Southern Hoppin’ John

Hoppin’ John, also known as Hopping John, is a scrumptious Southern black-eyed pea dish with bacon, onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic served over white rice. This dish’s name is rumored to have come from a man named Hoppin’ John, who sold peas and rice on the streets of Charleston, South Carolina.

We love to eat it year-round, but I also love to serve it every New Year’s Day.  Southern tradition is that the first meal of the New Year should be a dish with black-eyed peas to bring good luck for a happy New Year. You are supposed to eat 365 of those black-eyed peas for good health and prosperity. One for every day of the new year. This is one of my and hubby’s favorite recipes, so we never have trouble meeting that quota. I love to serve this dish with homemade corn muffins and a side of collard greens.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Black-eyed peas: fresh or frozen. You can substitute lima beans, navy beans, or pinto beans for the black-eyed peas.
• Ham: For the best flavor Use ham shanks and ham hocks. Trim the meat and add it to the beans.
• Chicken broth: preferably low-sodium.
• Rice: Use long-grain white rice like jasmine or basmati. In a hurry?  Use minute rice or boil in a bag rice. It is easy, and it comes out perfect every time.
• Bell pepper: Any colored bell pepper will work however, I like the sweetness of the red ones, and yellow ones add a nice pop of color.

How to make Hoppin’ John

This is the summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.

The night before, you cook the beans, rinse them, and sort through them, removing any pebbles. Add the beans to a large pot, cover them by 2 inches with cold water, cover the pot with the lid, and soak overnight in the refrigerator. Drain the beans in a colander in the sink and rinse.

Combine the beans, chicken broth, ham shank, thyme leaves, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves in a large pot. Cover and cook on the stove over medium heat for about 45-60 minutes or until the beans are cooked to your desired tenderness. Meanwhile, cook about 1 1/2 cups of rice according to the package instructions. 

When the beans are almost done, brown the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. About halfway through the browning process add the onion, celery, and bell peppers to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Discard the ham shank or ham hock, and using a large slotted spoon, add the black-eyed peas to the vegetable mixture.  You will want to get a little bit of liquid in there but not too much. For best results, serve over the cooked rice promptly.

Preparation Tips and Storage

• Do not overcook the black-eyed peas.  You want to cook them just until they are soft, so start checking after about 40 minutes.
• If using frozen black-eyed peas start with step 2 in the directions.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop with a little bit of chicken broth or in the microwave at reduced power.
• To freeze, cool completely, place it in a sturdy freezer container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop over low heat or the microwave at reduced power.

Serving Suggestions

For an over-the-top meal, serve with glazed ham steak, sweet potato cornbread, and turnip greens. Other delicious suggestions are easy skillet cornbread, beer bread, hoe cakes, sauteed spinach, pulled pork, and country-style ribs.

More Southern Recipes

Southern Pimento Cheese

Southern Green Beans

Cornbread Salad

Pecan Pie

Peach Cobbler

Cabbage Stir Fry

Southern Hoppin’ John Recipe

Fun and tasty Southern Hoppin’ John is packed full of flavor and wholesome ingredients.  This traditional recipe will quickly become one of your favorites.

5 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal pork

Cuisine: Southern

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 394kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 8 ounces dried black-eyed peas or frozen
• Water
• 1 ham hock or ham shank
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth vegetable stock or chicken stock
• ½ teaspoon thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ cups long-grain rice uncooked
• 6 slices thick-cut bacon chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• ½ red bell pepper chopped
• ½ yellow bell pepper chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion optional

Instructions

• The night before, you cook the beans, rinse them, and sort through them, removing any pebbles. Add the beans to a large pot, cover them by 2 inches with cold water, cover the pot with the lid, and soak overnight in the refrigerator. Drain the beans in a colander in the sink and rinse.
• In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine the beans, ham shank, chicken broth, thyme leaves, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until the beans are soft.
• Cook the rice according to the package directions.
• When the beans are almost done, brown the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. When the bacon is halfway through the browning process, add the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Stir several times. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.  Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove the ham shank or ham hock from the beans and cut any meat from the bones. Remove the bay leaves from the beans. Using a large slotted spoon so most of the liquid is left behind, add the black-eyed peas to the skillet with the vegetable mixture and heat through. 
• Spoon the black-eyed bean and vegetable mixture over the rice. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.  If desired, sprinkle with chopped green onions. Serve promptly.

Notes

• Do not overcook the black-eyed peas.  You want to cook them just until they are soft, so start checking after about 40 minutes.
• If using frozen black-eyed peas start with step 2 in the directions.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop with a little bit of chicken broth or in the microwave at reduced power.
• To freeze, cool completely, place it in a sturdy freezer container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop over low heat or the microwave at reduced power.

Nutrition

Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 411IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg

Did You Make This Recipe?Mention @smalltownwomanfoodnut or tag #smalltownwomanfoodnut!

Are you on the hunt for more delicious recipes?  Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.