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.

12. Fried chicken recipe

Image: Oh Sweet Basil

You can't forget fried chicken in all its glory.

13. Chicken-fried steak recipe

Image: Miss in the Kitchen

Steak that's battered like chicken, and you get chicken-fried steak. We're drooling.

14. Chicken-sausage dirty rice recipe

Image: Bakes in Slippers

This chicken-sausage dirty rice would make the perfect side dish to your soul food-inspired dinner table.

15. Fried okra recipe

Image: Never Enough Thyme

Serve this fried okra as a snack or crispy side dish to a meal.

More Southern recipes

Travel down South for cheddar stone-ground grits with bacon and shrimp
24 Southern recipes that even a Yankee would love
Grandma's perfect buttermilk biscuits