Hoppin' John Casserole with Cornbread Crust
This Hoppin’ John Casserole skips the rice and features a golden cornbread crust.
Servings 8 servings
Calories 480kcal
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 1 small poblano or green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 3 16 oz cans black eyed peas drained and rinsed
- 1 16 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 16 oz can low sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dark chili powder
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes more or less to your taste
- 2 cups chopped smoked ham
- 2 7 oz packages cornbread mix, plus ingredients to prepare (i.e. Martha White)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place peas into a colander and rinse. Set aside to drain.
- In a 12-inch cast iron skillet cook the bacon until crisp over medium-high heat. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Reserve drippings.
- To the drippings add the onion and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown.
- To the skillet add black eyed peas, tomatoes, broth, seasoned salt, cumin, chili powder, lemon pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Mix well.
- Simmer uncovered over medium for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add ham and mix through. Sprinkle bacon on top.
- In a medium-size bowl, stir together the cornbread mix with egg and buttermilk (or milk) using amounts per the package directions. (Pro Tip: Add an extra egg for a richer flavor.)
- Pour batter evenly over the black eye pea mixture.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the cornbread is cooked through and golden brown. Test the center with a toothpick. You can broil at the end of baking to brown the top of the cornbread further, if desired.
- Serve immediately with collard greens and hot sauce on the side.
Notes
- Rice - Hopping John typically includes rice, but I opted for a cornbread crust for this recipe. I highly recommend serving this alongside a heaping helping of rice and collard greens and your meal is complete, be it for New Year's Day or any other day you choose comfort food for supper.
- Protein - You could use sausage in place of ham like andouille sausage, chorizo or classic breakfast sausage.
- Peppers - For added flavor in this skillet meal, I use diced poblano pepper sauteed along with the onion. You could use jalapeños or for a less spicy version, go with green bell pepper or red bell pepper, instead.
- Spice - You can omit the crushed red pepper flakes, if preferred.
- Cornbread - I recommend using a cornbread mix that's not overly sweet for the topping. That said, you could make this black eyed pea casserole with jiffy cornbread mix.
- Cheese - You could add shredded cheddar cheese to the topping for a melty cheesy taste.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 2017mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 194IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg