Southern Butter Beans Recipe (Lima Beans)

A blue bowl of Southern lima beans and rice with a spoonful of the cooked beans held over the bowl.

5 from 1 vote

Southern Butter Beans Recipe (Lima Beans)

This Classic Southern Butter Beans Recipe makes tender, flavorful lima beans with ham and bacon that are the perfect main course to fill your belly and dip your cornbread or to serve as a side with your favorite Southern dishes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Total Time2 15

Servings:

Calories: 376kcal

Author: Kari

Equipment

1 a 5 quart dutch oven or a large pot

Ingredients

4 strips bacon , hickory smoked and thickly sliced
1 tablespoon bacon grease or butter
1 cup onion diced
½ cup celery diced
½ cup green bell pepper diced
½ cup carrots diced
1 ½ cups Tasso ham or regular ham - add an extra pinch of Creole seasoning.
1 smoked ham hock or 2-3 sliced smoked ham shanks.
4 cups chicken broth 1 carton
4 cups water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 dried bay leaves
1 pound large lima beans dried
water to cover
4 tablespoons butter
½ - 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning use ½ if using Tasso, 1 if using plain ham.

Instructions

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven to medium heat, then cook diced bacon until crispy.
4 strips bacon
Add the carrots, onion, green peppers, and celery and saute until the onions are translucent - about 5 minutes.
1 tablespoon bacon grease, 1 cup onion, ½ cup celery, ½ cup carrots, ½ cup green bell pepper
Add the tasso, and cook for a minute or two, then add the ham hock, water, chicken broth, bay leaves, garlic powder, thyme, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
1 ½ cups Tasso ham, 1 smoked ham hock, 4 cups chicken broth, 4 cups water, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 dried bay leaves, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour.
Now, rinse and pick through the beans, discarding any damaged beans or rocks. Place the beans in a separate large pot that has a lid, and cover them with 1 inch of cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, place the lid on the pot and remove it from the heat. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
The beans should be ready to drain at the same time as the broth is done simmering.
1 pound large lima beans, water
When an hour passes, drain the beans, then add the softened beans to the chicken broth mixture. (If you used smoked poultry to flavor the broth, remove it before adding the beans to avoid splintered bones.)
Now add the butter and Creole seasoning and stir until the butter melts.
4 tablespoons butter, ½ - 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
Simmer for 60 to 90 minutes, stirring as needed.
After about an hour, check the beans. If they are ready, they will just melt in your mouth. If not, keep cooking until most of the broth has been absorbed and the beans just about disintegrate when you bite into them. If the broth level drops too low, feel free to add more broth or water - the beans should always be submerged until the very last little bit of cooking.
When the beans are ready, remove them from the heat and remove the ham hock from the pot. Let it cool a little, then take the meat off the bone and chop it up. Poke through to make sure you got all the bone pieces. Add the meat back to the pot and stir it up, but leave the bones out. You can also remove the bay leaf so that no one accidentally eats it!
Serve with rice, pepper vinegar, and Creole seasoning. Enjoy!

Notes

These creamy butter beans are a hearty meal on their own, so we like to serve them over rice for a main course with a little pepper vinegar, diced pepperoncini peppers, and some cornbread and collard greens on the side. I also like to put a sprinkle of Creole seasoning on top! You can even serve them as a side dish with a baked ham.

How to Store Leftover Butterbeans

Once cooled, store leftover butterbeans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftover butterbeans.

Nutrition