Black-eyed Peas and Smoked Turkey Soup serves a delicious combo of meat and beans. Add greens and veggies for a hearty, satisfying soup that’s high in protein and lower in calories than a version with ham.
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Soup’s on! It’s that time of year when my thoughts turn to hearty soups. Problem is that often times heavier soups come with higher calories. Especially when we’re talking about smoked meats.
Smoked meat for example can vary greatly in caloric value. I love smoked ham hocks. That part compares to our ankles. A pound of smoked ham hocks meat and skin comes in around 1200 calories. Compare that to a pound of smoked turkey thighs and legs coming in around 650 calories. The taste is similar enough to swap turkey for the ham version.
It takes a bit of time commitment to make this recipe. I soak the black-eyed peas overnight which removes most of the gassy quality associated with beans. Soaking also enables the beans to be done in less than half the time, about 90 minutes.
Cooking the turkey legs a day ahead of saves time too. Then just add the meat when the beans finish cooking.
Simmering the soup.
As always, make it your own with your favorite greens, root vegetables and seasonings. Here’s my version to give you a start!
Black-eyed Peas and Smoked Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
- 3 each smoked turkey drumsticks
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 each bay leaves
- 3 each large potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups chopped fresh greens (chard, spinach, collards, etc)
- 1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 tbsp dried basil
Instructions
- Place black-eyed peas in a large bowl. Cover with 6 to 8 cups of water. Soak at least 12 hours.
- Add turkey legs to a large pot (6-quart or bigger). Add celery, onion and bay leaves. Add stock and water as needed to cover turkey with at least 1 inch above meat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until meat loosens from bone, about 90 minutes. Remove legs, cool and strip meat. Refrigerate meat until ready to add to soup.
- Drain, rinse and add to stock when beans are ready to cook. Cook beans over medium low heat for about 90 minutes until beans start to soften, then add potatoes, greens. Cook about 10 minutes until potatoes start to soften. Remove bay leaves, stir in tomatoes, basil, and turkey. Cook an additional 15 minutes or more until thoroughly heated. Serve with biscuits if desired.
