RECIPE: Black-Eyed Pea Soup | New Year’s Day Tradition

When I moved to Texas 16 years ago, I was unaware of southern traditions and sayings.  Words like “ya’ll” and “fixin'” were not exactly the vernacular I was familiar with.  Growing up in California, I was more used to words like “rad”, “totally”, and “hecka”.

So when I discovered a southern tradition like black eye peas, I was intrigued and interested in what made this humble bean so significant.  After learning the history of it, I couldn’t help but drink the water and add this to our own family tradition.

Black Eye Pea Soup is a common Southern tradition, as it turns out.  In fact, the history behind it is pretty cool.  Back in the Civil War, no one thought to destroy the black eye pea crops.  Instead, Sherman’s troops destroyed and stole other noticeable crops leaving the black eye peas alone.  They became a viable food source for the Confederates who managed to survive.

That’s where the idea of eating black eye peas would be a sign of good luck or good fortune.  Southern folklore has said that eating black eye peas on New Year’s Day brings luck and prosperity for the year ahead.

I’ll be honest, I started this tradition in our family because it was a great excuse to get together!  The weather is typically cold this time of year and it’s a perfect meal to enjoy as a family because soup always seems to hit the spot!  The prosperity and good fortune, in my opinion, is a wonderful way to keep our faith and trust in God who blesses us with abundance each day.

Whatever your reason is to come together, you’ve got to try out this tasty recipe!  It’s delicious and SUPER easy to make!  It only took me 20 minutes to prepare and it cooks in 45 minutes.  You literally dump everything in a pot and let it simmer.

You’ll first need to gather all your ingredients.  Two things I want to mention.  I like to use Grandma’s Molasses.  It’s unsulphured, gluten free, and Kosher.  I think the better quality ingredients you add to your food, the better it will taste!

Another recommended ingredient, is Better Than Bouillon Roast Beef Base.  Most bouillon cubes contain MSG (mono-sodium glutamate).  I try to stay away from MSG as much as possible because of the negative health risks.  You can read more about it here.  Better Than Bouillon Roast Beef Base is a better choice because it doesn’t contain MSG.

You pick up these items at most local grocery stores.

Once you have all your ingredients together, cook the pork sausage, ground beef, and chopped onions together over medium heat.  Make sure the meat is no longer pink.  When it’s done, drain off the excess fat.

To help you finish this dish, here is the full recipe:

Black-Eyed Pea Soup

January 2, 2019

by Willy Burden

Category Food

Pair this hearty soup with cornbread to make a delicious meal on New Year's Day!

Persons

8

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Total Time

1 hour, 15 minutes

Notes

If you prefer a milder taste, omit the 4 ounce can of green chilies.

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cups water
• 3 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained (can also use two 16 ounce bags of frozen black-eyed peas)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (such as RO*TEL), undrained
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• 3/4 teaspoons molasses
• 4 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon (Beef)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven, cook and stir the pork sausage and ground beef with the onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, 10-12 minutes; drain off excess fat. Pour in the water and stir in black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes, tomatoes with green chiles, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, salt, canned green chilies, molasses, beef bouillon, black pepper, and cumin until thoroughly mixed.
2. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes

There’s nothing more satisfying than being with the ones you love and filling your tummy with good food.  To me, that’s what celebrating New Year’s Day is all about.  Count your blessings and enjoy the warmth of people and food!

What traditions do you have on New Year’s Day?  Share them in the comments below!

From my family to yours, Happy New Year!

This is my family watching football and enjoying a bowl of Black-Eyed Pea Soup!

Video Credit: Ana Marie Balubar (Facebook: Ana Balubar, Instagram: @coolnerdylens)

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