foods and cuisines

Succotash | The powerhouse of comfort food

Succotash  is a vegetable dish consisting primarily of sweet corn with lima beans or other shell beans.

Other ingredients may be added, such as onions, potatoes, turnips, tomatoes, bell peppers, corned beef, salt pork, or okra.[3][4]

Combining a grain with a legume provides a dish that is high in all essential amino acids.

Course Main course
Place of origin United States and Canada
Serving temperature Hot
Main ingredients Sweet corn, lima beans, butter, salt

Succotash Recipes

A kitchen sink succotash made with corn, lima beans, okra, andouille, shrimp, tomato, onion, garlic, & basil

Sweet corn (a form of maize), American beans, tomatoes, and peppers (all New World foods) are the usual ingredients.

Catherine Beecher’s 19th-century recipe includes beans boiled with corn cobs from which the kernels have been removed. The kernels are added later, after the beans have boiled for several hours. The corn cobs are removed and the finished stew, in proportions of 2 parts corn to 1 part beans, is thickened with flour.

Henry Ward Beecher’s recipe, published in an 1846 issue of Western Farmer and Gardner, adds salt pork, which he says is “an essential part of the affair.”[10]

In some parts of the American South, any mixture of vegetables prepared with lima beans and topped with lard or butter is considered succotash.

Succotash Instructions

  • Cook lima beans as directed on package until tender. Drain and set aside.
  • Melt butter in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook and stir 7 minutes or until tender.
  • Stir in lima beans, corn, paprika, garlic salt, thyme and pepper until well mixed. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are heated through.

What is corn succotash made of?

Easy Succotash – A Couple Cooks
Succotash is a dish of corn, lima beans and other vegetables that was introduced to American colonists by native Americans in the 1600’s. The Narragansett people in New England ate this dish featuring the “three sisters” or three crops that thrive and grow together: corn, beans, and squash.

Who created succotash?

Succotash, that savory mélange of corn and beans, is a noble dish with a long history. We have 17th-century Native Americans to thank for it; they introduced the stew to the struggling colonial immigrants.

What are the benefits of succotash?

Eating corn, beans and squash together – as the ancient Indians did in a dish that has come to be known as succotash – also enhances the nutritional benefits of each. Together, the complementary amino acids of the Three Sisters form complete proteins, virtually eliminating the need for meat in the diet.

Is succotash a healthy food?

Simple Corn Succotash – Healthy Seasonal Recipes
Is succotash healthy? It’s comprised of several vegetables and is high in vitamins and fiber. So yes, it’s healthy, but we made it even healthier with the substitution of edamame. We also keep the saturated fat in check with less butter and no added cream or bacon.

Where do people eat succotash?

Though it is certainly a New England invention, succotash is also a fixture in the American South. True to form, the Southern version is often served as a casserole or with butter.

TIPS AND TRICKS

For a creamier Succotash, add 1/2 cup heavy cream with the corn.