# Good recipe for lima bean with ham soup **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2002, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-recipe-for-lima-bean-with-ham-soup/130908 "2002-10-04T23:52:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2002, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-recipe-for-lima-bean-with-ham-soup/130908/1 "2002-10-04T23:52:43Z")
Lima beans: I know they’re unpopular but I like them. I would also like a good recipe for lima bean with ham soup (preferably with potatoes). Also, be sure to specify if the lima beans are dried, frozen, or canned. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-recipe-for-lima-bean-with-ham-soup/130908/2 "2002-10-05T03:42:07Z")
Not entirely sure why you think lima beans are unpopular. If you just find yourself a recipe for bean soup with ham and substitue the lima beans, you should be ok. If you can’t afford a general cookbook, you must have access to a library. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-recipe-for-lima-bean-with-ham-soup/130908/3 "2002-10-05T05:29:08Z")
It’s just that whenever I hear people mention them, it’s to say they don’t like them. (e.g., there was a “Simpsons” ep where Bart gets Lisa to put lima beans on his plate only to say he doesn’t want to eat them but stare at them because “they’re so gross.”) Anyway, thanks for the tip. ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-recipe-for-lima-bean-with-ham-soup/130908/4 "2002-10-05T05:57:55Z")
How’s this work for ya? ``` 2 tb Butter 12 oz Red-skinned potatoes* 1 c Chopped onion 1 c Mixture of green and red pep 28 oz Chicken broth 2 c Ilk 10 oz Frozen Fordhook lima beans 8 oz Cooked smoked ham; cut up pi ``` - Scrubbed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Melt butter in 5 qt pot over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, onion and peppers. Cook about 8 minutes until onion and peppers are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients, except ham; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Add ham and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until hot and lima beans are tender. ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-recipe-for-lima-bean-with-ham-soup/130908/5 "2002-10-05T05:59:53Z")
Well, you CAN mix in pep if you like, but that should be peppers. Also, cut up pi, while sounding like a very precise measurement, is actually pieces. And I’m thinking the Ilk should be milk. That’s the last time I do a cut-and-past without previewing. ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-recipe-for-lima-bean-with-ham-soup/130908/6 "2002-10-05T06:04:00Z")
Any pea and ham soup recipe should work just fine with lima beans replacing the split peas. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-recipe-for-lima-bean-with-ham-soup/130908/7 "2002-10-05T13:42:13Z")
I usually make this kind of soup after Easter, since I have leftover ham and a big ole hambone sitting around doing nothing. This is what I do: Soak a big bag of dried lima beans overnight. Get a big soup pot, and with about 1/2 stick of butter, saute two chopped onions and 2 chopped ribs of celery. When the onion gets translucent, add your beans, a few handfuls of chopped ham, the whole hambone (this is important–the marrow brings a nice depth of flavor, but you don’t have to do it if you don’t have the bone), a few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf. Cover all this with chicken stock–homemade is best, canned low-salt works in a pinch–, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and let simmer for about an hour or so, until the beans are tender. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-recipe-for-lima-bean-with-ham-soup/130908/8 "2002-10-05T13:43:35Z")
Oh, and don’t forget to fish out the thyme stems, the bay leaf and the hambone before serving. But you knew that, right? 😛