Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup

From EatingWell: January/February 2008 — Subscribe Now!

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.

READER'S COMMENT:

"Yum! I added in some beet greens with the collards since they were on hand, omitted the bacon to make it vegetarian, and used garbanzo and navy beans instead of black eyed peas (what I had on hand). I also added a splash of balsamic...

Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup Recipe

6 servings, about 1 1/3 cups each

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 tablespoon 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 sprig fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon 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 tablespoons shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
2 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped

Preparation

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.

Nutrition

Per serving: 192 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 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).

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 medium-fat meat, 1/2 fat