If you grew up in the south, chances are you know the beauty of a dish called Succotash. Growing up in Texas, my family loved making this fresh corn dish. Even though it’s a staple in a lot of southern households, Succotash is really a Native American dish with sweet corn and lima beans. As a kid, I couldn’t stand lima beans! But, you could say succotash turned me into a lima bean lover.

I absolutely love this vegetable medley as a side dish, but you could easily serve it under a juicy piece of roasted chicken or a pork chop. It’s the best excuse to use up all of your produce from the farmers market. Living out in Watermill for the summer, I’m surrounded by so many amazing farm stands. I feel so grateful to have these resources around me. It’s almost impossible not to eat fresh, seasonal ingredients at every meal!

Succotash
Succotash
Print Recipe Succotash
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 5

Ingredients

  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • ½ lb green beans trimmed and angle-cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
  • ½ lb frozen or fresh baby lima beans thawed if frozen
  • 2 tbsps unsalted butter
  • 1 cup yellow onion finely diced
  • 2/3 pound medium zucchini scrubbed, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
  • ½ lb corn kernels
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley finely chopped

Instructions

  • Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the salt, green beans, and lima beans. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Transfer immediately and pat dry.
  • In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the onion begins to get color, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is lightly browned. About 5 minutes.
  • Add the green beans, lima beans, corn, whipping cream, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a generous grinding of pepper.
  • Cover and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cream has reduced by about half and is thickened slightly and the lima beans are tender. About 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

I like to keep this dish vegetarian, but there are a ton of fun ways to play around with Succotash. You could make it with salt pork or even bacon. What really makes this dish special in my mind, is the addition of heavy cream. It ties everything together and gives it a touch of richness that’ll satisfy any comfort food cravings on your mind.
For this recipe, I used green beans, lima beans, onion, zucchini, and corn, but as long as you keep the lima beans and sweet corn, you can be as creative as you want with succotash. I like to garnish with some fresh parsley, but you can also use anything from fresh chives to basil to fresh mint. I love how pretty this dish is and it’s so fresh and delicious. You really can’t go wrong!

You can find my succotash recipe in my Flavors cookbook, which I’m excited to say I’m redistributing this coming year! This summer, I’m retesting all of my recipes and I can’t wait to share them with you. I truly believe that beautiful food makes everything better!
I hope you’ll continue to read along and cook with me. Don’t hesitate to search my recipe pages for menu inspiration. Everything I share has been tested on my friends and family more times than I can count, so I promise you’re in good hands. Let’s keep cooking and sharing memories around the dinner table. Have a fantastic weekend everybody!

XO,

Pamela