15 Soul food recipes that'll make you feel Southern

Feb 24, 2015

Marnely Rodriguez-Murray is the author of the food blog Cooking with Books. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, she has worked as an overnight bread baker in Colorado and a chocolate maker in Virginia. She currently resides ...

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Southern cooks will tell you that these soul food recipes are the best

Southern cooks may have developed these recipes full of deep flavor, but that doesn't mean we all can't enjoy them. No matter where you live, if you haven't tried soul food, you're missing out. Bonus: These recipes are all slowly cooked, simmered and stewed for rich flavors without you having to spend a lot of money. Perfect for the frugal foodies.

Discover how to make authentic soul food at home with these delicious recipes.

1. Perfect collard greens recipe

Image: Dessert for Two

Hearty greens like these collard greens are made even more delicious with the addition of bacon and by slow-cooking them to soften the leaves.

2. Catfish and collard greens recipe

Image: Tori Avey

This combination of fried catfish and collard greens is a classic soul food recipe — perfect crunch in the fish and deliciously smothered greens.

3. Black-eyed pea cakes with collard greens recipe

Image: Eats Well with Others

A vegetarian meal if you don't add pork products to the greens, these black-eyed pea cakes with collard greens are delicious.

4. Southern butter beans recipe

Image: Never Enough Thyme

Southern butter beans — not to be confused with lima beans — are creamy and so delicious when slow-cooked.

5. Southern cornbread recipe

Image: Oh Sweet Basil

Southern cornbread is a staple in all Southern homes, and everyone has a favorite recipe. We're loving this delicious one.

6. Hoppin' John recipe

Hoppin' John, a mix of black-eyed peas and rice, is a traditional side dish in soul food cookery.

7. Fresh black-eyed peas with ham hock recipe

Image: In Erika's Kitchen

Try making these fresh black-eyed peas with ham hock if you can get your hands on fresh beans — so worth it.

8. Southern-style black-eyed peas recipe

Southern-style black-eyed peas — not only for eating during New Year's, but all year-round, as they are a great source of iron, vitamins and nutrients.

9. Southern-style sweet potato casserole recipe

Image: Bakes in Slippers

Southern-style sweet potato casserole — what you'd think of as dessert, in the South is a perfectly fine side dish to accompany your pork chops and gravy.

10. Smoky black-eyed pea and ham soup recipe

Image: The Daring Gourmet

The perfect way to start a meal, this smoky black-eyed pea and ham soup freezes really well, so we recommend making a double batch.

11. Oxtail stew recipe

Image: Never Enough Thyme

This oxtail stew is the perfect example of making do with what you have. Oxtail was considered scraps, and soul food transformed it by simmering and slow-cooking it into goodness.