Hoppin John Casserole

Hoppin’ John Casserole Recipe –  dirty rice loaded, smoked sausage, black eyed peas, and fried onions. SO good and SUPER easy to make! Zatarain’s Dirty Rice, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, black-eyed peas, Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, smoked or andouille sausage, and french fried onions. Whip this up for New Year’s Day for a promise of good fortune and great flavor!

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Black Eyed Peas and Rice Casserole

This Hoppin’ John Casserole is loaded with all our favorites! Black eyed peas, sausage, Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, dirty rice, and fried onions. It is ridiculously good! All you need is a side of greens and some homemade cornbread and you are all set for your New Year’s Day meal!

How to Make Hoppin’ John Casserole

This dish is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a large skillet or pot, cook smoked pork sausage until golden brown. Add a box of dirty rice mix and the ingredients called for on the box. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until the rice is tender. Remove the skillet from heat.

Stir in canned black eyed peas, cream of chicken soup, Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, and sour cream to the cooked dirty rice. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Spread the rice mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle with French fried onions. Bake the casserole uncovered in a preheated oven. Garnish with parsley or green onions.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

• What can I add to Hoppin’ John Recipe?
  • collard greens or mustard greens
  • spinach
  • onions
  • bell pepper
  • celery stalks
• Can substitute smoked turkey sausage, cooked ham hock, or bacon.
• For extra flavor substitute no-salt chicken broth for the liquid in the rice.
• Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
• Is Hoppin’ John spicy? There is a little kick from the Rotel, but I wouldn’t say this is spicy.
  • If you are worried about the heat, use MILD Rotel or omit them altogether.
  • For a spicier dish, add jalapenos, a dash of cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, or red pepper flakes.
  • You can also add a heaping teaspoon of Cajun Seasoning to the dish.
    • Here is our recipe for Homemade Cajun/Creole Seasoning made with paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme: https://www.plainchicken.com/creolecajun-seasoning-secret-recipe/
• Can Hoppin’ John Casserole be made in advance? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cover the baking dish with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
  • If using a glass baking dish, bring the dish to room temperature before baking.
• Can Hoppin’ John Casserole be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • To bake, thaw the pan overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
• Storage tips: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Hoppin’ John Recipe for New Year’s Day

This casserole is a must at our house for the holidays. This is also great at any time of the year. This is a very filling casserole. You don’t need a lot of side dishes to go with it. We usually make some green beans or a salad, and some cornbread muffins.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this rice casserole:

Side Dish

Creole Green Beans

Creole Green Beans Recipe – transform canned green beans into something amazing! Green beans, bacon, onion, green pepper, brown sugar,…

Bread

Southern Cornbread

Southern Cornbread Recipe – a family recipe passed down for generations. THE BEST! Great with chili and soups. We also…

Salads

Green Jacket Salad

Green Jacket Salad – original recipe from the Green Jacket restaurant in Augusta. SO simple and it tastes great! Lettuce,…

Bread

Better than Jim ‘N Nick’s Cheesy Biscuits

Better than Jim ‘N Nick’s Cheese Biscuits – copycat recipe from the famous bar-b-q restaurant! Easy and delicious mini cheese…

Recipe Print Recipe

Hoppin’ John Casserole

Author: Plain Chicken

Yield: 6 people

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Hoppin' John Casserole Recipe –  dirty rice loaded, smoked sausage, black eyed peas, and fried onions. SO good and SUPER easy to make! Can make in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later. Whip this up for New Year's Day for a promise of good fortune and great flavor!

Equipment:

• 12-inch Non-Stick Skillet
• Chef Knives
• Cutting Board
• 9×13-inch Baking Dish

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-oz) box Zatarain’s Dirty Rice
• 1 lb smoked sausage, chopped
• 2 (15-oz) cans black eyed peas, drain and rinse
• 1 (10-oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained
• 1 (10.5-oz) can Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup undiluted
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup French fried onions

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a large skillet, cook smoked sausage until starting to brown. Add dirty rice mix and water called for on the package. Prepare dirty rice according to package directions.
• Remove dirty rice and sausage from heat. Stir in rinsed black-eyed peas, Rotel, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream.
• Spread rice mixture into prepared baking dish. Top casserole with onions.
• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Notes:

• What can I add to Hoppin’ John Recipe?
  • collard greens or mustard greens
  • spinach
  • onions
  • bell pepper
  • celery stalks
• Can substitute smoked turkey sausage, cooked ham hock, or bacon.
• For extra flavor substitute no-salt chicken broth for the liquid in the rice.
• I suggest using Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup in this dish to control the sodium.
  • You can buy it by the case at Amazon: https://amzn.to/49n4uZE
  • Need Gluten-free Cream of Chicken Soup? You can buy it here: https://amzn.to/3MtqQ1s
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
• Is Hoppin’ Johnspicy? There is a little kick from the Rotel, but I wouldn’t say this is spicy.
  • If you are worried about the heat, use MILD Rotel or omit them altogether.
  • For a spicier dish, add jalapenos, a dash of cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, or red pepper flakes.
  • You can also add a heaping teaspoon of Cajun Seasoning to the dish.
    • Here is our recipe for Homemade Cajun/Creole Seasoning made with paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme: https://www.plainchicken.com/creolecajun-seasoning-secret-recipe/
• Can Hoppin’ John Casserole be made in advance? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cover the baking dish with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
  • If using a glass baking dish, bring the dish to room temperature before baking.
• Can Hoppin’ John Casserole be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • To bake, thaw the pan overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
• Storage tips: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Plain Chicken

https://www.plainchicken.com/hoppin-john-casserole/

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Steph