.

This warming bowl of soup is ideal for mid week dinners. You can make it ahead of time and then warm up once you are ready to serve. In fact this soup tastes even better once it has had a change to sit, allowing the flavors to develop.

Black eyed pea soup is made with fairly inexpensive ingredients. One pot of soup goes a long way and serves 8-10 depending on how hungry you are.

The addition of black-eyed peas to the soup make this a filling bowl of soup, so I recommend keeping any additional side dishes simple. Serve with some crackers or a slice of crusty bread.

Black Eyed Pea Soup Ingredients

• PEAS: I made this soup using a 16 oz package of dried black-eyed peas, which I soaked overnight.
• HAM: use any variety of ham.
• VEGETABLES: I used a combination of collard greens, onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms.
• TOMATOES: for ease I used a can of diced tomatoes, but you can use fresh tomatoes if you prefer.
• FRESH HERBS: I flavored the soup with garlic and a bay leaf.
• SEASONING: the soup was seasoned with Italian seasoning, black pepper, red pepper flakes and salt.
• BROTH: I used chicken broth in this soup, but vegetable broth would be a good alternative.
• OIL: I used olive oil to saute the vegetables, but any other light flavored oil would work too.

How to make Black Eyed Pea Soup

• Pick through the beans, checking for small rocks, blemished beans, etc and remove. Rinse them well. Prepare the beans by following product directions by either soaking the beans overnight or using the quick soak directions. 
• After soaking, pour out the water the beans have been soaking in. Rinse the beans well. If you don’t rinse them, the beans will have a black/gray foam on them. Remove the beans from the pot and set aside.

• In a large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the diced ham and the vegetables. Season with black & red pepper, bay leaf and the Italian seasoning. Saute until tender, about 6-8 minutes.
• Add the beans back to the pot. Pour in the chicken broth and add enough water to cover the beans. 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 – about one hour fifteen minutes.
• Check the beans to see if they are tender after about 60 minutes. It will take 60-90 minutes to cook. 
• Make any personal preference adjustments to salt & seasoning.

Flavor variations

This is a versatile bowl of soup and you can adapt the flavors to suit what you have in your stores at home. Here are some ideas:

• Although called black eyed peas, they are in fact a bean. So feel free to use any other variety of dried bean like navy, pinto or black beans, in this soup recipe.
• If you don’t have collard greens, you could use spinach, Swiss chard or kale, just don’t cook it so long in the soup. Instead add 5-10 minutes before serving the soup and allow the greens to wilt (length of cook will depend on the green used).
• Use any combination of vegetable in this soup, try adding diced squash, zucchini or sweet potato.
• I’ve added red pepper flakes to the soup, but if you like your soup with extra fiery heat, add some fresh chilies like Scotch bonnet or habanero.
• To make a gluten free black eyed pea soup, ensure that you use a gluten free chicken broth.

Serving suggestion

Serve the soup with crackers as I’ve done here, or some crusty bread. Or why not try some of these great alternatives, my Angel Biscuits, Homemade Cornbread, or Sprite Biscuits.

This hearty soup is packed full of delicious veggies, but if you’d like to add a little more vegetables on the side, I’d suggest a crunchy green salad, or try my Roasted Green Beans, or Sheet Pan Roasted Broccoli. 

Recipe hints & tips

• Take time to taste and properly season the soup, the amount you add will depend on how salty the ham is. Proper seasoning will make all the difference to the finished dish.
• If the soup is looking a little thick, thin it down with a little extra chicken broth or water.
• Soup is a great make ahead dish, make it up the day before then cool and store in the refrigerator overnight. As with most soups, they taste even better the next day once all the flavors have had a chance to meld together.

FAQs

Try some of my favorite soup recipes here at When is Dinner:

• Ham & White Bean Soup
• Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
• Chicken & Rice Soup
• Lasagna Soup
• Crock Pot Potato Soup