Creamy Hoppin John (IP and Stove-top)
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This Hoppin’ John with its smoked turkey, filling rice, black-eyed peas, a medley of savory sautéed vegetables, and the perfect blend of seasonings, is a must make for the New Year. It’s a healthy symbolic black-eyed peas and rice dish that’s creamy, light, hearty, and most importantly, delicious.
Hoppin’ John – A New Year’s Southern Tradition
It’s that time of year again, and there’s only one black-eyed peas and rice recipe that’s going to help you ring in the new year on a positive note: Creamy Hoppin’ John!
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Traditionally, you’d want to throw this together with a whole host of pots and pans, but I’ve put together a fast and easy recipe that takes advantage of the Instant Pot. Most of you have probably been having fun with lately. I know I have. It only takes an hour from start to finish, and you’ll have the perfect meal to keep you up until the ball drops at midnight. If you don’t have an Instant pot, no worries. I’ve provided instructions to make it on a stove-top too!
Hoppin John Ingredients
First, let’s talk about the main ingredients. These are all healthy options that will keep your heart ticking away and your body feeling great. So, you don’t have to feel guilty when you go back for seconds.
- Smoked Turkey: Typically, a Hoppin’ John has a ham hock in it, but that puts it a bit on the heavier side plus we don’t eat pork so we always use smoked turkey due to its strong, savory flavor and leanness. You can buy some pre-made at the store, use leftovers from Christmas, or think ahead of time and smoke your own. Regardless of what you use, you’re in for a treat.
- Rice: The rice is going to add a lot of substance to this Southern delicacy, and it’s going to soak up all those flavors you’ll be adding in. I like to use organic California White Calrose Rice. It holds up well and has a better “bite” than what you’ll get with less hearty rice’s. However, you can use what you have laying around in a pinch, though.
- Sautéed Vegetables: Besides turning this into a lip-popping good dish, my choice of onions, garlic, celery, and bell peppers adds an unbelievable variety to the texture of this Hoppin’ John, and they should all be in your pantry or fridge, anyways. Simple, tasty, and healthy.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is going to add a little pop to the dish, but you can substitute it with white vinegar as well.
- Seasonings: This is where the flavor comes from. Don’t overdo it and make the dish unpalatable, but don’t skimp either. My mix of Cajun seasoning, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, jalapeno, and salt and pepper will take your mouth on a journey you will not believe. Don’t worry about it being too spicy, either. The seasonings with a kick will be balanced out with the garlic.
- Chicken Stock: Any chicken stock you have on hand will work, but I like to use Better than Bullion Chicken Base. It has low-sodium content, and it’s packed with flavor.
- Black-Eyed Peas: These traditionally represent coins when it comes to Hoppin’ John, and they’re supposed to bring you good financial luck in the new year. Food-wise, they’re going to add a creaminess to this dish.
Instant Pot Hoppin John Instructions
Now, it’s time to put the Hoppin’ John together. You can do it all in your Instant Pot to save on dishes and keep all those residual flavors right there in the pot.
- Cook 1-Cup Rice: This is the easiest step, although all these steps to make this Hoppin John are super easy. Simply follow the rice instructions to cook it in the Instant Pot or you can cook it pretty quickly on the stovetop. Remove the rice and set aside.
- Sauté: Now, you’ll want to hit the sauté button on your Instant Pot and start releasing all those natural flavors from the onions, garlic, celery, and bell peppers. Of course, you should chop each of these before sautéing them. You can try to do it whole, but I don’t think you’ll like the results.
- Add the Good Stuff: Once you’ve sautéed your vegetables, you’re going to want to add your broth, seasoning, black-eyed peas, jalapeno and smoked turkey right on top of them. This is the longest part of the process, but you’ll be free to go enjoy a couple cocktails or join in on the celebrations while you wait. You need to pressure cook your new mixture for 50 minutes, and then set it to a 15-minute natural release to make sure your black-eyed peas are ready for the next step.
- Smash the Beans: Once you’re done pressure cooking, hit the saute button, and start using a fork to smash about half the beans. This will start to thicken the mixture and make it nice and creamy. You can smash more or less depending on your personal preferences but remember that this is supposed to be a supple rice dish. It shouldn’t be soupy.
- Add the Rice: Now that you’ve finished the bulk of the recipe, you just have to add your rice and fold it all together with a spatula or whatever you have on hand.
Stove-top Instructions
- Soak the black-eyed peas overnight. Rinse and drain. Set to the side.
- Cook one cup of rice
- Sauté veggies: Add olive oil to a pot over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the celery and onions Sauté the vegetables for a couple of minutes or until the celery is slightly tender. Next add the garlic. Sauté quickly, just until the garlic is fragrant. Make sure not to burn the garlic.
