Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Soup

1Steve's Note:

Source: The Black-Eyed Pea restaurant in Houston, Texas.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

• 5 slices bacon , small pieces
• 2 tablespoons jalapenos , finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 pinch black pepper , freshly ground
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 3 cups swiss cheese or 3 cups cheddar cheese , grated
• 1 cup onion , chopped
• 2 cups tomatoes , chopped
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 cups water
• 4 (15 7⁄8; ounce) cans black-eyed peas , drained

Directions:

1. Saute bacon in large saucepan until lightly browned.
2. Add onion, jalapenos, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper to bacon drippings; saute 5 minutes.
3. Add water and bouillon, dissolving the cubes in the mixture.
4. Add peas to bouillon mixture.
5. Add cheese and simmer gently until cheese is melted.

Reviews

[Junebug]

Steve1 was kind enough to post this recipe after I posted a request for it. I made it on New Years and it was fabulous! It was easy to assemble, used readily available ingredients and the taste was great! The best black-eyed peas I've ever had! I know what I'm cooking every New Years from now until eternity! Thanks so much for posting!

[Ashleybakes]

This is a really good recipe! I made minor adjustments, using frozen/fresh black eyed peas instead of canned; and cubed smoked ham instead of bacon; and a longer cooking/simmering time. I added celery & bell pepper. It wasn't spicy enough for our tastes so I used canned Rotel tomatoes (tomatoes with green chilis) and added red pepper, Tabasco, & Louisiana hot sauce, and a dash of worchestershire. Served with mini cornbread muffins, it was a hit! The flavor was good and this was a filling way to serve B-E peas in honor of the new year.

[JenSmith]

We don't have the Black-Eyed Pea restaurant where I live, so I have no idea what their version tastes like. This one was simply delicious, though. I made a half batch of this recipe, using canned tomatoes (since I didn't have fresh) and cheddar cheese. I served it with cornbread. I was impressed that it only took about 15 minutes to make--although maybe I didn't cook it as long as your directions require. Let me just say, this soup was GONE in about 10 minutes--that's very unusual with my family. DE-LICIOUS!