Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Made it,
Loved it.

Serving size 6

Prep Time

Total Time 45MIN

Ingredients

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
5 clove garlic (4 sliced and 1 whole), divided
1 sprig fresh thyme
¼ tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste
4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can 15-ounce can diced tomato
5 cup chopped collard greens or kale leaves (about 1 bunch), tough stems removed
1 can 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed
6 1/2-inch-thick slices baguette, preferably whole-grain, cut on the diagonal
6 Tbsp shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
2 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped

Directions

1. 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.

2. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

3. 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.