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.

Course main meal pork

Cuisine Southern

Keyword hoppin john recipe, hoppin' john, how to make hoppin john, what is hoppin john, what is hoppin john food

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 10

Servings 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