Vegetarian Hoppin John Slow Cooker

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A healthy slow cooker Hoppin' John recipe. Make this hoppin' john recipe on New Year's Day in your crock-pot!

Healthy Slow Cooker Hoppin' John in a square green dish.

Why this recipe works

Make this healthy Slow Cooker Hoppin' John recipe year 'round. Not only is it delicious, it's an easy to make dinner in your Crock-Pot that's super good for you!

It's a shame that people only eat hoppin' john recipes on the first day of the year. You see, traditional hoppin' john recipes are served on New Year's Day to bring you fortune in the year to come.

Supposedly, counting the number of peas in your serving predicts the amount of riches you'll have in the coming year.

Hoppin' John is a combination of two staples of Southern food, black eyed peas, and collard greens. But it's also packed with nutrition.

According to Self Nutrition Data, black eyed peas are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and a good source of fiber, protein, folate, thiamin, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and copper.

Collard greens are low in saturated fat, very low in cholesterol, and a good source of fiber, protein, and many vitamins and minerals.

Healthy Slow Cooker Hoppin' John in a square green dish and white plate with sausage.

How I turned a Southern hoppin' john recipe into a healthy one!

A traditional hoppin' john recipe can be high in calories since traditionally it's cooked up with a lot of pork and pork fat. So I was looking for a way to make an easy slow cooker hoppin' john recipe that was also lower in calories and healthier, too.

That's why I was so excited to find a recipe for Hoppin' John Vegetarian Black Eyed Peas that was cooked in a slow cooker at Kristi Arnold's blog Veggie Converter, my assigned blog during a food blogger recipe challenge.

Using sausage instead of ham hock: Kristi's vegetarian hoppin' john recipe is already very wholesome. However, since I'm not a vegetarian, I decided to add smoked turkey sausage after consulting Kristi's original sources. (Traditionally, a smoked ham hock is used.)

I kept the sausage whole instead of chopping them up, so you can decide how much sausage you want to eat and can keep a better eye on portion size.

Black eyed peas: I also used canned black eyed peas in this easy slow cooker hoppin' john recipe instead of dried peas to make the recipe even more convenient for busy folks. (You can also use frozen black eyed peas!)

What is bacon salt? The Bacon Salt that Kristi recommends? Awesome stuff! I love how it added bacon flavor – and no calories and saturated fat – to my slow cooker hoppin' john recipe. Enjoy!

What do you serve slow cooker hoppin john with?

I served this hoppin' john recipe on quinoa, but feel free to use rice.

You should serve it on brown rice, which is used in more traditional hoppin' john recipes for the New Year.

But if you only have white rice, that's fine, too.

While I loved the addition of quinoa, it can be eliminated if you're watching your calorie count.

Health up your hoppin' john

You can health up this recipe even more by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Then you should cut back on the sea salt, and adding more diced tomatoes, onions, and greens.

And the sausage? Just use it to flavor the slow cooker hoppin' john. Then feed it to your skinny friends or the dog!

Do you like Southern food?

If you like Southern cooking, check out this Easy Tomato & Okra Soup recipe.

You'll also like Raspberry Pecan Pie and Easy Buttermilk Pie.

If you're a fan of waffles or fried chicken, try this Gluten Free Chicken and Waffles Recipe or Nashville Hot Chicken and Waffles Recipe.

And if you're a pimento cheese fan, check out this Pimento Cheese Spread Recipe, which you can shape into a pumpkin for the fall holidays.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 15.5-ounce cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
1 13.5-ounce package smoked turkey sausage, keep whole
1 14.5-ounce can diced petite tomatoes and diced green chilies
1 medium onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 bunch collard greens, rinsed chopped and ribbed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Bacon Salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups cooked quinoa

Instructions

Empty the cans of black-eyed peas into a colander place in the sink. Drain and rinse until the water runs clear.
Place black-eyed peas, chicken broth, and turkey sausage in the six-quart slow cooker.
Stir in tomatoes with chilies, chopped onion, and collard greens.
Add sea salt, Bacon Salt, and black pepper. Stir thoroughly.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours until sausage is cooked through.
Serve over quinoa.

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Slow Cooker Liners

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 191 Total Fat: 5g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 24mg Sodium: 1056mg Carbohydrates: 24g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 5g Protein: 13g

Nutritional information is automatically calculated per the ingredients list. Serving size may not be accurate. Please double-check with your preferred nutritional app for the most accurate information.

Originally published on April 16, 2012. Updated with new pictures and information.