Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

hoppin' john stew

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Carolyn Haas
Whitewater, WI

Hoppin' John is a southern dish served on New Year's Day ususally accompanied by cornbread. According to custom, Black-eyed Peas represent “coins,” greens represent money or “green backs”, corn bread represents “gold,” and tomatoes symbolize “health”. This version is more of a soup or stew version since the greens are included and not served separately.

(1 rating)
yield 6 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For hoppin' john stew

  • 1 c
    black eyed peas, sorted and rinsed
  • 1 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • 1 md
    onion, chopped
  • 1/2 md
    red or green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 - 1 lb
    bone-in smoked pork chop (or similar: ham, pork hock, bacon, pork sausage, etc.)
  • 1 can
    diced tomatoes, with juice - about 14 oz can
  • 4 tsp
    chicken bouillon powder, or 4 cubes, or 1 qt. chicken broth
  • 4 c
    water, skip if using chicken broth
  • 3/4-1 c
    rice
  • 1 tsp
    chili powder
  • 2-3 c
    torn spinach leaves
  • 1 Tbsp
    red wine vinegar, optional
  • salt and pepper, to taste

How To Make hoppin' john stew

  • 1
    Get black eyed peas ready the night before, or by the quick method the day of - see package. Or use frozen or canned black eyed peas - you will need about 2 cups total.
  • 2
    Add oil to soup pot, heat and add onions and peppers. Saute until softened.
  • 3
    Meanwhile, cut as much meat off the smoked port chop or ham bone as possible. Trim off fat. Set aside. If using boneless ham, just cut up.
  • 4
    Add black eyed peas, rice, water or broth, bouillon powder/cubes, chili powder, can of tomatoes to pot. Add pork chop bone, if using meat with a bone.
  • 5
    Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer until beans are softened. About 1/2 hour.
  • 6
    Remove pork bone, add reserved meat and spinach leaves. Cook until spinach leaves are wilted and meat is warm.
  • 7
    NOTE: If using bacon or sausage as the meat, you can fry it first. Then remove from pot and set aside. Use the bacon or sausage fat to saute the onions and peppers instead of using oil, if desired.
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