Delicious, comforting, and easy to make-this black-eyed pea and collard greens soup is perfect for New Year's Day or a relaxed football Sunday. I even include a full black-eyed pea menu to make hosting simple.
You may also love my Breakfast Strata recipe, Bloody Mary Bar, Twisted Bacon,
Quick Look: Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup
- ⏱ Prep Time: 25 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Servings: 10 (may halve the recipe)
- ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe: Easy, flavorful, and ingredients are flexible.
- 🧑🍳 Main Ingredients: black-eyed peas, collard greens, stock, vegetables, and sausage.
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy
Summarize & Save this Content on
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🍲 What are the Main Ingredients that go into this Recipe
- 👩🍳 How to Make It Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup
- Tips for Success
- 🗒 Substitutions + Variations
- Black-Eyed Pea Menu
- How to Store Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup
- Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup, Vegetarian?
- Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup FAQ
- Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup
Why You'll Love This Recipe
✅ Easy and feeds a crowd
✅ The addition of sausage (smoked or vegan) make it hearty.
✅ Perfect for brunch entertaining or weekday meal prep.
✅ Great for New Year's, football Sunday, or a weeknight meal.
✅ It includes a entire black-eyed pea menu
🍲 What are the Main Ingredients that go into this Recipe
- Andouille sausage, sliced (or any high-quality smoked sausage)
- Pancetta: or slab bacon
- Collard greens
- Black-eyed peas, canned, we are making it easy!
- Chicken stock: homemade or canned
- 4 cups cooked rice for serving (optional)
👩🍳 How to Make It Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup
1. Brown the Sausage
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add sausage and pancetta. Cook until browned and fragrant; remove and set aside.
2. Build the Flavor Base
Add onions, leeks, celery, green pepper, and red pepper flakes to the pot. Cook until softened. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add Everything Else
Stir in the greens, black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaves, and return the cooked sausage + pancetta to the pot.
4. Simmer
Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. About 20-30 minutes is enough, but you can let it go longer for deeper flavor.
5. Serve
Scoop warm rice into bowls, ladle soup over the top, finish with green onions + Tabasco.
Tips for Success
- Don't skip browning the sausage. That fond on the bottom? That's flavor.
- Add more stock if you like it brothy; add less if you want a thicker, stew-like feel.
- Use collards if kale intimidates you. They hold structure well and taste incredible.
🗒 Substitutions + Variations
- Swap sausage for smoked turkey or sausage to lighten it up.
- Make it vegetarian with vegetable broth + vegan sausage.
- Use kale in place of collard greens.
- Add a splash of apple cider vinegar at the end for brightness.
- Throw in extra veggies-carrots, red bell pepper, or okra.
There's no wrong answer here-adjust for your mood and pantry.
Black-Eyed Pea Menu
Appetizer: Black eyed pea dip & crackers
Salad: A simple Mixed Green Salad
Side: Corned Bread and Honey Butter
Main: Serve black-eyed pea and collard greens over rice
Drinks: A Bloody Mary or sweet tea (both fit the New Year's moment!)
✨ For New Year's brunch:
Serve in smaller bowls with biscuits and bloody mary shots or mimosas.
✨ For football Sunday:
Add a side of smoky grilled sausage skewers.
It fits every season, but there is something magical about making it on January 1st.
How to Store Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup
✔️ Fridge: 4-5 days
✔️ Freezer: 2-3 months (without the rice, freeze that separately)
✔️ Reheat: Low and slow on the stovetop or in the microwave
Pro tip: It gets better as it sits.
Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup, Vegetarian?
Yes, substitute the stock with vegetable stock and either omit the sausage or use a vegan sausage.
Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup FAQ
Nope! Canned peas are ready to go.
No need, the bean liquor will thicken the soup. However if you are reducing sodium intake, give them a rinse.
Yes. Soak overnight, then simmer until tender before adding.
If you make this black-eyed pea soup, I'd love to know! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @Lauren_Lane_Culinarian - I always reshare your creations.
Black Eyed Pea and Collard Greens Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 12 oz. package of andouille sausage-sliced or vegan sausage
- ¼ lb. pancetta or slab bacon-chopped
- 1-2 leeks white part only finely chopped
- 1 large onion-finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery-finely chopped
- 1 green pepper-chopped
- 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 3 cloves of garlic-minced
- 1 bunch of kale or collard greens stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
- 3 cans of Black-Eyed Peas rinsed and drained
- 4-6 cups chicken stock
- 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 cups cooked rice (optional for serving)
- Chopped green onions and Tabasco sauce for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage and pancetta or bacon and cook until brown on both sides
- Add leeks, onion, celery, green pepper, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan until ingredients are soften and lightly brown. About 10 minutes.
- Stir in kale or collard greens and cook until completely wilted
- Add Black-Eyed peas, chicken stock, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. If you'd like it thick, simmer uncovered until you reach your desired consistency. Retaste and add salt if needed.
- To serve: Ladle soup mixture over cooked rice and sprinkle with green onions and Tabasco to taste.
- Soup can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make a day or two ahead for easy entertaining.
- If the soup gets too thick, add water or stock to the desired consistency. Retaste and add salt if needed.
- For a complete black-eyed pea menu, serve this stew over rice with:
Lauren Lane says
My friends and family have been making this for years. I hope you love it as much as we do!