- Seasonings and meat: Next, add the broth, black eyed peas, vinegar and seasonings. Mix to combine. Add the smoked turkey leg, jalapeno (optional) and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over hight heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid for about an hour or until the beans are tender and the meat is falling off the bone stirring occasionally to prevent the beans from sticking to the pot and checking to make sure there’s enough liquids
- Smash beans: Keep water or broth handy just in case you need to add more liquids to the pot. Remove meat from the bones. Use a fork to smash about half the beans as mentioned right above in the instant pot directions. Simmer until slightly thickened. Remove bay leaf. Add additional salt and pepper and seasoning if you like.
- Rice: Place rice into individual bowls and top with the beans and rice. Mix to combine.
What to serve with Black-eyed peas and Rice
Technically, you’re ready to dig right in once you’ve finished the steps above. However, there are a couple sides I feel are pretty much mandatory for a good Hoppin’ John experience.
First, collard greens are a southern staple with Hoppin’ John. As I said earlier, the black-eyed peas represent coins in this recipe. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a pocket full of loose change for the rest of the year.
The collard greens represent cold, hard cash, and they’re an imperative part of the dish. I have the perfect collard green recipe for you to follow here on my site, and I highly suggest serving it with your Hoppin’ John.
Second, you can’t have a southern black-eyed peas and rice without cornbread. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and savory and it soaks up any extra liquids you may have on your plate perfectly. Check out my perfect cornbread recipe to really round this meal out in a healthy, yet insanely filling way.
Finally, while not really a side, many Hoppin’ John recipes call for a bit of crispy bacon as a topping. I’ve left it out of this recipe but if you’re feeling like adding a bit of fat to your holiday meal, it’ll do the trick.
Creamy Hoppin John aka Black-eyed Peas and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz dried black-eyed peas
- 1 cup onions minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 green bell pepper or red bell pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth I used Better Than Bouillon
- 2 tbs rice vinegar I used what I had but white vinegar works too
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning more or less for taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder more or less for taste
- 1/2 tsp onion powder more or less for taste
- 1/8 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 jalapeno Only use half of the pepper
- 1 smoked turkey leg
- salt and pepper for taste
- 1 cup white rice Or more if you like a lot of rice. See notes below
Instructions
- Cook one cup of rice. Set aside.
- Press the sauté button on your Instant Pot. Add the olive oil. Once the pot is hot, add the vegetable. Cook until the vegetables are slightly tender.
- Add the chicken broth, seasonings, and black-eyed peas. Stir to combine.
- Next add the turkey leg, bay leaf and jalapeno. Press the pressure cook button and set instant pot timer to 50 minutes. Next, lock the Instant Pot, press the pressure cook button and manual set timer to 50 minutes. Once the cooking cycle has finished and the pot beeps, let it naturally release steam for 15 minutes. Next, turn the steam release knob to vent position to release the remaining steam and pressure. Once the pin drops down, it's now safe to open the lid
- Remove the meat from the bone and place it back into the pot. Hit the saute button and set timer for about 3-4 minutes. Use a fork to smash about half the beans. This will start to thicken the mixture and make it nice and creamy. You can smash more or less depending on your personal preferences but remember that this dish is supposed to be a supple rice dish. It shouldn't be soupy.
- Add more salt and pepper if needed. Fyi, If the black-eyed peas get too thick, you can thin it out with a bit of broth or water. Once you get your desired texture you can turn off the instant pot.
- To serve and for a creamy consistency, add just a small amount of rice to each individual bowl. Top with the beans. Mix to combine. Enjoy!
Notes
Stove-top Instructions
- Soak the black-eyed peas overnight. Rinse and drain. Set to the side.
- Cook one cup of rice, or more if you like a lot of rice.
- Sauté veggies: Add olive oil to a pot over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the celery and onions Sauté the vegetables for a couple of minutes or until the celery is slightly tender. Next add the garlic. Sauté quickly, just until the garlic is fragrant. Make sure not to burn the garlic.
- Seasonings and meat: Next, add the broth, black eyed peas, vinegar and seasonings. Mix to combine. Add the smoked turkey leg, jalapeno (optional) and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over hight heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid for about an hour or until the beans are tender and the meat is falling off the bone stirring occasionally to prevent the beans from sticking to the pot and checking to make sure there’s enough liquids
- Smash beans: Keep water or broth handy just in case you need to add more liquids to the pot. Remove meat from the bones. Use a fork to smash about half the beans as mentioned right above in the instant pot directions. Simmer until slightly thickened. Remove bay leaf. Add additional salt and pepper and seasoning if you like. Rice: Place rice into individual bowls and top with the beans and rice. Mix to combine
Serving and storage
Nutrition
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