Black-Eyed Peas and Sausage Soup (Printable)

Warming soup with Italian sausage, black-eyed peas, and vegetables in savory broth.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound Italian sausage, mild or spicy, casings removed

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
07 - 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices

→ Legumes

08 - 2 cans (14 ounces each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

→ Broth & Liquids

09 - 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Herbs & Spices

10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1 bay leaf
13 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Finishing

15 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish
16 - Grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, crumble and brown the Italian sausage until cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
02 - Add the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and garlic to the pot. Sauté for 5 minutes, until vegetables are beginning to soften.
03 - Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices, black-eyed peas, chicken broth, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes if using. Mix well.
04 - Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means dinner on the table before you lose momentum.
  • The sausage does the heavy lifting for flavor, so you're not juggling a dozen spices to feel satisfied.
  • Black-eyed peas are quietly hearty in a way that makes you feel like you've eaten something real and nourishing.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the canned black-eyed peas; it removes the excess sodium and any metallic taste that can dull the whole soup.
  • If you forget to remove the bay leaf and someone bites down on it, they'll remember it forever—use a marker or just keep your eyes open when serving.
  • Sausage gives up a lot of fat as it cooks, and while that fat carries flavor, too much makes the soup feel heavy rather than satisfying.
03 -
  • Brown the sausage properly—give it time to develop a deep color and crispy bits, because that's where most of the flavor lives.
  • Taste as you go near the end; sometimes a single teaspoon of salt or a crack of black pepper is the difference between a good soup and one everyone wants more of.
  • Use fresh herbs if you have them—a handful of fresh thyme or oregano stirred in at the end adds a brightness that dried herbs can't match.
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