Black Eyed Pea Soup with Collard Greens and Sausage

This easy hearty Black Eyed Pea Soup is packed with collard greens, sausage, and bacon for a fresh yet devilishly flavorful meal! Enjoy it on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day to start the new year with good luck!

If you’re welcoming the New Year with hopes of prosperity, a fun way to ring it in is with classic black eyed pea soup with collard greens.

In case you’re new to the black eyed pea soup tradition, it is a southern tradition, symbolizing good luck and wealth. 

Whether or not soup can bring me an excellent path forward, I’m here for the rich flavors and fun textures this hearty soup brings!

We have bacon and Italian sausage to bring incredible flavor and protein, collard greens for Vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, and black eyed peas for complex carbohydrates and fiber. All elements combined, we end up with a filling yet refreshing soup that covers all of the nutritional bases!

So if you’re celebrating New Year’s Day with hope for the year ahead, enjoy yourself a big bountiful bowl of this glorious soup!

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for black eyed pea soup.

Black Eyed Pea Soup Ingredients:

Bacon: Here for the flavor, bacon makes soup so dreamy. If you haven’t tried a soup with bacon, I highly suggest gifting your life with it! I recommend using thick-cut uncured bacon with no added sugar.

Black Eye Peas: The star of the show here, black-eyed peas are here to bring us prosperity in the New Year! Many grocery stores carry canned black eyed peas, or dry black eyed peas. Canned are ready to go, where dry peas need a couple of hours of prep.

Italian Sausage: Here for added flavor and protein, Italian sausage brings a tremendous amount of herby flavor so that the soup has an Italian vibe to it. I use pre-cooked chicken Italian sausage, but your favorite kind works great!

Yellow Onion and Fresh Garlic: Onion and garlic are lovely flavor makers, required in every good soup recipe.

Collard Greens: Symbolizing paper money, collard greens add superstition and nutrients to our soup. They are a superfood, which brings freshness to this otherwise rich soup.

Chicken Broth: Our soupiness comes from chicken broth or chicken stock. I like using chicken bone broth for added collagen. 

Bell Pepper: Bringing freshness and subtle sweetness, red bell pepper adds a hint of mild smoky flavor to our pot of soup.

Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season the soup to your personal taste with salt and pepper. 

Recipe Customizations:

• Swap out the Italian sausage for ham hock or ground beef if you prefer.
• I find salt and pepper is the only seasoning we need, but you can add Cajun seasoning for a little kick of spice if you’d like.
• If you love tomatoes in your soup, add 1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes.
• Use turnip greens or kale instead of collard greens.

Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s make a big pot of soup!

How to Make Black-Eyed Pea Soup:

If you’re cooking black-eyed peas from dry, be sure to give them a good overnight soak first for 6-8 hours.

Chop the bacon into small pieces and transfer it to a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until much of the fat has rendered, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Add in the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion has softened. 

Transfer the chopped Italian sausage and bell pepper to the pot and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the sausage is mostly cooked through. Note: if you’re using pre-cooked sausage, you’re ready to move onto the next step without extra cooking time.

Pour in the chicken broth and add the chopped collard greens and black-eyed peas to the pot. Bring the soup to a full boil, covered, then reduce the heat to a gentle boil.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Note: you can cook the soup longer at a gentle simmer if you have the time.

Taste the soup for flavor and add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste.

Serve black eyed pea soup with cornbread and butter, and enjoy!

Storage Options:

• Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Freezer: For longer storage, double bag the soup in large zip lock bags or freezer bags for up to 2 months.

Recipe Tips:

1. If you’re cooking the peas from dry, here’s how you can cut down the pre-soak time. Rinse the beans thoroughly in a colander, then transfer them to a large pot filled with water. Boil them for 2 minutes, then remove them from the heat and allow them to sit for 1 hour.
2. To cook the beans, drain the soaked beans, then cook them for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours in a large pot of water, until they reach your desired consistency. Drain the beans once they are fully cooked and now you’re ready to proceed with this recipe.
3. If you like using collard green stems, give them a fine chop and add them at the same time as the onions so that they have time to soften. Otherwise, do as I do and just use the leaves.

If you love making homemade soups, also try out these healthy options!

More Soup Recipes:

• Immunity-Boosting Turmeric Chicken Soup  
• Hearty Ground Turkey Soup with Vegetables  
• Mediterranean Chicken Soup  
• Easy Lasagna Soup  
• Chicken Cabbage and White Bean Soup  

Enjoy this big bowl of good fortune year round!

Black Eyed Pea Soup Recipe

5 from 4 votes

This hearty soup is both refreshing and magically flavorful for a marvelous way to ring in the New Year! It is both fresh and light while still being filling. Plus, it represents good fortune!

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Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bacon chopped
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 12 ounces Italian sausage links chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 heads collard greens chopped
• 2 (15-oz) cans black eyed peas *
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• If you’re cooking black-eyed peas from dry, be sure to give them a good overnight soak first for 6-8 hours. Then, follow the package instructions for cooking them (typically, drain the soaked beans, then cook them in 6 cups of water for 45 minutes to 1 hour). If you’re using canned black eyed peas, skip this step, as they are already cooked.
• Chop the bacon into small pieces and transfer it to a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until much of the fat has rendered, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add in the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion has softened.
• Transfer the chopped Italian sausage and bell pepper to the pot and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the sausage is mostly cooked through. Note: if you’re using pre-cooked sausage, you’re ready to move onto the next step without extra cooking time.
• Pour in the chicken broth and add the chopped collard greens and black-eyed peas to the pot. Bring the soup to a full boil, covered, then reduce the heat to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Note: you can cook the soup longer at a gentle simmer if you have the time.
• Taste the soup for flavor and add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste.
• Serve black eyed pea soup with cornbread and butter, and enjoy!

Notes

*or 3-4 cups of black eyed peas cooked from dry.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (of 6) · Calories: 611kcal · Carbohydrates: 46g · Protein: 34g · Fat: 33g · Saturated Fat: 10g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g · Monounsaturated Fat: 13g · Cholesterol: 70mg · Sodium: 1268mg · Fiber: 11g · Sugar: 12g

Author: Julia Mueller

Course: Soups, Stews, & Chilies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: black eyed pea soup, filling soup recipes, healthy soup recipes, hearty soup recipes

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