Easy And Quick Hoppin’ John Recipe With Smoked Sausage
Easy and quick Hoppin’ John recipe with smoked sausage is a great one-pot meal that includes vegetables and hearty meat.
It takes less than one hour to make, and it is a comforting meal for the entire family.
A Delicious Black Eyed Pea Dish
Black-eyed peas are a tradition in the South, and if you include them in your New Year’s plans, you are right on target!
We don’t mess with tradition here, so when a new year rolls around, I make my Hoppin’ John recipe for a fun, good luck charm.
It doesn’t hurt that this stuff is so delicious too.
Loaded with sausage and aromatics, it fills your home with cozy aromas that make you want to grab a bowl, and fill it with Hoppin’ John.
It’s a quick and easy recipe, too, one that allows you to enjoy ringing in the new year with everyone you love.
A Southern Tradition Lives On With Traditional Hoppin’ John
There’s a version of the legend of Hoppin’ John that claims an older man named John would hobble around the streets of Charleston.
They supposedly called him Hoppin’ John’ because of this, shuffling around the town to sell peas and rice to passersby.
But the most probable reason for the name, according to food historians, is that it may come from the French term ‘pois pigeons’ or dried peas.
Regardless of where it’s from or how it got its name, Hoppin’ John is said to bring some good fortune to those who make and eat it for the new year. Everything you eat with it is symbolic too.
You’re supposed to eat it with collard greens or turnip greens because they’re the color of money. The black-eyed peas themselves are symbolic of coins and bring good things.
Cornbread is said to represent gold, another way to bring fortune your way.
Even the pork used in this dish is a symbol of progress and always moving forward because that’s what pigs do when they root.
Lucky or not, the flavors of traditional Hoppin’ John are simply delicious.
There’s nothing quite like it, and hey, it never hurts to bring more blessings your way, does it?
Ingredients For Hoppin’ John
- Butter
- Cooked smoked sausage, sliced
- Diced white onion
- Canned black-eyed peas, drained
- Chicken stock
- Water
- Instant white rice
- Diced celery stalks
- Salt and black pepper
Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
How To Make Hoppin’ John – The Classic Southern Dish
- Add some butter to a large saucepan and melt it on medium heat.
- Next, add the sliced smoked sausage and onions and cook until the onions are translucent.
- Drain the cans of black-eyed peas and add them to the pot.
- Add the diced celery, salt, and black pepper.
- Next, pour the water and chicken stock into the pot and stir the ingredients.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil.
- Add the rice and stir to cover.
- Place the lid on the top of the saucepan and lower the temperature to low heat.
- Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Serve.
Step-By-Step Instructions
This Hoppin’ John recipe is made in a saucepan on the stove. It takes less than an hour to make the super southern dish for New Year’s Day.
Start by adding some butter to a large saucepan and cook on medium heat.
I used my Dutch oven for the recipe.
Add your sausage to the saucepan.
For this recipe, I used Holmes Smokehouse Pecan Smoked Sliced Original Small Batch Sausage. I bought it at Publix. It is so tasty!
Add the diced onions to the saucepan. Cook the sausage and onions until the onions are translucent.
Pour the water into the saucepan.
Next, pour the chicken stock into the saucepan.
Drain the liquid out of the cans of black-eyed peas and add the peas to the saucepan.
Add the diced celery to the saucepan.
I used about two stalks, but you can use more or less if you’d like.
Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top of the ingredients and give everything a stir. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring it to a boil. It shouldn’t take long.
Once the sausage and black-eyed pea mixture boils, turn it down to low, pour in the rice, and stir until the rice is coated with liquid. Place the lid on top and let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is done.
Once the rice is done cooking, you can serve it up!
Prepare for a Happy New Year with This Classic Hoppin’ John Recipe
You don’t need to wait for New Year’s to make hoppin’ John. You can make the recipe any time the craving strikes throughout the year.
For this recipe, you can alternatively use andouille sausage links or turkey sausage. You can also make vegetarian versions that omit the meat ingredient and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
You can also make this in your slow cooker or even a pressure cooker.
Optional Ingredients
- Garlic cloves
- Green chilies
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
- Green bell pepper
- Green onions
- Onion powder if you don’t have onions.
- Hot sauce if you like things spicy!
While Hoppin’ John is traditionally served with white rice, you can make brown rice instead if you prefer. It’s absolutely delicious either way!
How To Store The Hoppin’ John Leftovers
Store the Hoppin’ John leftovers in an airtight container or cover it with some plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated.
More Delicious Recipes
- Black-eyed pea soup with sausage
- Old fashioned English pea salad
- Southern Style Collard Greens from Julia’s Simply Southern
Even though it has a funny name, this traditional dish can help you make a delicious meal for the first day of the new year.
Be sure to serve it for the New Year and share it with friends and family. At the very least, if it doesn’t bring good luck, it will start out in a tasty way, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
Easy And Quick Hoppin’ John Recipe With Smoked Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 pound cooked smoked sausage sliced
- 1/2 diced white onion
- 3 – 15 ounce cans black-eyed peas drained
- 20 ounces chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups instant rice
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add the butter to a medium or large saucepan on medium heat.
- Add the sausage and onion and cook until the onion is translucent.
- Drain the liquid off of the black-eyed peas and add the peas to the saucepan.
- Add the celery, water, and chicken stock and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil on medium to medium-high heat.
- Stir in rice and turn the heat down to low.
- Place the lid on the saucepan and cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the rice is tender, the meal is ready.
