Souper Sunday: Kale & Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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On a rather hurried lunch hour last week, I popped down to Fresh & Co. to grab some soup. Although I am a huge fan of their Turkey Chili, another offering looked too delicious to resist: Kale and Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian, I knew this was something I couldn't have only once. So, in an attempt to recreate it, I adapted a few recipes and came up with the following:

KALE and BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP with SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Ingredients:

2 cups of dry black-eyed peas
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups of stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 14-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, drained (either chopped or julienned)
2 bay leaves
4 cups of fresh kale, ribs removed and remaining kale torn into pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional
red pepper flakes, optional

Directions:

Soak dry beans according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute the onion, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery are tender. Thoroughly salt and pepper the mixture. Next, add the garlic and saute for about 30-seconds - do not burn the garlic.

Add the stock, soaked beans, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the beans are soft - about 20-minutes.

Remove lid, add the fresh kale and sun-dried tomatoes, and continue cooking for another 5-minutes. Salt and pepper the soup to taste.

Serve immediately. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Note: if you wish to keep this dairy-free, omit the parmesan.

Looking for an added kick? Sprinkle red pepper flakes in with each individual serving.

Can't wait to hear what you think!

xx JN

Tip: make sure to keep your carrot & celery pieces approximately the same size when chopping - this will make for a more evenly cooked mixture.