Quick and Easy Hoppin’ John Side Dish

This is an easy, quick, and flavorful recipe for Hoppin’ John, a southern side dish with blackeyed peas, bacon, okra, and tomatoes.

Hello all you Kenarry readers, Emily from Table & Hearth here to share an easy and delicious side dish recipe with you today! It’s a quick and simple way to make Hoppin’ John, a southern favorite and one of my go-to dishes.

What is Hoppin’ John?

Hoppin’ John is traditionally eaten as a New Year’s dish for good luck, but we love to eat it year-round. It is normally served as a side dish to the main course. It is a blend of rice and black-eyed peas. According to Southern Living, this dish started in the south, but no one knows exactly when or how.

What do you serve with Hoppin’ John?

You can serve almost anything with it. It goes with all kinds of entrees, especially a yummy steak or chicken.  Of course, you can also be like me and eat it as a main entree!

My Version of Hoppin’ John Without Rice

There are only six ingredients needed for my version, but adding rice is also common for Hoppin’ John if you want to put that in as well.  

Ingredients

• Cans of black-eyed peas
• Okra
• Tomatoes
• Crumbled bacon
• A few spices

I like to use fire-roasted diced tomatoes and creole-style okra just to bring more flavor and zing into the dish.

How to Get a Smoky Flavor

To get an amazing smoky flavor, cook your bacon in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven so that it’ll make a nice crust on the bottom full of yummy bacony bits.  Once the bacon is cooked, remove it, let it cool, then crumble it to add later.

After the bacon is done, add all of your canned ingredients to the pot and stir gently to combine.  The bacon residue will deglaze off the bottom and get incorporated into the Hoppin’ John.

Let it all sauté for about 10 minutes to meld all the flavors, then season with salt and pepper as you’d like.  Toss in your bacon right before serving so it’ll stay crisp.

That’s it!  A few cans, a few minutes to cook, and it’s ready to go!!

Print Recipe

3 from 1 vote

Hoppin’ John

A hearty southern side that’s filled with flavor and is quick and easy to make!

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Author: Emily @ Table & Hearth

Ingredients

• 2 Black-eyed Peas Cans – Drained (or fresh)
• 2 Sliced Okra Cans – Drained – I used creole gumbo okra
• 1 Diced Tomatoes Cand – Drained – Preferably fire-roasted
• 5 Slices Bacon Crumbled
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Instructions

• Cook bacon in a dutch oven or cast iron skillet. You want the bacon to make a nice residue on the bottom which you can deglaze.
• Remove bacon and let cool, then crumble.
• Add peas, okra, tomatoes, and bay leaf to pot and gently mix, making sure to scrape the bacon bits off the bottom of the pan.
• Sautee for about 10 minutes to let flavors combine.
• Add bacon and gently mix.
• Add salt and pepper to taste and gently mix.
• Serve warm

Notes

If you want this to have more liquid, don’t drain the okra and/or tomatoes.

Take care while mixing, otherwise beans will get damaged and smushy.

 I hope you guys love this recipe as much as we do, and thanks so much to Carrie for having me today!

More Homemade Recipes

Make sure and check out some of my other favorite recipes below too…

Cardamom Orange Cookies with Browned Butter Toffee Frosting

Apple Pineapple Ceviche

Cilantro Soup with Blue Posole

While you’re here be sure to check out other side dish ideas on
Ideas for the Home by Kenarry™. You may enjoy:

• Zucchini Recipes: 12 Great Ideas for This Prolific Vegetable
• Roasted Baby Carrots With Dill: A Simple Side Dish
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe: An Easy Side Dish Idea

Originally published March 2015. Updated March 2018.

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