This Easy Succotash recipe is a great way to add vegetables to your family’s meal that they’ll actually eat and love. This dish pairs perfectly with grilled or roasted meats and also makes a satisfying light meal on its own.
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I like serving Easy Succotash with a Grilled Romaine Salad, Spicy Grilled Jerk Chicken, and Italian Amaretti Peaches for a meal that’s light, healthy, and tastes like Spring.
What Is Succotash?
Succotash originated as a Native American stew made from dried or fresh corn, beans, and whatever other vegetables they had on hand. The word is derived from the Narragansett Indian term “sohquttahhash’ which meant “broken corn kernels”. Succotash was served at the first Thanksgiving feast.
The dish became a staple on Southern tables as a side dish to grilled or roasted meats because it was cheap, tasty, and made use of plentiful corn, lima beans, and whatever summer vegetables were on hand.
Ingredients Needed
I like using frozen beans and corn, but if you have access to fresh, then just steam them before adding to the skillet. You can’t go wrong with fresh, but the frozen variety is almost as delicious!
- Frozen baby lima beans – you’ll need about 2 cups of beans.
- Bacon
- Onion and garlic
- Frozen corn – you’ll need 4 cups of corn.
- Kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper
- Butter – this adds richness and a lot of flavor.
- Cherry tomatoes – the tomatoes not only add color but also adds sweetness and acidity to balance the flavors of the dish.
- Parsley
Steps To Make This Dish
- Cook the lima beans in the broth until tender.
- Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon, but save the drippings in the skillet.
- Saute the onions, garlic, and corn in the drippings until tender-crisp.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the butter, tomatoes, and parsley. Cook just until the tomatoes are beginning to blister.
- Remove from the heat and crumble the bacon on top.
Variations
- Add sliced okra for a very Southern flair.
- Not a fan of lima beans? Try using fava beans, Northern white beans, cannellini beans, or even kidney beans.
- Go for a Southwestern twist by adding diced jalapenos, chopped cilantro instead of basil, and a teaspoon on cumin or chili powder. Finish the dish with a twist of lime juice.
- Bell peppers, zucchini, squash, or eggplant would be great additions.
- Play with herbs and spices to change the flavor of the dish. Cilantro, basil, rosemary, dill, or thyme are all great options. Chili powder, cumin, curry powder, paprika, Greek, or even Cajun seasoning would add a different flavor to the vegetables.
More Vegetable Side Dishes:
- Sauteed Green Peas
- Sweet Corn Pudding
- Cauliflower Au Gratin
- Green Chile Creamed Corn
- Cheesy Spinach Souffle
- Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans
- Garlic Butter Mushrooms
- Spicy Garlic Bok Choy
- Spicy Italian-Style Broccoli Rabe
- Savory Carrot Flan
- Southern-Fried Okra
- Rosemary Garlic Grilled Vegetables
- Sweet And Tangy Green Bean Bundles
- Ratatouille Casserole
- Cheesy Baked Zucchini Fries
Easy Succotash
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
Description
This Easy Succotash recipe is a great way to add vegetables to your family’s meal that they’ll actually eat and love. This dish pairs perfectly with grilled or roasted meats and also makes a satisfying light meal on its own.
Ingredients
1 bag (10-ounce) frozen baby lima beans (about 2 cups)
32-ounce container chicken stock or broth
5 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
4 cups of frozen corn kernels
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup cherry tomato halves (about a 6-ounce package)
¼ cup finely minced parsley
Instructions
In a large saucepan, add the lima beans and chicken stock. Bring them to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the beans are tender – about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp – about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the bacon drippings.
Return the skillet to the stovetop and adjust the heat to medium.
Add the onions and garlic to the drippings. Saute, stirring, until the onions are translucent, but not browned – about 7 minutes.
Add the corn and stir to coat the corn with the bacon drippings. Cook, stirring often until the corn is tender – 5 minutes.
Add the salt, pepper, lima beans, and butter. Cook, stirring constantly until the butter is melted and all the ingredients are incorporated – about 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomato halves and minced parsley. Cook just until the tomatoes are warmed through – about 1 minute.
Remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle with the reserved crumbled bacon and serve hot.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: saute
- Cuisine: Southern
Keywords: easy succotash, succotash recipes, Southern side dish, Southern recipes, Thanksgiving side dish, lima beans, fresh corn, frozen corn
