If you are willing to treat your family to an easy recipe, lima bean soup is the best option. It is a great way to feed your family healthy and delicious food. Named after the capital of Peru, the country of its origin, lima bean soup is a popular quick recipe. And it has been serving as a warm dish for many years.
One of the best things about lima bean soup is that it’s a one-pot meal. And a bowl of this soup clubbed with some cornbread can make a complete meal. Also, it is an excellent option for winter dinner.
The best time to enjoy lima bean soup is it’s cold outside! This delicious dish is comforting as well as economical. And, you can make this dish with dry as well as canned lima beans. Also, you can use vegetables such as carrots, celery, and leeks to make the dish a complete meal.
This easy to make and satisfying soup is both light and hearty. And you can freeze the soup for a quick dinner later. Today we will share some easy steps to make lima bean soup. So be with us and get ready for a soupy dinner.
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Lima Bean Soup Recipe
You can make this soup with common ingredients such as carrots and celery. However, the recipe uses leeks rather than onions. It is because leeks are more mellow than onions. And it provides an excellent flavor to the soup. Besides, you can make the dish with dry lima beans that help to keep this recipe inexpensive. So below, we have described how to moisturize dry lima beans.
How to Soften Dry Lima Beans?
If you cook lima bean soup with dry beans, the first thing to do is make the beans tender. For this, you remove the discolored or rotten bits and rinse the beans very well. Then you will decide how to transform the hard and dry beans into tender and delicious ingredients.
The lima beans recipe includes two major parts. The first part is soaking the beans in water, and the second part is the actual cooking process. However, you can complete the procedures in simple steps. So below are different ways to soak the lima beans according to your convenience.
Quick Soaking of Lima Beans
If you are in a hurry and there is no time to soak the lima beans overnight, you can follow this quick soaking method. It’s an excellent method if you suddenly decide to cook the soup. And there is no time to soak the beans for a long time. In this method, you will immerse the beans in boiling water for some time.
To follow the quick soaking method, take 10 cups of water in a large pot and bring the water to a boil. Then add the lima beans and boil for 5-10 minutes. After that, remove the pot from the oven and cover it up. And leave the beans to soak for 2 to 3 hours. Then drain the water and rinse the beans. Now your lima beans are ready, and you can start cooking the soup.
Bonus Read: Instant Pot Chili Recipe – Quick and Mouth-Watering Dish
Overnight Soaking of Lima Beans
It is the usual method of soaking the dry lima beans. To follow this method, take water in a large bowl and add the beans to it. All the beans should immerse adequately, and there should be enough space to accommodate the double-sized beans. Then cover up the bowl and keep it in the fridge overnight.
When you are ready to make the soup, drain the water and rinse the beans. Now your lima beans are prepared, and you can start cooking the soup.
How to Prepare Lima Bean Soup?
- Time Required:
- Preparation Time: 25 mins
- Cooking Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
- Soaking Time: 2 hrs
- Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins
- Cuisine: South American
- Servings: 9
- Tools Required:
- One large pot
- One large bowl
- Ingredients:
- One pound dry lima beans
- Ten cups water for soaking beans
- Five carrots, chopped
- One leek, bulb only, chopped
- Two tablespoons minced shallots
- Two stalks celery, chopped
- Four cubes of vegetable bouillon
- Six cups water for cooking
- Two tablespoons olive oil
- Preparation Direction
- Take 10 cups of water in a large pot and bring the water to a boil. Then add the lima beans and boil for 5-10 minutes. After that, remove the pot from the oven and cover it up. And leave the beans to soak for 2 to 3 hours. Then drain the water and rinse the beans.
- Stary by heating olive oil in a pot and saute the vegetables until onions and celery get a lighter texture. Then add lima beans, and saute all the ingredients for another 2 to 3 minutes. Next, you can add a little broth to the sauteed vegetables and beans.
- To save some time, you can boil the water in a separate pot while frying the vegetables. So add 4 cups of water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Then add the fried vegetables to the boiling water, and stir until dissolved. If the content is too thick, you can add more water. Then put the soup to simmer over a low flame for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. After finishing cooking, serve the steamy hot soup.
