Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sliced smoked Andouille or Kielbasa sausage and chopped bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned and the bacon is crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage and bacon from the pot and set them aside, leaving the rendered fat in the Dutch oven.

Add the diced yellow onion to the Dutch oven with the remaining grease. Sauté the onion over medium heat until it becomes soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.

Stir in the fire-roasted diced tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, black-eyed peas, dried thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season the mixture with salt and black pepper to taste. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover the Dutch oven partially and let it cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the black-eyed peas are tender. I always taste the broth at this stage and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Return the browned sausage and crispy bacon (from Step 1) to the Dutch oven with the black-eyed peas mixture. Add the roughly chopped kale one handful at a time, stirring it in so it wilts into the soup. Once all the kale is wilted and the soup is hot throughout, it's ready to serve. For extra flavor and freshness, I sometimes finish with a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of hot sauce.