Black Eyed Pea Soup

Black Eyed Pea Soup is perfect for New Years Day or any cold winter day. Southern tradition dictates eating black eyed peas on New Years Day to ensure good health, prosperity and wealth in the coming year and this hearty recipe is the best way to follow this delicious superstition. 

Be sure to whip up some cornbread to go with it!

What You'll Need:

Avocado Oil

Yellow Onion - chopped (not sweet)

Cup of Carrots (or more) - sliced thickly

6 cloves of Garlic - minced

2 cartons of Chicken Broth

2 cans of Black Eyed Peas - drained and rinsed

Small can of Tomato Paste

Ham ( I used thickly sliced cooked ham - about 2 cups diced. I also made this once with the leftover ham and hambone from an office holiday dinner and it was fabulous)

2 Bay Leaves

Thyme

Smoked Paprika

Salt and Pepper

Tabasco 

2 cups roughly chopped baby Spinach

What You'll Do:

Heat up 3 T Avocado Oil in a large Le Creuset Dutch Oven on medium. Add chopped onion and carrots and sauté until onion is translucent and some are starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two until garlic is golden. 

Pour in half of one of the cartons of broth and deglaze the pan, scraping up all of the flavorful brown bits from the pan with a wooden spoon.

Add the remaining broth from both cartons, the ham, bay leaves, a sprinkle of thyme, paprika, salt and pepper and the tomato paste and let it simmer on low for about an hour to develop flavor, stirring occasionally. 

Add the black eyed peas and some water, if needed and taste the broth for seasoning. Add more if needed and simmer for 10 more minutes. 

*This is a good time to get your cornbread in the oven!

Lastly, you will add the chopped spinach and 5 or 6 shakes of Tabasco. Let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes and add more Tabasco, if needed. 

Serve with cornbread and enjoy all of the good luck this hearty soup brings. Happy New Year!