Christmas Lima Bean Stew Recipe

Looking for a delicious and easy Christmas Lima Bean Stew Recipe? Try our delicious Lima Bean Stew Recipe! This dish is perfect for a winter meal, and can be made in just a few minutes. It's also a great way to use up any leftover lima beans.

Christmas Lima Bean Stew Recipe is super simple and full of nutrients. A delicious and healthy alternative to traditional holiday dinners, this dish will satisfy even the pickiest eaters.

I call for Christmas Lima here, but alternately, you can use white cannellini or giant corona beans. I've made this soup with all of the above at one point or another. You can cook the beans a day or two ahead if you want to get a jump start.. Remember to reserve some bean cooking liquid! It's not the end of the world if you forget. But it adds nice body flavor to broth. Don't skimp out on the olive oil here, it is important for the texture and body of the broth. And the soup actually freezes well, I wasn't sure if it would...but I did a de-thaw the other night, no problem!

Christmas Lima Bean Stew recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound / 450g dried Christmas Lima beans
  OR equivalent cooked beans ~ 2.5 pounds / 1.2 kg*
• 16 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large heads of celery, preferably with leaves, trimmed then sliced into 2 cm / ¾-inch chunks
• 3 bunches of scallions, green parts included
  OR if spring onions are in season, I use about 12 of those, either way slice into ⅓-inch / 1cm rounds
• 8 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
  scant 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, lightly crushed
  fine grain sea salt
• 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, drained, rinsed, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 - 4 teaspoons celery salt **
  5 ½ cups water or broth -or combination)
  oily black olives, seeded and roughly chopped
  1 lemon, cut into ⅛ths

Lima Bean Stew Recipe -Directions

If you haven't already cooked the beans, do so.*

• Heat 12 tablespoons / scant ⅔ cup of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the celery, and stir until coated with olive oil. Cook for ten minutes, stirring often. Add ⅔ of the scallions, the garlic, caraway, and a couple big pinches of salt.

• Cook for another 10 - 15 minutes, or until everything softens and begins to caramelize a bit.

• Add the tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of the celery salt and cook for another few minutes.
• Add the beans along with 5 ½ cups liquid (I typically do 2 cups bean liquid/broth + 3 ½ cups water), and remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil.

• Bring to a simmer, taste, and season with more salt or celery salt if needed. Let sit for a couple minutes and serve each bowl topped with a spoonful of chopped olives and a squeeze of lemon. You might also like to serve the soup sprinkled with the remaining scallions/spring onions.

Serves 8 - 10.

Inspired and adapted from Hassan's Celery and White Bean Soup with Tomato and Caraway In Moro East  by Sam and Sam Clark.

*To prepare dried beans.

• Drain and rinse beans after an overnight soak covered with water. Drain and place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with an inch or two of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beans are cooked through and tender. This can take anywhere from an hour to two hours (potentially more) depending on your beans, but do your best to avoid overcooking. Remove from heat, salt the beans (still in bean broth) - enough that the bean liquid is tasty.

• Let the beans sit like this for ten minutes or so before draining - reserving a couple cups of the bean broth. Set the beans aside. At this point you can use the beans, refrigerate for later use, or bag and freeze.

**To make celery salt: 

• Pick leaves from celery stalks. Make sure they're as dry as possible if you've recently washed them. If they're damp, they'll steam rather than crisp. Bake on a baking sheet in a 250F / 120C degree oven for 15 -25 minutes.

• Toss once or twice along the way, until dried out. Alternately, if I don't feel like heating up the oven, I toast them in a large skillet - over low heat, tossing regularly, for 30 minutes or so, while I'm prepping the other ingredients. Either way. Crumble the dried celery leaves with equal parts flaky salt.

Prep time: 25 min - Cook time: 25 min

Christmas Lima Bean Stew recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound / 450g dried Christmas Lima beans
• OR equivalent cooked beans ~ 2.5 pounds / 1.2 kg*
• 16 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large heads of celery preferably with leaves, trimmed then sliced into 2 cm / ¾-inch chunks
• 3 bunches of scallions green parts included
• OR if spring onions are in season I use about 12 of those, either way slice into ⅓-inch / 1cm rounds
• 8 garlic cloves very thinly sliced
• scant 2 teaspoons caraway seeds lightly crushed
• fine grain sea salt
• 1 28- ounce can whole plum tomatoes drained, rinsed, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 - 4 teaspoons celery salt **
• 5 ½ cups water or broth -or combination)
• oily black olives seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 lemon cut into ⅛ths

Instructions

 

• Heat 12 tablespoons / scant ⅔ cup of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the celery, and stir until coated with olive oil. Cook for ten minutes, stirring often. Add ⅔ of the scallions, the garlic, caraway, and a couple big pinches of salt. Cook for another 10 - 15 minutes, or until everything softens and begins to caramelize a bit.
• Add the tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of the celery salt and cook for another few minutes.
• Add the beans along with 5 ½ cups liquid (I typically do 2 cups bean liquid/broth + 3 ½ cups water), and remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Bring to a simmer, taste, and season with more salt or celery salt if needed. Let sit for a couple minutes and serve each bowl topped with a spoonful of chopped olives and a squeeze of lemon. You might also like to serve the soup sprinkled with the remaining scallions/spring onions.

The time for stewing has come and everyone is going gaga over this tasty Christmas Lima Bean Stew recipe. You can have it with rice or bread if you are hungry.

But we suggest skipping the side dish and having it on its own. This healthy recipe is packed with nutrients that your body craves for. It is an excellent option when you are trying to lose weight as well!

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