Hoppin' John

4.67 from 6 votes

Hoppin' John is a Southern tradition for new years dinner with black eyed peas and rice. Made with a smoky ham hock or salt pork, this black eyed pea soup is believed by some to bring good luck!

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Cajun, Southern

Keyword: black eyed pea soup, black eyed peas recipe, hoppin' john, new years dinner, peas and rice recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 400kcal

Author: Nikki Gladd

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
1 large sweet onion , peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper , seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper , seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic , minced
½ lb. smoked ham hock or salt pork , rinsed and dried
6 cups chicken broth
2 cans black eyed peas (15 oz. each) , rinsed and drained
1 cup uncooked rice , cooked according to package directions
1 teaspoon hot sauce , more or less to taste (can omit)
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pot (reserve grease) and chop; set aside.
In the pot with the bacon grease, cook onion, peppers until soft, about 7-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 1 minute.
Add ham hock (or salt pork) to the pot and pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the peas and rice, then simmer another 10 minutes. Chop up cooked ham hock or salt pork, discard bone (if necessary). Stir in bacon. Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste.

Notes

If you'd rather serve this over rice and not as a soup, reduce the amount of broth to 4 cups and do not stir the rice into the pot with the peas. Simmer 15 minutes longer until the liquid is reduced.
When preparing your rice, try this recipe and cook it in broth for more flavor.

Nutrition