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Square overhead shot of a bowl of Southern lima beans and ham.
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5 from 14 votes

Lima Beans and Ham

Southern-style lima beans simmered with a ham hock, onions, and garlic for a creamy, comforting dish that’s perfect with cornbread.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine Southern
Keyword dried lima beans, how to cook lima beans, lima bean recipe, lima beans and ham, lima beans recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8 cups
Calories 285kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. large dried lima beans (butter beans)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
  • 1 smoked ham hock, meat scored (about 12 ounces)
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 8 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Garnish: hot sauce; chopped fresh herbs; vinegar; lemon juice
  • Optional, for serving: cornbread

Instructions

  • Rinse and sort the dried beans. Set aside.
  • In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery; cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Add the rinsed beans, ham hock, bay leaf, water, salt, and pepper.
    Pouring water into the Dutch oven with dried lima beans.
  • Bring to a boil; reduce the heat slightly just so that it’s at a low boil, and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat again just so that the liquid is simmering. Cover and cook for about 1 ½ hours, or until the beans are tender. Check the beans after 1 hour, because they may be soft enough at that point if you like your beans a bit more firm. If you prefer the beans really soft and broken down, you may prefer to extend the cooking time to 2 hours. While the beans are cooking, check to occasionally make sure that the beans are covered with water (adding more water, if necessary).
    Process shot showing how to make a lima beans recipe with a smoked ham hock.
  • Discard the bay leaf, remove the ham hock from the pot, and shred or chop the meat (there likely won’t be too much meat, but just use any that’s there). Return the chopped meat to the pot with the beans. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
    Ladle in a pot of lima beans with ham.
  • Garnish individual servings with hot sauce and herbs; serve with cornbread.
    Horizontal overhead shot of two bowls of Southern lima beans with ham and a side of cornbread.

Notes

  • Stir the pot occasionally while the lima beans are cooking. This will help to break down the beans, distribute the starches, and make the broth nice and creamy.
  • Smoked ham hocks can be quite salty, so if you prefer a less-salty pot of beans, I recommend omitting the salt. You can always add more at the end, if necessary, but you might find that the ham hock adds enough salty flavor on its own.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 1091mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 5mg