How do you feel about lima beans? Growing up, my only experience with them was from a frozen package of assorted vegetables. I didn’t care for them very much because they were hard. So I was shocked when I enjoyed eating them at a friend’s house. She began with the dried variety and served them as part of a delicious Mediterranean meal. I then decided I liked lima beans after all. “Be sure to cook them long enough,” was her only advice. Since then I have enjoyed using them in simple meals.
Don’t be intimidated by cooking something new. Beans are about the most budget friendly whole food you can buy and they couldn’t be simpler to prepare.
The size of limas alone make them something special as far as legumes are concerned. Think of them as “meaty” beans while enjoying the health benefits of a plant based meal. Soak them in water overnight and plan to cook them for about 2 hours. Make a big batch to serve for a few meals and freeze some for future simple meals.
Simmer and Then Bake
First I made some chicken/vegetable stock to cook the beans in. It’s fine to use something from a carton. Canned tomatoes joined the party too. Which dried herbs would you like to use from your spice cabinet? I decided on:
- bay leaves
- sage
- rosemary
- thyme
Simmer for a couple of hours. Pictured above, I put some of the beans into a casserole dish, topped with feta and panko crumbs and baked in the oven for the final half hour. I served them on top of braised kale and with a dollop of cilantro pesto. Something fresh is always refreshing on top of a slow cooked dish like this. Cilantro is what I had, but any number of herbs would have been delicious.
Lunch the following day consisted of lima bean soup and cabbage salad.
The baked lima beans made one more appearance on a green salad and I put the soup in the freezer. You will be so happy to find the foundation of a prepared meal there in the future.
I am not vegan, but I enjoy eating a wide variety of plants. I recently read that eating 30 different plants per week increases the variety of healthy bacteria in your gut, resulting in improved immune function. Nuts and legumes count. How many different plants are you eating per week?
Ready for more legumes? Watch Lentils and Rice Partner For a Pantry Party next. No soaking required.