Lima Beans, or anything beans for that matter, have always been my Daddy’s favorite food.
So it’s only natural that I love beans too and, lucky for me, my food lovin’ kiddos do too.
Y’all know I love the ease of Crock-Pot recipes and this simple side dish, on of my Daddy’s signatures, is in my Top 10!
Beans, beans good for your heart. The more you eat them, the more you…..love ’em.
What did you think I was going to say?
I have always been a Daddy’s girl and my Dad is one of my biggest foodie inspirations!
Not only are his lima beans the bomb, but he makes a darn good steak and rack of ribs too. And you’ve never had Southern comfort food until you’ve tried his Kitty Meatloaf. Trust me. {No cats are harmed in the making of said meatloaf}.
Daddy's Slow Cooked Southern Lima Beans
Makes 10 servings
Ingredients
- 16 oz bag dried lima beans soaked overnight, rinsed, and drained.
- 1 1/2 32 oz boxes of low sodium chicken broth
- 1 ham hock
- salt and pepper to taste
- garlic powder celery salt, onion powder, to taste {optional}
Instructions
- Pour dried beans in a large bowl.
- Add water to cover and soak overnight.
- In the morning, rinse and drain.
- Add lima beans to a Crock-Pot.
- Cover with chicken broth, I use about a box and a half.
- Add a large ham hock nestled in the center of the beans.
- Add your seasonings of choice. My Daddy simply seasons with salt and pepper. I like to also add garlic powder. My Mom likes celery salt and onion powder.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours until beans are soft and the mixture is thick. Add additional liquid if needed.
- Remove the ham hock before serving.
- Ladle into bowls and devour!
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For The Love of Food Blog
I use dried lima beans, because even though you have the extra step of soaking them, you get more bang for your buck with the dried ones. Of course, you can use frozen beans too.
Pour dried beans in a large bowl.
Add water to cover and soak overnight.
In the morning, rinse and drain.
Add lima beans to a Crock-Pot.
I like using ham hocks to flavor my beans and soups but you could sub bacon.
Cover with chicken broth, I use about a box and a half.
Add a large ham hock nestled in the center of the beans.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add any additional seasonings you want like garlic powder, onion powder, and celery salt.
Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
Beans should be soft and the mixture should be thickened.
Remove the ham hock before serving.
The ham is fatty but darn it smells good!
Try not to gnaw on it like a dog {or at least do it in private}.
Ladle into bowls and serve hot.
You can serve this as a side dish or it’s hearty enough to be a meal on it’s own.
I'd love how easy this is to make!
We used to eat these a lot when I was growing up but they were always cooked on the stove top. I know they are large lima beans but we always called them butter beans. We served them over rice and loved it. I have never tried them in the crock pot but this looks very good. Will try soon!
If I were to use frozen lima beans, would it still need to be cooked for 8 hours?
Yes, I like to cook them low and slow.
I grew up in north Louisiana eating fresh picked butter beans prepared much like this but on the stove top. My husband is from south Louisiana and his mom taught me to simply add shrimp to the last bit of cooking and to serve over rice for a complete and oh-so-yummy meal. And now I’ve converted to this slow-cook crockpot method as a matter of convenience as well as to smell that awesome simmering ham hock all day! I saute the ham hock and seasonings first (holy trinity of onion, bell pepper and celery) in two or three pats of garlic herb butter in the bottom of the crock pot while my beans are soaking (I only soak mine for an hour or so). And I also use creole seasoning sprinkled over the top and stirred in while cooking as well. I do still miss the fresh butter beans from my childhood but I have no complaints about the dried ones by Camelia and it’s certainly easier timewise and on my thumbs than shelling the butter beans like I used to, lol!
What do you do with the ham hock?
Remove it once the beans are cooked.
What is a good estimate of how much garlic powder, onion power, salt, pepper, and celery salt to use?
I usually do 1 tsp of garlic powder and 1/2 tsp of everything else.
My wife and I grew up with our moms cooking them on the stove top and then we would add Ketchup to them and they were good. My mom use to take most of the juice and some beans, put in a pot, flatten out 2-3 cans of biscuits, toss them in when it started boiling and made pastry. OH SO GOOD!!!!
Neal, This sounds amazing! I love the idea to add biscuits. Thanks for sharing!
Is it ok to add water? I only have 32 oz of chicken broth. Can the other 16 oz be water? Mom use to cook on the stovetop but she passed away in 2021 so the only real recipe I got from her was those delicious collards she made. My kids say they taste exactly like hers.
Yes, you can sub water. Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do! I am very sorry about your Mom. Family recipes and memories are so special.
I don’t even soak my beans. Just cook on high for about 4 hours.