Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Antioxidant-rich collard greens and fiber-packed black-eyed peas have a starring role in this nutritious soup. There’s no need for loads of ham or salt pork—just a small amount of bacon gives it a wonderful smoky flavor. You can skip the bacon and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth for a great vegetarian dish.
- 1 tblspn extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, (4 sliced and 1 whole), divided
- 1 spring fresh thyme
- 1/4 tspn crushed red pepper, or to taste
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 5 cups chopped collard greens, or kale leaves (about 1 bunch), tough stems removed
- 1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed
- 6 1/2-inch-thick slices baguette, preferably whole-grain, cut on the diagonal
- 6 tblspn shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
- 2 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped
Instructions
Here are your instructions:
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add sliced garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Increase heat to high and add broth, tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in collard greens (or kale), reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig. Stir in black-eyed peas; remove from the heat and cover.
Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and broil until lightly toasted, 2 to 4 minutes. Rub each bread slice with the remaining garlic clove. (Discard garlic.) Turn the slices over and top with cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve the soup topped with the cheese toasts and bacon.
Recipe Notes
NUTRITION
Per serving: 192 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 12 g protein; 5 g fiber; 518 mg sodium; 253 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (50% daily value), Vitamin C (25% dv), Fiber (16% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 1 1/2
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 medium-fat meat, 1/2 fat
