Living with a person hailing from the South (Alabama to be exact) taught me a lot of things about cooking and the Southern staples that go along with it. Since it is winter at the time of this recipe’s creation, I am pulling out all the stops and giving you a stew loaded with Southern goodies such as a holy trinity (pepper, onion and celery), collard greens, black-eyed peas, pork sausage and, of course, ham broth thanks to Better Than Bouillon Ham Base (which eliminates the need for a ham hock). Welcome to what I call Southern Stew. It’s like my Sausage & Spinach Soup, but Southernized!
This post was sponsored by Better Than Bouillon/Summit Hill Foods.
Watch The Video!
Prepping the Broth with Better Than Bouillon
Sauté Away
Under Pressure
The Post-Pressure Cooking Touches
The Taste Test
Instant Pot Southern Stew
Living with a person hailing from the South (Alabama to be exact) taught me a lot of things about cooking and the Southern staples that go along with it. Since it is winter at the time of this recipe's creation, I am pulling out all the stops and giving you a stew loaded with Southern goodies such as a holy trinity (pepper, onion and celery), collard greens, black-eyed peas, pork sausage and, of course, ham broth thanks to Better Than Bouillon Ham Base (which eliminates the need for a ham hock). Welcome to what I call Southern Stew. It's like my Sausage & Spinach Soup, but Southernized!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons reserved bacon grease or vegetable oil (see Jeff's Tips)
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) salted butter (see Jeff's Tips)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 2 pounds pork sausage of your choice (the kind in a tube also known as a “chub” - make sure it's thawed if you got it frozen)
- 16 ounces (1 pound) collard greens, chopped with hard center stalks discarded (see Jeff's Tips)
- 1 cup of sherry wine or a dry white wine (like a Sauvignon Blanc)
- 5 cups of ham broth (add 1 more cup of broth if not using the wine)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 (15.5-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup of heavy cream or half & half
- 1-2 teaspoons Creole/Cajun/Louisiana seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s)
- Hot sauce, for serving
Instructions
- Add the bacon grease (or oil) and butter to the Instant Pot. Hit Sauté and Adjust so it’s on the More or High setting. Once the melted and bubbling, add the "holy trinity" that is the onion, celery and bell pepper and sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the sausage and break it down with a wooden spatula/mixing spoon. Sauté for another 3-5 minutes, until crumbled and lightly browned.
- Add the collards. It will feel like a lot at first, but as you stir them into the sausage and veggies for 1-2 minutes, they will wilt down significantly. (NOTE: So you don't overcrowd the pot, you can add the collards in two batches. Once the first batch is wilted, add the second batch and stir until also wilted).
- Pour in the wine and let simmer for 1 minute. Follow with the broth, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt and black pepper.
- Lastly, add the rinsed and drained black-eyed peas and stir. Secure the pressure cooking lid, hit Cancel and hit Pressure Cook or Manual at high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release when done.
- You may see a thin layer of oil from the sausage after stirring the pressure cooked stew. The oil creates a richer flavor and color but I realize not everyone wants that. If you wish to skim off some of the sausage oil at the top of the stew, feel free to do so with a ladle and discard.
- Stir in the the heavy cream and the Creole seasoning (start with 1 teaspoon and you can add more to taste).
- Ladle into bowls and serve with a few dashes of hot sauce and/or some biscuits or cornbread, if desired.
Jeffrey's Tips
Reserved bacon grease is pretty common in many Southern households. It's simply the grease after cooking bacon that's been cooled, poured into a mason jar and stored in the fridge for future use. If you prefer not to use (or don't have) any reserved bacon grease or oil, you can use 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter in its place. Or, if you don't want butter, you can use 1/4 cup of bacon grease or vegetable oil instead.
You can sometimes find collard greens already chopped in bags in the produce section. And, if you aren't into collards, feel free to sub the same amount of spinach, kale or escarole in its place.
If you can't find Better Than Bouillon Ham Base, you can also use any of their other flavors and add a ham hock just before pressure cooking at the end of Step
Cathy
Hi there Jeffrey! could you use dried black eyes instead of canned and adjust the cooking time??
Jeffrey
It would take much longer and absorb a lot of the broth so I’d suggest using canned as written 😉
Richard Bujaki
Jeffery, In case you were not aware of it. You can now buy a tub of Bacon Grease in most supermarkets. The product is called, Bacon Up. It’s shelf stable or refrigerate after opening. I cook with it all of the time.
Dianne
Greetings from Alabama! First I never post reviews, but this soup is awesome! Southern comfort in a bowl! Don’t skimp on the hot sauce 😉
Jeffrey
This means the world coming from a true Southerner!