Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Black-Eyed Pea Soup Recipe – a New Year’s tradition! Super easy to make and tastes GREAT! Ready to eat in about 20 minutes. Bacon, canned black-eyed peas, onion, garlic, chili powder, diced tomatoes & green chiles, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Serve with some biscuits or cornbread. Comfort food at its best!

bowl of black eyed pea and bacon soup

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Black-Eyed Pea Soup is a New Year’s Tradition

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s is a Southern tradition. Legend has it that if you eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day you will have good luck and prosperity in the new year. I’m not one to tempt fate, so I always eat a giant bowl of black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. This year we are going to be eating this Black-Eyed Pea Soup. Y’all this soup is SOOOO good! We both couldn’t get enough of it. Black-eyed peas, tomatoes, and bacon! All you need is some cornbread and you are set!

bowl of black eyed pea and bacon soup

How to Make Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Bacon

This pea soup recipe is super easy to make with a only few simple ingredients. Start with cooking some bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Drain fat and chop. In a large pot or large Dutch oven, add black-eyed peas, onion, garlic, chili powder, Rotel diced tomatoes & green chiles, diced tomatoes, low-sodium chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in cooked bacon. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Done!

Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • You can use precooked bacon instead of cooking the bacon. I buy bags of precooked bacon at Sam’s Club and Costco. It works great in recipes like this!
    • Don’t like bacon? You can substitute turkey bacon, a ham hock, ham bone, or Italian sausage.
  • Can I use dried beans? If you want to make your own black eyed peas from dried beans instead of using canned beans you will need:
    • ½ cup of dried beans = one 15-ounce can of beans.
    • 1½ cups of cooked beans, drained = one 15-ounce can of beans.
    • Soak and cook the beans in a large bowl or pot until tender before adding them to the soup.
  • I used a can of regular Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles. If you are worried about the heat, make sure to buy mild Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies or substitute plain diced tomatoes.
    • For extra heat, add half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
  • Feel free to add more vegetables to the soup. Carrots, celery, collard greens, kale, spinach, red peppers, or jalapeno are all good.
  • For a thicker consistency, mash some of the beans with a potato masher.
  • Is Black Eyed Pea Soup gluten-free? Yes. All of the ingredients in this dish are gluten-free.
  • Can Black-Eyed Pea Soup be Made in the Slow Cooker? Yes! This soup can be made in a slow cooker if you prefer. Cook the bacon and dump everything in the slow cooker. Cook it on LOW for about 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours.
  • For a vegetarian or vegan soup, omit the bacon and use vegetable broth. Add some smoked paprika to the soup to give it a nice smoky flavor.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
bowl of black eyed pea and bacon soup

What to Serve with Soup

This soup is an easy and delicious recipe. It is great for New Year’s and any other day of the year. It has tons of great flavors! We ate this for lunch and had the leftovers for dinner the next day. YUM! We like to top the soup with some cheese, hot sauce, and extra bacon. I mean you can never have too much bacon, right?! We usually just serve this with some cornbread or biscuits.

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bowl of black eyed pea and bacon soup

Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Yield: 8 people
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Black-Eyed Pea Soup – a New Year’s tradition! Super easy to make and tastes GREAT! Ready to eat in about 20 minutes. Bacon, canned black-eyed peas, onion, garlic, chili powder, diced tomatoes & green chiles, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Serve with some biscuits or cornbread. Comfort food at its best! #soup #stew #blackeyedpeas #chili

Ingredients:

  • ½ lb bacon
  • 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 2 (15.5-oz) cans black-eyed peas, drained
  • 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
  • 3 cups chicken broth or water
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • tsp salt or to taste
  • ½ tsp pepper or to taste

Instructions:

  • In a Dutch oven, cook bacon. Drain fat.
  • Add remaining ingredients to the Dutch oven. Stir.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Notes:

Can freeze leftover soup for later.
If you are worried about the heat from the Rotel tomatoes, use a can of mild Rotel or another can of plain diced tomatoes.
Can prepare in the slow cooker. Cook bacon. Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or HIGH 2 to 3 hours.

Steph

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bowl of black eyed pea and bacon soup
bowl of black eyed pea and bacon soup

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Comments

  1. This soup is fantastic!! Great flavor!! Added in some greens for 2023 New Year’s. I’ll definitely be making again.

  2. Just made it today for the first time and it is a hit. We made it as directed, plus added some collard greens, and it came out great. My husband said it doesn’t need any cheese or extra toppings because the flavors are so good as is. We will definitely be making this again!

  3. This is soooo good. It’s in my normal meal rotation now! I like to add extra peas to make it more hearty.

  4. YUM!!! Gotta try this. Thanks for sharing.
    Here's wishing you, Mr. Chicken Legs and the precious Kitty babies a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
    Claudine in Fort Worth, TX

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