# What You’ll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 8 ounces smoked bacon, diced
→ Legumes
02 - 2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and drained, or 3 cans (15 ounces each) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
→ Vegetables
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
→ Liquids
07 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
→ Seasonings
08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - Salt to taste
→ Garnish
13 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
# Directions:
01 - In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crisp, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, retaining the rendered fat in the pot.
02 - Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté in the bacon fat until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in the black-eyed peas, chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes if using soaked dried peas, or 20 minutes if using canned peas, until the peas are tender and flavors have melded.
05 - Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with reserved bacon and chopped parsley before serving.
