Hoppin' John

SERVES: 6

COOK TIME: 25 Min

While traditional Hoppin' John is made with salt pork, we used turkey sausage to lighten up this version of one of our favorite Southern recipes! We know you'll love it as much as we do, since it's still got all those good-for-you veggies and black-eyed peas we expect from this tasty stew.

What You'll Need

1 pound turkey sausage, casings removed
5 medium-sized carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5 1/4 cups ready-to-use chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups instant white or brown rice

What to Do

Coat a large soup pot with nonstick vegetable spray. Add the sausage, carrots, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Remove from the heat and drain the excess liquid.
Add the broth, black-eyed peas, rosemary, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low; simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Add the rice, increase the heat to medium-high, and return the mixture to a boil. Cover and remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes before serving.