One Pot Southern Hoppin’ John

One Pot Southern Hoppin’ John is a traditional dish served in the South on New Year’s Day. This easy one-pot wonder consists of a black-eyed pea mixture served over rice. This easy recipe is often accompanied by cornbread and collard greens.

Legend has it that the black-eyed peas are symbolic of pennies or coins

Cornbread, which is the color of gold, is thought to represent wealth. 

The collard greens, which are the color of money, are supposed to add to the wealth. Oftentimes, one adds a shiny dime to the Hoppin’ John before it is served. Whoever gets the dime is assured of good fortune throughout the coming year.

Jump to:

• Hoppin’ John – What a Funny Name!
• Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need
• Steps to Make the Hoppin’ John
• Recipe FAQ
• Recipe

Hoppin’ John – What a Funny Name!

I agree that Hoppin’ John is a funny name for a black-eyed pea dish. No one really knows how the name originated, although its history can be traced to the mid-1800s.

One version of the legend is that name was attributed to an old, hobbled man named Hoppin’ John, who sold peas and rice on the streets of Charleston. Another version of the legend described slave children who hopped around the table in eager anticipation of the dish.

One also has to wonder why Hoppin’ John became associated with good luck and the New Year.

The most probable reason was that the slaves in the mid-1800s would have time off between Christmas and New Year. The reason was that no crops were growing during that period. During the time off, the slaves would celebrate with the available foods: black-eyed peas, collard greens, and cornmeal (used to make cornbread)!

Whatever its origin or history, Hoppin’ John is firmly rooted in the Southern tradition of welcoming a new year.

Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need

The two primary ingredients for Hoppin’ John are black-eyed peas and some form of pork. After that there are numerous variations of this savory dish:

• Black-eyed Peas: I’ve always used dried black-eyed peas for my hoppin’ john recipe, but one could also use canned or frozen black-eyed peas. The dried peas need to be soaked overnight to reconstitute them.

• Smoked Sausage: My mother always made Hoppin’ John using the bone from our Christmas ham. I had already used this year’s bone in split pea soup. Therefore, I decided to depart from tradition and add the smoked sausage in place of the ham. I actually think that the smoked sausage produces a more savory dish. I always use Conecuh Original smoked sausage. It’s incredibly flavorful but does need to be cooked.

• The Trinity: Although Hoppin’ John originally hails from South Carolina, it’s a perfect dish to marry with the New Orleans trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, with garlic added. 

• Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies: I like my Hoppin’ John on the savory side. I’ve experimented with different seasonings but think that the Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies contributes the perfect amount of bite and depth of flavor.

• Chicken Broth: Even though the dried peas have been reconstituted, they must be cooked in a liquid. You could use water, but I prefer low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock for a bit of extra flavor.

• The Seasonings: With the other ingredients, the Hoppin’ John doesn’t need much else to achieve perfection. In addition to salt and pepper, the only other thing I add is thyme.

Steps to Make the Hoppin’ John

Hoppin’ John is a relatively easy dish to prepare.

1. First, I cut the sausage into ¼-inch pieces. Then, I cooked the sliced sausage over medium heat in my Dutch oven until it rendered most of its fat.

This was probably the most time-consuming part of making the Hoppin’ John, taking about 30 minutes total!

I drained the cooked sausage on paper towels. Next, I pressed each piece with additional paper towels to ensure that I had removed as much grease as possible.

2. After all the sausage was done, I poured the fat from the Dutch oven. Then, I wiped any residual fat with paper towels. What was left in the pan was quite a bit of browned bits that contain a lot of flavor.

I added the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the Dutch oven. I let them cook over medium heat for about five minutes. During that time, I started scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven.

3. Once the onions, celery, and bell pepper had started to soften, I added the garlic. I cooked the mixture for about 30 seconds until the garlic became fragrant.

4. Next, I added the can of Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies. I continued to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any remaining browned bits.

5. After that, I added the black-eyed peas, cooked sausage, thyme, salt, pepper, and chicken broth.

6. I stirred the mixture to ensure that everything was well combined. Then, I covered the pan, reduced the heat to medium-low, and let the Hoppin’ John cook for about an hour and a half.

7. After an hour and a half, the peas were tender, and the mixture was creamy. I tasted it to see whether any additional seasonings were necessary. I thought that it was perfect!

For a delicious meal, I served the Hoppin’ John with cooked rice accompanied by Southern Collard Greens and Southern Cornbread Sticks. Yum!  Happy New Year!

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