Black-Eyed Pea Soup

This soup’s filling enough to make a hearty main course and is easy to prepare. A sprinkling of low-fat grated cheese melting into the soup is the finishing touch. Serve with toasted tortillas on the side, cut into wedges, if you wish.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 large fresh green chile, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 can (14 ounces) chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sun-dried tomato paste

• 3 cups low-fat chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cans (15 ounces) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper

To Serve
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup reduced-fat coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese
Sprigs of fresh cilantro (optional)
Thinly sliced fresh green chile (optional)

How to make it  40 minutes



• 1

  Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the chile and green peppers, and cook gently until almost soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the ground cumin and cook for a few seconds.
• 2

  Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the tomato paste, 2 cups of the broth, the bay leaf, and 1 can of peas. Bring
  to a boil slowly, then turn down the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
• 3

  Puree the soup, either in batches in a blender or food processor, or by using a hand-held blender directly in the pan. Stir in the remaining peas, plus the corn, and chopped cilantro. Add the remaining broth. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then heat through gently until hot.
• 4

  Meanwhile, heat the tortillas in the oven or microwave, according to the package instructions.
• 5

  Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with the cheese. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and green chile, if desired. Serve
  with the tortillas.

More Ideas

• Reduced-fat cheddar cheese can be substituted for the Monterey Jack.
• Canned pinto or black beans can be substituted for the black-eyed peas.

Plus Points