Nutritional Facts:
- Per Serving: 220 calories
- Protein: 11.4g
- Carbohydrates: 37.3g
- Fat: 3.5g
- Sodium: 46.2mg
Chef’s Tips for Delicious Lima Bean Soup
- If you want to enjoy a thicker soup, add the water gradually. And add more water later if you need to make it thinner.
- You can also thicken your soup by adding some smashed beans to it. For this, press the beans with a spoon or a potato masher. And add it to the soup at the end of the cooking process. Also, an immersion blender can help you to blend up some of the beans.
- This soup is easy to freeze. So you can make it in large amounts to use the soup as a quick meal in the future.
- If you like to enjoy some sweetness in your soup, You can add some marinara sauce to it. Also, you can add some tomato paste while frying the vegetables. It will bring a savory flavor to your soup.
- A crockpot is the best cooking utensil to cook the perfect and savory lima beans. It is because this soup requires slow cooking for a long time for a tender finish.
- You can make a special lima bean soup by adding one simple ingredient. For this, add tomato and chicken stock to the vegetables and enjoy a flavorful soup.
Also Read: Texas Roadhouse Chili Recipe – Delicious & Easy To Cook
FAQ’s
Ans. You can cook dry lima beans, but soaking will reduce your cooking time. However, over-soaking or overcooking can cause the beans to melt out.
You can follow quick soaking or overnight soaking methods to prepare a delicious lima bean soup.
For overnight soaking, take water in a large bowl and add the beans to it. Then cover up the bowl and keep it in the fridge overnight. And for quick soaking, immerse the beans in boiling water and leave for 2 to 3 hours.
Ans. To follow the quick soaking method, take 10 cups of water in a large pot and bring the water to a boil. Then add the lima beans and boil for 5-10 minutes. After that, remove the pot from the oven and cover it up. And leave the beans to soak for 2 to 3 hours.
Ans. If you want to enjoy a thicker soup, add the water gradually and add more water later if you need to make it thinner.
You can also thicken your soup by adding some smashed beans to it. For this, press the beans with a spoon or a potato masher. And add it to the soup at the end of the cooking process. Also, an immersion blender is a great way to blend up some of the beans.
Ans. The cooking time generally extends from 40 to 60 minutes or until the beans become tender. However, it will help if you soak the beans in hot water for 2 to 3 hours.
Ans. Lima beans soup contains beneficial protein and fibers. And each serving offers a hearty and healthy diet that can help reduce your weight.
Conclusion
You can make this fabulous soup as a weekend delight either on a crockpot, stove-top, or in a slow-cooker. And you can prepare the lima beans soup either by soaking the beans overnight or boiling them before cooking. It is a healthy soup offering pure comfort, especially on cold winter nights.
We hope you will enjoy this Lima Bean Soup recipe with your family for many years to come. It’s our favorite recipe and will most likely become a loved dish of your family too. Kindly share your thought.
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Lima Bean Soup: 3 Easy Steps to Make it
Equipment
- One large pot
- One large bowl
Ingredients
- 10 cup water for soaking beans
- 5 Five carrots chopped
- 1 leek, bulb only, chopped
- 2 tbsp minced shallots
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 4 cubes vegetable bouillon
- 6 cup water for cooking
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Take 10 cups of water in a large pot and bring the water to a boil. Then add the lima beans and boil for 5-10 minutes. After that, remove the pot from the oven and cover it up. And leave the beans to soak for 2 to 3 hours. Then drain the water and rinse the beans.
- Stary by heating olive oil in a pot and saute the vegetables until onions and celery get a lighter texture. Then add lima beans, and saute all the ingredients for another 2 to 3 minutes. Next, you can add a little broth to the sauteed vegetables and beans.
- To save some time, you can boil the water in a separate pot while frying the vegetables. So add 4 cups of water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Then add the fried vegetables to the boiling water, and stir until dissolved. If the content is too thick, you can add more water. Then put the soup to simmer over a low flame for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. After finishing cooking, serve the steamy hot soup.