Savory Vegetable Soup with Black-Eyed Peas and Spinach

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 3 potatoes, cubed
• 1 ½ cups dry black-eyed peas
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 zucchini, peeled and cubed
• 1 (10 ounce) bag fresh spinach, stems removed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Step 1

Warm some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook them gently, stirring often, until they turn a nice golden color—this usually takes about 10 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring it up to a boil.

Step 2

Toss in the potatoes, black-eyed peas, carrots, zucchini, spinach, parsley, and bay leaves. Give everything a good stir, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup come back to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer gently. You’ll want to cook it for about an hour and a half to two hours, or until the peas are nice and tender and the flavors have melded together beautifully.