Black-Eyed Peas and Bacon Soup (Printable)

Tender black-eyed peas and crisp bacon create this smoky, comforting soup with aromatic vegetables in a light flavorful broth.

# Components:

→ 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

# Method:

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

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's ready in under an hour, which means you can have real comfort food on a weeknight without the stress.
  • The bacon fat does the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so the soup tastes like it's been simmering all day even though it hasn't.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and makes enough to have leftovers that taste even better the next day.
02 -
  • Don't throw away that bacon fat, and don't be shy about using all of it to sauté the vegetables. It's the secret to why this soup tastes like something your grandmother would make.
  • If you're using dried peas, soaking them overnight really does matter—it keeps them from turning to mush and cuts your cooking time almost in half.
03 -
  • Keep the heat low during the simmer so the peas stay intact instead of breaking down into mush, and so the flavors meld gently instead of getting forced together.
  • If your broth is salty to begin with, taste it before you add the bacon and peas, so you know how much room you have to season at the end.
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