Southern Soul Food Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Butter Beans
Lima beans simmered low and slow with bacon or ham hock and onion in broth until creamy, a Southern side.
Contains common allergens
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Good to know
- One-pot
Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners
Instructions
6 steps- 1
If using dried beans, drain the soaked beans and rinse.
- 2
Combine the beans, water or broth, bacon or ham hock, and onion in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- 3
Reduce to a simmer, cover partially, and cook until the beans are very tender and creamy, about 1 to 1.5 hours for soaked dried beans, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid if needed.
- 4
Remove the ham hock if used, pull off any meat, and stir it back into the pot.
- 5
Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 6
Serve hot, with the potlikker spooned over.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
74/100
Good fit for most families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving1000
Calories
15 g
Protein
5 g
Carbs
104 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Butter beans, the Southern name for mature lima beans, are a soul-food side cooked low and slow with a piece of smoked pork until the pot liquor turns creamy. The dish reflects the African American Southern table's tradition of stretching an inexpensive bean into a rich, satisfying side by leaning on a ham hock or bacon for depth.
Listahan note
This version starts by rendering the bacon or ham hock and sweating the onion in that fat, so the beans absorb smoky flavor from the very first simmer rather than just floating in plain broth.
Technique cues
- Searing the pork first renders its fat and frees the smoky, salty drippings that flavor the whole pot from the bottom up.
- Simmering low and slow lets some beans break down and thicken the broth into the creamy pot liquor that defines the dish.
- Hold the salt until late because a ham hock or bacon already brings plenty, and beans toughen if salted hard before they soften.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Dice the onion while the bacon or ham hock renders so it is ready to hit the hot fat.
- Make-ahead
- Butter beans taste better the next day once the pot liquor thickens, so cook them a day ahead.
- Leftover move
- Mash leftover beans onto toast or spoon them over rice with a splash of hot sauce.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Pick the meat off a ham hock while the pot soaks so you handle one greasy task at once.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
Butter beans (lima beans)
Main starch
Purpose: Their buttery, starchy flesh both is the dish and thickens its own broth as it cooks down.
Handling: Soak dried beans overnight or use them straight if frozen, sorting out any stones.
Adaptation: Cannellini beans cook similarly but are smaller and less buttery.
Bacon or ham hock
Smoke and salt
Purpose: It supplies the smoky pork backbone that turns plain beans into soul-food beans.
Handling: Brown bacon to render its fat, or simmer a ham hock long enough for the meat to fall off the bone.
Adaptation: Smoked turkey wing gives similar smoke with less fat.
Onion
Aromatic base
Purpose: Sweated in the pork fat it builds the savory foundation under the beans.
Handling: Dice and cook until soft and translucent so it disappears into the broth.
Adaptation: Yellow onion is ideal; shallot works but is sweeter.
Broth
Cooking liquid
Purpose: It carries the smoke and aromatics through the beans and becomes the pot liquor as it reduces.
Handling: Use enough to keep the beans submerged and top up with hot broth if it cooks low.
Adaptation: Water works if the pork is salty enough, but the result is leaner.
Technique notes
- Mash a ladleful of cooked beans against the side of the pot and stir it back in to thicken the liquor without adding flour.
- Keep the simmer to a lazy bubble; a hard boil splits the beans and clouds the broth before they are tender.
- Pull and shred a ham hock's meat back into the pot so every bowl gets some smoky pork.
Ingredient swaps
- Lower-sodium direction
- Use unsalted broth and smoked turkey instead of a salty ham hock, then season at the end to taste.
- Vegetarian direction
- Swap the pork for smoked paprika and a splash of soy sauce; you lose the pork body but keep a smoky, savory pot.
- Weeknight shortcut
- Use frozen butter beans and pre-cooked bacon to skip the overnight soak and long simmer.
Serve alongside
- Skillet cornbread
- Collard greens
- Fried okra
- Sliced beefsteak tomatoes
- Iced sweet tea
- Cold buttermilk
- Lemonade
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate in their pot liquor for up to 4 days; they thicken as they sit.
- Reheat in a saucepan over low heat, loosening with a splash of broth or water as needed.
- Freeze up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Equipment
- Heavy pot or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Tongs for the ham hock
- Ladle
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