Black Eyed Pea Soup

We love this recipe because it is healthy, delicious, and I made the dried tomatoes myself, using tomatoes from our garden.


I've had this recipe in my recipe box for years, and just came across it while looking for menu ideas for the week. With the 'net so accessible, I tend to forget about my lowly boxes of handwritten recipes. I have no idea where it originated.

olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small Anaheim chile, chopped
1 cup diced smoky ham
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t dried thyme, rubbed
1/2 t mustard powder
1 bay leaf
2 cups cooked black eyed peas
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup hot sauce (I used homemade)
chopped fresh parsley to taste
hot cooked pasta (I used rotini)

Drizzle a little oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and chile about 5 minutes or til softened. Add ham and cook another 5 minutes or so. Stir in garlic and seasonings and cook another minute.

Increase heat to high and add peas, broth, tomatoes and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 20 minutes. Stir in parsley.

Discard bay leaf.

I served the soup with a small scoop of pasta and a couple homemade cheese and herb biscuits.