YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Happy New Year, Black-eyed Pea Soup (II)

All kinds of special foods symbolize the New Year around the world, including sauerkraut, fish, and, yes, black-eyed peas. One of the great things about black-eyed peas is that they do not require pre-soaking. This recipe came to me this week from Jean Nadeau, who has been following YHIOYP since the very beginning. If you don’t happen to have any of these fancy little pasta, then just toss in some elbow macaroni, whole-grain if you can find them. Thank you, Jean!

  • 1/2 lb. dried black eyed peas, rinsed (1.25-1.5 cups dry, 2.5-3 cups cooked)
  • 1 large onion or 2 leeks, finely chopped
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1/4 c. tomato paste
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 c. small tube (ditalini) or wagon-wheel (rotelle) pasta
  • 1 c. chopped greens (spinach, bok choy, kale) 
  • 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp. salt
Place black-eyed peas in a large soup pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and then drain. Return peas to soup pot, and add onion, carrots, bell pepper, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, salt, hot pepper, and olive oil. Add water to cover ingredients by 2 inches, cover pot, and simmer 50 min. until beans and vegetables are tender.
Add pasta, increase heat to medium-high and simmer 5-10 min. until the pasta is cooked and much of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the greens, add vinegar, and then add 2 Tbsp. more olive oil if desired. Serves 4.

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