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Lima Beans with Ham make a delicious, hearty recipe that’s a family favorite! So satisfying and full of amazing flavor, this recipe is perfect any time of year!
This is one of our favorite bean dishes for serving anytime during the year. And we certainly enjoy them many nights for supper.
These Lima Beans are perfect served with Southern Cornbread. I especially like to serve it them with these cornbread muffins made with my cornbread recipe. These cornbread muffins are great to make when serving a crowd!
Lima Beans with Ham Recipe
This recipe uses dried limas with ham that you soak for at least an hour before cooking. Dried beans are full of great fiber and make a delicious, budget-friendly addition to any meal plan.
Using a bit of leftover ham really takes this dish from a humble side dish to one of our family favorites.
I hope you enjoy these Lima Beans with Ham as much as we do.
Lima Beans with Ham Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (1-pound) bag large Lima beans
- Water to cover plus about an inch for soaking beans
- 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 cups ham roughly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
Instructions
- Rinse Lima beans and place into a large stockpot or Dutch oven with just enough water to cover them, plus about an inch. Allow to soak about an hour to overnight, making sure beans always have plenty of water for soaking. Drain beans and rinse them again and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in the bottom of another stockpot Dutch oven, heat the butter or vegetable oil over medium to low heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add chopped ham and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the pepper, chicken stock, and about 4 cups of water. Add beans and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and let simmer for about 1 hour or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.
Enjoy!
Robyn xoxo
I could totally eat a bowl like that for dinner. So simple & delicious!!
Aren’t those simple meals like this just the best? Thanks so much, Aggie!
Two seconds after slicing into our Easter ham my husband said, ” Wednesday I’m gonna buy a bag on lima beans”…and today is Wednesday! In case he would have forgotten, thanks for the reminder!!!!
Two seconds after slicing into our Easter ham my husband said, ” Wednesday I’m gonna buy a bag of lima beans”…and today is Wednesday! In case he would have forgotten, thanks for the reminder!!!!
This looks delicious!
Yum, this is a simple yet delicious meal 🙂 and the perfect way to use up that Easter ham!
I made it tonight and it was yummy! Will make again sometime soon!
Had a bag of Lima beans and did not know what to do with it until I came across this recipe. It was simply delicious! Thank you.
Do you add salt? How do you season the Lima beansÂ
Can I use this recipe with dry baby Lima beans?
You can use dry baby lima beans in this recipe, Savannah. Hope you enjoy!
No salt needed?
Hi Marcela,
You can salt to taste. Sometimes ham can have a bit of saltiness to it, so I like to taste first to avoid adding too much salt. Thanks!
Thank you
Dollar Tree has a really good Salt Free Seasonings which has all the spices for nutrition and flavorings that you don’t really need the salt. I use this allllll the time in all my foods along with a little pepper and oregano, my favorite spice.
Thanks so much, Barbara. I know some people really have to restrict their salt due to health issues. Adding other spices to foods is a good way to add flavor without the salt. xo
Did y’all know that lima beans help regulate your blood sugar?! They are really good and healthy for you! I too grew up on this kind of meal along with Daddy’s favorite Cream Chipped Beef on toast as well as steamed tomatoes over blanched/steamed cabbage (OMG sooooo good!) and lots of other “soul foods” down in Atlanta, GA where I was born n raised by two very Southern parents, Plus I learned to make biscuits from my Daddy’s Mother who taught me the old way of a handful of this, a pinch of this and that, etc, I couldn’t tell you the measurements but I taught my 8 yr old granddaughter how to make biscuits and bread, actually the Biblical Manna recipe which is delicious! A little rosemary and soooo good! Love dishes like this and I make my own soups as well. I make a mean potato soup as well as a really good chicken veggie soup!
Hi Barbara,
Don’t you just love these old Southern recipes? Love your comments about the foods you grew up eating in Atlanta. Thanks so much!
This recipe is most like the way I remember eating lima beans and ham as a child: Nalley’s lima beans and ham!
However, they are not longer made. I searched and searched for recipe that reminded me most of those. Not a fancy, gussied-up recipe with needless additions; just the simple taste of lima beans with ham! This is it!! I thought I lost this recipe and searched for hours on the Internet and couldn’t find it. Luckily, I found my printed version and was able to find the website again. I did make some changes to the recipe. I used 2 whole chopped onions instead of 1/2 cup, and I use Rancho Gordo Christmas Limas instead of white limas. Everyone in my family loves this recipe! Thanks so much!
Thanks, Novea. I’m so glad you like this simple recipe. This is the way my family loves it, too.