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Easy Black-Eyed Pea Soup for New Year’s Luck

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This soulful, one-pot black-eyed pea soup is simmered with a ham hock for deep, smoky flavor. It’s a simple, stress-free recipe that turns a traditional New Year’s dish into a beloved family favorite, perfect for converting skeptics.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 3 ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and sorted
  • 1 large ham hock (about 1 pound) or 1 smoked turkey leg
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • Cooked white rice or cornbread (for serving, optional)
  • Hot sauce (for serving, optional)
  • Chopped fresh parsley or green onions (for garnish, optional)

Instructions

  1. Prep the Vegetables: Dice the onion, celery, and carrots into roughly ½-inch pieces. Mince the garlic.
  2. Sauté the Aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and onion is translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  3. Build the Broth: Add rinsed black-eyed peas, ham hock (or turkey leg), chicken broth, water, bay leaf, dried thyme, smoked paprika, and black pepper to the pot. Stir to combine.
  4. Simmer: Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours, until peas are tender and meat on the ham hock is falling off the bone.
  5. Shred the Meat: Remove ham hock from pot and let cool slightly. Use two forks to shred all the meat, discarding skin, fat, and gristle.
  6. Finish the Soup: Return shredded meat to the pot. Stir and taste. Add salt gradually, starting with ½ teaspoon. Remove and discard bay leaf.
  7. Serve: Ladle soup into bowls. Serve over white rice or with cornbread, and garnish with hot sauce and fresh parsley or green onions if desired.

Notes

Do not soak the black-eyed peas; they cook quickly without soaking. Avoid adding acidic ingredients (like tomatoes or vinegar) early in cooking, as they can prevent the peas from softening. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface during the initial boil. The soup can be made 1-2 days in advance and tastes even better the next day. For a vegetarian version, omit the ham hock, sauté mushrooms, use vegetable broth, and add liquid smoke or extra smoked paprika.

Nutrition

Keywords: black-eyed pea soup, New Year's soup, lucky soup, Southern soup, ham hock soup, one-pot soup, easy soup recipe

Find it online: https://zestynora.com/easy-black-eyed-pea-soup-for-new-years-luck/