Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Ham Hocks

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion (from 1 large onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp.)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 lb. smoked ham hocks
• 1 lb. dried black-eyed peas
• 10 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped stemmed collard greens (from 1 [8-oz.] bunch)
• ¾ cup chopped celery (from 3 small celery stalks)
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 (8½-oz.) pkg. precooked microwavable white rice
• 1½ Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• ¾ tsp. black pepper
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. 1Warm the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the chopped onion, stirring often, until it becomes translucent but not browned, which takes about 5 minutes.
2. 2Stir in the minced garlic and ground cumin. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently, until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the cooked aromatics to a 6-quart slow cooker.
3. 3Add the smoked ham hocks, dried black-eyed peas, chicken broth, chopped collard greens, celery, and dried bay leaves to the slow cooker.
4. 4Cover the slow cooker and cook the soup until the ham hocks and peas are very tender. This takes about 4 hours on the high setting or 7 to 8 hours on the low setting.
5. 5Carefully remove and discard the bay leaves from the soup. Use tongs to transfer the ham hocks to a cutting board and let them rest for about 5 minutes until they are cool enough to handle.
6. 6Discard the bones and skin from the ham hocks. Shred the remaining meat into bite-size pieces and return it to the slow cooker, stirring well to combine.
7. 7Stir in the precooked white rice and let it heat through for about 1 minute. Season the soup with the fresh thyme, black pepper, kosher salt, and cayenne pepper, then serve hot.
8. 8Serve the soup immediately, or use the leftovers as a base for other lightened-up soup variations.

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