Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup with Kale

This vegan black eyed pea soup combines a blend of vegetables in a tomato broth with hearty black eyed peas and nutrient dense kale for a flavorful winter soup perfect for ringing in the New Year!

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It’s almost the New Year! It’s can’t believe that one year has come to an end and a new one is about to begin. At this time of year I like to look back at the past year reflecting on what I’ve learned, the good times and the challenging ones, and look forward to new goals, new experiences, and new opportunities for growing.

A new tradition I thought I’d begin with this new year is preparing a dish made with black eyed peas. Until recently I didn’t know that Hoppin’ John was a traditional dish made in the south to ring in the new year.

I guess that’s what I get for living in the Midwest for most of my life. My husband on the other hand spent his childhood in North Carolina and has a love for Southern cuisine.

This year I thought I’d pay homage to his childhood, while also preparing a healthy plant-based vegan meal to start the New Year off right.

Black eyed peas are delicious and nutritious! They’re an excellent source of protein, and packed with vitamins and nutrients. I added kale to this soup, my all time favorite leafy green, for added nutrients, and texture.

Why You’ll Love this Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup with Kale…

• Whole Food Plant-Based Ingredients
• Healthy and filling
• Packed with protein and fiber
• Rich in vitamins and nutrients
• Loads of Veggies
• Hearty and Delicious

Ingredients for Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup

• 15 oz can of black eyed peas (rinsed and drained) or 3/4 cup of dried peas prepped and cooked (makes about 2 1/4 cups cooked)
• 1 medium yellow onion about 3/4 cup
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 green pepper diced about 3/4 cup
• 2 celery stalks about 1/2 cup diced
• 2 carrots about 1/2 cup diced
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• salt to taste
• 3 cups chopped kale
• Parsley for garnish

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

• Dutch Oven
• Cutting board
• Chopping knife

How to Make Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup – Step by Step

Step 1: Dice onion, green pepper, celery, and carrots.

Step 2: Add 1/4 cup of vegetable stock to the pot. Sauté onions on medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, sauté an additional minute. Add green pepper, celery, and carrots. Sauté an additional 5 minutes.

Step 3: Add the remaining vegetable stock, 3 3/4 cups, diced tomatoes, and rinsed and drained black eyed peas. Stir in spices and add bay leaf.

Step 4: Cover and simmer on low-medium heat for 20 minutes.

Step 5: Stir in kale until wilted. Add salt to taste.

Tips for Making Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup

• You can prep your own dried black eyed peas, use a 15 oz can of drained and rinsed black eyed peas, or get prepped black eyed peas in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. I got mine in a pre-prepped package at Trader Joe’s.
• Be sure to rinse and drain your black eyed peas if using canned or packaged. This will reduce the salt.
• If prepping your own black eyed peas use 3/4 cup dried. Pre-cook the black eyed peas before adding them to the recipe. See directions below on how to prep and cook dried black eyed peas.
• Substitute your favorite leafy green if you’re not a fan of kale. Collard greens are the traditional green used with black eyed peas, but you can also use spinach, or Swiss chard.
• Add an additional cup of black eyed peas for a more stew like consistency.

Is Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup healthy?

• Low in Fat and Calories-This soup is only 94 calories per serving and has less than 1 gram of fat, yet it’s packed with veggies, and totally filling. It’s the perfect healthy meal to start the New Year!
• High in Fiber-Black eyed peas are naturally high in fiber. Fiber is essential to keeping a healthy digestive system, and helps you feel fuller longer.
• High in Protein-Black eyed peas are a great source of plant-based protein. A healthy serving of this soup contains about 6 grams of protein. Add more black eyed peas to the soup to increase the protein per serving.
• Rich in Vitamins and Nutrients-Black eyed peas are high in nutrients such as magnesium, calcium and iron. They’re also a good source of manganese, folate, and vitamin A. With loads of other veggies in this soup including onions, green pepper, celery, carrots, tomatoes, and kale you’re getting a nutrient dense soup!

How do you cook dried black eyed peas?

Most dried black eyed peas come in one or two pound bags. These step by step instructions allow you to prep 1 cup of dried black eyed peas or a whole bag of black eyed peas as long as you cover the beans in 4 inches or more of water. One cup of dried black eyed peas yields about 3 cups cooked. One pound of dried black eyed peas yields about 5 1/2-6 cups cooked.

Step 1: The night before place beans in a large bowl. Cover with 4 inches of water and allow to soak overnight. The next morning the beans will have grown in size since they have absorbed some of the water.

Step 2: Drain beans from soaking water and rinse thoroughly. Place beans in large pot. Cover with 4 inches of water. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes to an hour. At the 45 minute mark check to see if the black eyed peas are tender. Add more water if necessary, and continue simmering covered until tender.

Step 3: Drain any access water. Use black eyed peas in your favorite recipes or this fabulous Vegan Black Eyed Soup recipe!

Why do people eat black eyed peas on New Years?

If you live in the South you’ve likely had black eyed peas on New Year’s Day. It’s said that black eyed peas bring luck and prosperity in the year ahead.

There are many different theories for why black eyed peas bring luck and prosperity, as well as why they should be eaten on New Year’s Day. The traditional dish served is called Hoppin’ John. It is is traditionally made with ham hock and served over rice. While this Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup is not a traditional Hoppin’ John recipe it includes many of the common ingredients, including black eyed peas!

Black eyed peas were served to livestock and slaves in the south. During the Civil War the Union Soldiers didn’t touch the fields of black eyed peas when stealing or destroying crops since it was thought they were unfit for consumption. The Confederate soldiers survived on the black eyed pea crops bringing them into higher regard and transformed them into a symbol of luck and prosperity.

What do you traditionally serve with Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup on New Year’s?

• Collard Greens-As a representation for the green of money. Collard greens are the traditional green, but you can choose your favorite, like I did, kale!
• Cornbread-To represent gold.
• Stewed Tomatoes-For wealth and health.
• Rice-Serve over rice similar to the traditional Hoppin’ John recipe.

Check-Out these other Vegan Soup Recipes!

• 38 Vegan Soup Recipes
• Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
• Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup
• Vegan Pumpkin Soup
• Vegan Lentil Soup

If you’ve tried this Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup with Kale, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more vegan plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!