This Southern butter beans recipe combines tender and creamy beans with smoky ham for the most flavorful comfort meal.
Total Time3 hourshrs
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beans
Servings: 8
Ingredients
1lbbag of regular lima beans or baby lima beans/butter beans
1medium onion
2ham hocks or 1 leftover ham bone, with some meat still on it
2garlic cloves
1tspsea salt
1tspblack pepper
1tbspolive oil
Instructions
Now, you can choose to soak the beans overnight if you want, but you really don't have to. Either way, the first step is to wash the beans, and then put them in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for 1 hour.
1 lb bag of regular lima beans or baby lima beans/butter beans
After the beans have sat, drain the water and put the beans to the side. Add the oil to the pot and sauté the ham hocks and onions together, until the onion is clear and tender. Then add garlic and sauté about 2 minutes more. Add the beans and cover with water. Add pepper and salt (only about 1 teaspoon of salt at first).
1 medium onion, 2 ham hocks or 1 leftover ham bone, with some meat still on it, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil
Bring to a boil; stir, reduce heat, and cover and simmer for about 2 hours. Keep checking the water level and stirring every once in a while. Add more water if needed. Keep that water just about an inch above the beans. Cook until beans are tender, more salt here is optional. And oh the gravy this makes, oh my... so good! Serve over rice
Notes
Notes: Instead of water, can use a good vegetable broth. That will add some of the flavors the ham provides.In addition to using vegetable broth, also add some smoked paprika, which gives it some of the smoky flavors the ham provides.