Black-Eyed Peas and Bacon Soup (Print)

Hearty soup featuring tender black-eyed peas, smoky bacon, and vegetables in a light, flavorful broth.

# Ingredients:

→ Meats

01 - 8 oz smoked bacon, diced

→ Legumes

02 - 2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and drained, or 3 cans (15 oz each) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Seasonings

08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - Salt to taste

→ Garnish

13 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# Directions:

01 - In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook diced bacon until crisp, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, preserving rendered fat in the pot.
02 - Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and sauté in bacon fat until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in black-eyed peas, chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Bring mixture to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes if using soaked dried peas, or 20 minutes if using canned peas, until peas are tender and flavors have melded.
05 - Remove bay leaf from soup. Taste and adjust salt as needed to achieve desired seasoning level.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with reserved bacon and chopped fresh parsley before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The bacon fat does most of the flavor work for you, so you get restaurant-quality depth without fussing.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and comes together in under an hour, making weeknight dinners actually feasible.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day, and it freezes beautifully for those moments when you need comfort food on demand.
02 -
  • If your peas taste grainy after cooking, your broth was probably too salty or you cooked them too fast; next time use low sodium broth and keep the heat gentle.
  • The soup tastes noticeably better on day two because the flavors have time to actually get to know each other—so make extra and don't apologize for it.
03 -
  • If you forgot to soak your dried peas, you can quick-soak them: cover with water, bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then let them sit off heat for an hour before draining and using.
  • Save the bacon grease in a small jar in your fridge for up to a month—it's perfect for cooking eggs, sautéing vegetables, or starting another pot of soup without thinking twice.
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