The Fastest New Year's Black-eyed Pea Soup Recipe for Luck (12 Minutes, High Protein, High Fiber) by Donna John

On a thread in one of my foodie/cooking groups on Facebook, someone asked how to cook black-eyed peas. One of the responses, which was just a paragraph with no measurements for a shortcut black-eyed pea soup, immediately grabbed my attention. Loving every ingredient Angela Dawn mentioned for this soup recipe, I jotted the list down and started to experiment.

One ingredient I had never purchased before was canned collard greens. We grew up eating all the greens (mustard, collard, turnip), but they were always farmers market fresh. But in this quick and easy soup recipe, they just worked. The canned collards, canned black-eyed peas (check out the health benefits of black-eyed peas), canned chicken broth and canned tomatoes made it possible for this soup to be ready to eat in 12 (yes, 12) minutes. Needless to say, this soup recipe is a keeper and will be served on New Year's Day at my house.

Here is your short shopping list for this shortcut, high-fiber and high-protein soup recipe: smoked sausage, ham, onion, fresh garlic, canned black-eyed peas, canned collard greens (check out the health benefits of collard greens), a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, salt or seasoned salt, and black pepper.

In the south, black-eyed peas are said to bring luck when you eat them on New Year's Day. I already feel lucky for having such a delicious, quick and easy soup recipe in my arsenal. Serve this soup for lunch or dinner with your favorite side dishes. We like a slab of hot buttered cornbread. 

Cooking Tips

• I used about 8 ounces of smoked sausage. You can add more, and use whatever type of sausage you enjoy. You could also use all ham or all sausage.

• I used leftover Christmas ham, but you could buy deli ham, packaged ham or even a ham steak to use in this recipe.

• I drained but did not rinse my cans of black-eyed peas. I bought slab bacon seasoned black-eyed peas (they also have jalapeno seasoned black-eyed peas), so didn't want to rinse off any flavor. I poured them into a mesh strainer over the sink and gave them a shake before adding them to the pot.

• Add the garlic powder, onion powder and Cajun seasoning moderately in the beginning. You can always add more, but you can't take it out.

• Every brand of Cajun seasoning has its own heat level. Some are mild, some are spicy. Use your favorite brand and adjust the amount for your heat preference.

• Not a fan of collard greens? Finely chop green cabbage and use that instead. Be sure to chop it very fine so it cooks quickly.

• In the photo of the ingredients at the top, I forgot to add the chicken broth. I used half of a 32-ounce box of chicken broth (2 cups). You could use low-sodium chicken broth.

Happy New Year!

Cuisine: American / Southern
Prep Time: 4 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 8 - 12 ounces smoked sausage
• 1 cup chopped ham
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or to taste)
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 28 ounces (2 cans) black-eyed peas (see Recipe Notes)
• 28 ounces (1 can) collard greens (do not drain)
• 14 ounces (1 can) fire-roasted diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• seasoned salt or regular salt and black pepper, to taste

Here's how to make it: 

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, ham and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens and the meat is beginning to lightly brown. Add the garlic and cook 30 more seconds.
   
   
2. Add the garlic powder, onion powder and Cajun seasoning. Stir.
   
3. Add the black-eyed peas, collards greens and tomatoes.
   
4. Pour in the chicken broth.
   
5. Add seasoned salt or regular salt and black pepper, to taste. Heat through.
   
6. Taste and add more garlic powder, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, salt or pepper, if needed.
   
7. Store the soup in an airtight container. Reheat over low on the stovetop or in the microwave.
   
   

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