Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

blackeye pea and ham soup

(2 ratings)
Recipe by
Dee Stillwell
Citrus Heights, CA

One of the homemede soups I like to make is blackeye pea soup. I usually make it on New Years Day with the leftover ham bone and ham from Christmas dinner. It is said that eating blackeye peas on New Years Day brings good luck for the comming year. I know it's an old wives tale, but I'm not taking any chances. LOL I use blackeye peas in salads and soups at other times of the year also instead of other beans. The main reason..it is the least gassy bean there is. : D

(2 ratings)
yield 8 -10
prep time 20 Min
cook time 2 Hr 30 Min

Ingredients For blackeye pea and ham soup

  • 1 lb
    dried blackeye peas
  • 1 - 2 lb
    ham shank, hock, or bone left over from ham dinner
  • 1 lg
    onion, peeled and chopped
  • 4
    ribs celery, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 2 c
    chopped carrots
  • 4-6 clove
    garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 lg
    bay leaves, dried
  • 1 tsp
    black pepper
  • 1/2 - 1 tsp
    cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
  • 1 Tbsp
    beef better than boullion beef base
  • 1 - 10 oz
    box frozen chopped spinach, thawed

How To Make blackeye pea and ham soup

  • 1
    Wash blackeye peas and soak overnight or do the quick soak method, as I do. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 1 hour. Drain off grey water and set peas aside. While peas are soaking, in a 6 qt stock pot, boil ham shank, hock or bone in water to cover it for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender. Remove to cool so you can cut it up. When cool enough to handle, cut ham meat up and set aside.
  • 2
    While peas are soaking and ham bone is simmering, prepare the vegetables. I make easy work of this step by cutting in big chunks and chopping all together in the food processor. I do it in 2 batches so they get chopped more evenly, but it's a soup so it doesn't really matter. Add the chopped veggies to the pot of water you boiled the ham bone in. Add beef base, bay leaf and seasionings. Add ham meat and blackeye peas back in. Simmer for 25 minutes. Add spinach and simmer another 15 minutes. Taste for flavor and add salt if needed. Enjoy with Dee's Corny Cornbread and butter. Yummmm!!
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