Smoky Black Eyed Pea Soup (Printable Version)
Smoky black-eyed peas and sweet roasted tomatoes simmered with vegetables in a rich, comforting broth.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beans and Legumes
01 - 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas (or 1 can, 15 oz, drained and rinsed)
→ Vegetables
02 - 5 medium ripe tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
08 - 1 cup chopped kale or spinach (optional)
→ Flavor and Seasoning
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional, adjust to taste)
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
15 - 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
16 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
17 - 1 bay leaf
18 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
→ Garnish (Optional)
19 - Fresh parsley, chopped
20 - Crusty bread
# How To Make:
01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange tomato halves cut side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes until caramelized and softened.
02 - While the tomatoes roast, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 7 minutes until the vegetables are softened and translucent.
03 - Add the red bell pepper and minced garlic to the pot. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried thyme, and chili flakes. Cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices.
04 - Stir in the tomato paste to coat the vegetables. Add the roasted tomatoes (roughly chop if desired), black-eyed peas, vegetable broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Stir in the kale or spinach if using. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the greens are wilted and tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread alongside if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The smoky depth from paprika and roasted tomatoes makes it taste like it simmered all day, not just an hour.
- It freezes beautifully, so you can double the batch and have ready meals for weeks.
- Everything comes together in one pot with everyday ingredients you probably already have.
02 -
- If you add the lemon juice while the soup is boiling, the heat can mute its brightness, so always stir it in off the heat or right at the end.
- Blending half the soup and returning it to the pot transforms the texture into something velvety without losing the hearty chunks.
03 -
- If using canned black eyed peas, rinse them thoroughly under cold water until the foam disappears, because the canning liquid can make the soup cloudy and slightly metallic.
- Roast extra tomatoes whenever you have the oven on and freeze them in a bag, so you can throw this soup together on a weeknight without waiting for the roasting step.