With a growing, young family of little ones, New Year’s Eve isn’t quite how it used to be (as in, we never see the ball drop anymore!), but I still try to make it festive for the girls, and try to talk about the calendar and what the start of a new year can mean.
I also try to make this delicious black eyed pea soup sometime around the first week of the new year, and it is particularly one of my girls’ favorite soups…my bacon lover 😉 There is a bite of bacon in every spoonful and that is just heaven to her!
Sprouted Black Eyed Pea Soup
Perfect for New Year's as the black eyed pea is meant to bring luck.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry organic black eyed peas
- I get them much cheaper in bulk at our local health food store so make sure you price check - I linked up so you can see what they look like!
- 1 lb pastured bacon chopped
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 4 large carrots chopped
- 4 stalks of celery chopped
- 1 head of garlic minced
- 4 quarts beef bone broth OR chicken bone broth
- 2 TB all purpose season
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper more if you want more heat!
- ½ lb organic baby spinach
- Sea salt/pepper to taste
Instructions
- A day or so before you want to make the soup, put the dry beans in a large bowl with water to cover a good 3 inches above the beans. Let the beans sit under the light in your oven overnight, then drain and rinse the beans. Put the rinsed beans back in the bowl WITHOUT water, and back under the light in your oven to sprout. Should take about 24 hours or less to sprout – they sprout nice and quick when kept warm. Rinse the beans a few times during the day. This sprouting process makes the beans easier on the gut to digest and makes more of the nutrients in the beans available to absorb.
- In a large stock pot fry the bacon and scoop out with a slotted spoon to set aside. Leave the bacon grease in the stock pot to sautee your veggies in.
- Saute the onion, carrot, and celery in the bacon grease with large pinches of salt over medium high heat for about 10 minutes or longer. The salt draws out their moisture and sweetens the veggies.
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
- Add the stock and seasoning and bring to a boil.
- Add the beans and cook until the beans are bite tender – should take around 30-60 minutes.
- Take out about ½ of the soup and into a large mixing bowl, and use an immersion blender to blend that portion of the soup and return it to the pot. This gives the soup a creamy texture. You can skip this part if you don’t want that. You could use a regular blender for this step too.
- Add in the cooked bacon and the spinach in at the end and cook at medium heat until the spinach wilts.
Happiest New Year to you my friends!
This post was shared at Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday!
20 Comments
This recipe looks fantastic, I can’t wait to try it! What goes into the “all purpose season”?
Thanks,
Susan
Hi Susan! All purpose season is just a blend of and handful of herbs – you can find all purpose season in any spice section at the store. A few pinches of thyme etc would do the same trick if you don’t have the all purpose around!
Making this now – although I used the easy method of doing my black eyed peas in the pressure cooker 😉
Excited to try this!
Ohh! I want a pressure cooker! Lucky you! Enjoy the soup!
[…] Black eyed pea soup with bacon […]
This soup looks marvelous- so so cozy, warming and nourishing. Sharing today!
Thank you Megan!
I make a hoppin’ John recipe for new year’s day. Why do you sprout the beans as opposed to just soaking them over night? I generally cook my beans with kombu to help with digestion as well.
Black eye peas are on of my favorite beans to grow by the way.
Hi Anna! Sprouting beans makes more of their nutrients available to absorb as well as making them easier to digest. An overnight soak is fine if time is constrained 🙂
I am sprouting my beans now to make this tomorrow. Can’t wait! You have made my soup hating husband a soup eater with a few of your soups.
Oh great Sarah! We have plowed through this all weekend! Ha!
Also how do you resist eating all the yummy bacon before it goes in the soup 😉
Oh I know it! I actually did have to hide it up on a shelf in the cupboard away from my toddler 🙂
I have a “newbie” question. We are trying to make a major overhaul in our family and eat healthier. This recipe looks delicious, but what does “sprouting” mean? I have soaked my beans overnight and they are currently back in the oven to sprout. What am I supposed to be looking for…how do I know they are “done sprouting” and ready to add to my stock pot to cook? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Laura! Sprouting makes the beans easier to digest – it breaks down the phytic acid in the bean which over time causes irritation to gut lining. The sprouting also makes the vitamins and minerals more available to absorb. When they sprout you will see a little “tail” sprouting from the bean – that is when they are ready to cook 🙂 I hope that helps!
If I soak the beans during the day, you think about 8 hours is adequate? Does it need to be overnight for any reason, or just practicality?
8 hours is adequate for sure. I tend to soak overnight but during the day is fine!
This recipe rocked my little stay-at-home world tonight!!! Thank you for sharing. Such a yummy new (to me) way to use sprouted black-eyed peas. I usually stir fry them with some garlic and thyme and I sprouted a whole bag – just enough to make both dishes. Sending hugs!
Love that Lara! This is still a fav in our house as well 🙂
[…] Black eyed pea soup with bacon […]