Black-Eyed Pea & Sausage Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon, plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup peeled and diced carrots
• ½ cup diced celery
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
• 1 (14-ounce) package smoked sausage, sliced (I used Boar's Head)
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
• 4 cups chicken broth, plus more for cooking beans, divided
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• several handfuls chopped collard greens, tough stems removed
• 2 cups of Black-Eyed Peas (cooked in the pressure cooker)
• ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste)

1. Prepare beans in pressure cooker. 1 cup of dry beans will yield approximately 2 cups cooked.
2. Sort, rinse and drain dry beans (I did not presoak mine).
3. Add beans to pressure cooker insert, then cover beans with chicken broth
4. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to beans to reduce foaming.
5. Cook on high pressure for 34 minutes and then a natural release.
6. Remove from pressure cooker (do not keep on warm, they will keep cooking) and set aside.
7. In a dutch oven or large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage slices, crushed red pepper, onions, carrots and celery and cook for approximately 7-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic and thyme and stir to combine.
8. Add 4 cups chicken broth and tomatoes with juice. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Add chopped collards and stir well to combine. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until collard greens are tender. Stir in cooked black-eyed peas, season with salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until beans are heated through.