Description
This was one of my father’s favorite dishes, a staple of Depression-era cooking when fresh meat was scarce and soup stretched everything. Simmered until thick, with chunks of ham – even lima-bean-haters enjoy this hearty soup.
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package dried lima beans
- 1 ham bone with some meat
- 8 cups water, or more as needed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ pound diced cooked ham
- 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Combine ham bone and 8 cups water in a large saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until remaining meat falls off the bone
- about 2 hours. Remove and discard bone. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a bowl.
- Meanwhile
- place lima beans in a large pot; pour in enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil; remove pot from heat
- cover
- and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir until onion is translucent
- 5 to 7 minutes. Add cooked ham bone meat
- lima beans
- and diced ham. Reduce heat and simmer
- adding additional water as needed
- until soup is thickened to desired consistency
- about 90 minutes.
- Stir carrots
- salt
- pepper
- and parsley into the soup. Let simmer until carrots are soft
- about 30 minutes more.
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 4 hrs 12 mins
Total Time: 5 hrs 32 mins
Servings: 8