This vegan hoppin’ John is made with smoky simmered black-eyed peas, spices and chard. Perfect for New Year’s, or pretty much any day of the year!
This is an almost conventional version of a New Year’s classic. It’s cheap and healthy and I didn’t even have to break tradition all that much to make it that way.
I first learned of this dish a few years back from a friend who had gotten in the habit of preparing a big pot of the stuff on New Year’s day. I’d never heard of the dish before, but now I know that it’s kind of a New Year’s day tradition in lots of homes in the U.S.
Her version was meatless, and I think totally vegan, though I never got around to confirming or trying it.
When I decided to make up a batch of my own, I found a bunch of recipes that called for ham or bacon. It seems like that’s a popular ingredient in most versions of the dish. I decided to include only my favorite part of bacon, the smoke, which comes conveniently bottled and in totally vegan form. I also threw in some chard, to flavor and healthy things up a bit, and also to add some variety as a stand in for collards, which I understand are another optional ingredient in more traditional versions.
On a side note, the idea behind the dish is frugality — eat cheap on New Year’s, be blessed with abundance for the next twelve months, so I’m thinking the whole optional ingredients thing supports that.
I’ve eaten this hoppin’ John a bunch of times over both rice (traditional) and quinoa (not so traditional). Either way, it’s super delicious and satisfying.
This recipe makes a big batch. It’s also super easy to throw together. So it’s perfect in all kinds of ways if you’ve got a New Year’s crowd to feed.
Smoky Vegan Hoppin' John with Chard
This vegan hoppin’ John is made with smoky simmered black-eyed peas, spices and chard. Perfect for New Year’s, or pretty much any day of the year!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, (minced)
- 2 celery stalks, (diced)
- 1 medium onion, (diced)
- 1 green bell pepper, (diced)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 pound dried black eyed peas, (soaked in water 8 hours or overnight)
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bunch (about 3/4 lb.) Swiss chard leaves, (sliced into strips)
- salt, (to taste)
- Cayenne pepper hot sauce, (to taste)
- 4 scallions (chopped)
- cooked rice or quinoa (for serving)
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Place the olive oil in large pot and set over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery, onion and bell pepper. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
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Add the broth, black eyed peas, liquid smoke, bay leaves, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne and black pepper. Stir a few times and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer, uncovered, until the peas are tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 50 minutes. Add a bit of water to the pot if it gets too dry.
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Add the chard and stir a few times. Allow to simmer about 3 more minutes, until the chard leaves are wilted. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper hot sauce to taste. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
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Serve over rice or quinoa. Top with scallions and additional hot sauce.
Nutrition information does not include rice or quinoa.
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