Black-Eyed Peas Bacon (Printable)

Comforting smoky soup with black-eyed peas, crisp bacon, and savory vegetables in a light broth.

# What you'll need:

→ Meats

01 - 8 oz smoked bacon, diced

→ Legumes

02 - 2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and drained, or 3 cans (15 oz each) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Seasonings

08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - Salt to taste

→ Garnish

13 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How to make it:

01 - In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crisp, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, preserving the rendered fat in the pot.
02 - Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté in the bacon fat until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in the black-eyed peas, chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Bring to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes if using soaked dried peas, or 20 minutes if using canned peas, until the peas are tender and flavors have melded.
05 - Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with reserved bacon and chopped parsley before serving.

# Expert suggestions:

01 -
  • It actually tastes smoky and rich without requiring you to stand there babysitting it for hours.
  • You probably have most of this in your pantry already, which means it's the kind of soup you can make on a whim.
  • The bacon makes everything taste better, and I'm not apologizing for that truth.
02 -
  • If you forget to soak the dried peas overnight, or if you're just remembering at four in the afternoon, canned peas are not giving up, they're a perfectly honest choice that still makes incredible soup.
  • Don't skip the smoked paprika thinking regular paprika will do the same job, because it won't, and this soup is all about that quiet smoke that makes people wonder what your trick is.
03 -
  • If you're making this for a crowd and worried about time, use canned peas and everything comes together in under an hour, which is fast enough to feel like magic.
  • Save some of the bacon fat before you add the vegetables, then drizzle it over the top of the soup at the end for extra flavor and a moment where everyone at the table understands why you bothered cooking at all.
Return