Y’all its time to serve up the ultimate Southern side, Succotash. It’s such a flavorful veggie forward dish that gives ingredients like okra, lima beans, tomatoes and corn their proper shine. You get all of their wonderful fresh textures together along with a hint of smoky crisp bacon. There is nothing like it! Toss this southern style succotash recipe on the Sunday Supper table, and I bet everyone will want to eat their vegetables from now on boos.
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Y’all I love me some succotash. I honestly think it’s the best way to eat veggies. Think about it, anytime you can serve up lima beans, corn, and okra in a silky tomato sauce with crisp bacon, its boss moves. No wonder we Southerners love it so so much. Now I’m sharing with you the proper way to make it. This recipe is adapted from the Sweetie Pie’s Cookbook. She’s definitely known for her soul food so y’all are in for a treat!
What is Succotash?
Succotash is a classic American dish typically made with corn, lima beans and other veggies like onions, tomatoes and okra. You will usually find this served up as a side dish in the South or even as a hearty yet light main dish option.
The Lowdown on this Southern Succotash Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern Comfort Vibes
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop Sautéing
Dietary Info: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian and Vegan when you toss out the bacon
Key Flavor: Savory, Sweet, Fresh and Full of Textures
Skill Level: Easy y’all (No Sweat Fam!)
Ingredients Need to Make this Succotash Recipe
- Chopped Bacon: This adds savory and smoky notes along with some crisp texture.
- Minced Onion: Onion adds a sweet aromatic depth of flavor.
- Minced Green Pepper: Bring on the vibrant color and subtle bitterness!
- Lima Beans: I use frozen so we can make it year round. It gives creamy and earthy vibes to this succotash recipe.
- Corn: There’s a reason why some folks call it corn succotash. Corn gives that natural sweetness and perfect crunchy texture.
- Chopped Tomato: Tomato gives off juiciness and acidity to brighten the flavor.
- Sugar: We gotta balance some of that bitterness and acid with some sugar y’all.
- Salt and Black Pepper: This just helps all those natural flavors elevate a bit. Gotta season it up.
- Tomato Sauce: The sauce binds the other ingredients together, creating a cohesive succotash recipe.
- Water or Chicken Stock: Adds moisture and depth of flavor to the succotash so it ain’t dry.
- Sliced Okra: I love the unique flavor and texture of okra. And it ain’t Southern succotash without it.
How to Make Succotash Recipe
Step 1: Fry Up the Bacon and Get the Veggies Going!!!
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the bacon pieces and cook em up until super crispy and delish! It takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Take them out of the pan and set aside.
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the bacon fat and let it cook until it gets tender and soft, another 1 to 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low and add in the lima beans, corn, tomato, sugar, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Sauce and Simmer It up
- Add the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Next toss in the okra and simmer for 10 minutes more or until the okra is nice and tender but not mushy y’all.
Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add back in the bacon and serve it up y’all.
How to Serve the Best Succotash Recipe
- Sunday Supper: Serve this Southern succotash up the right way with smothered pork chops, baked chicken, candied yams and Jiffy cornbread. That’s some good eatin!
- Grain Bowl: Serve this southern style succotash over brown rice, quinoa or even cauliflower for a hearty meal y’all. Dollop on some guacamole and get your veggie bowl on.
- BBQ: Fresh summer corn succotash is so fantastic to serve at an outdoor cookout. Serve it up with rib tips, potato salad, baked beans and sweet tea.
- Tex Mex: Y’all hack your tacos and add some succotash to a corn tortilla along with some Mexican rice. I bet you get your whole life!
Recipe Substitutions
- Bacon: You can swap out the bacon for turkey bacon if you ain’t a fan of the swine. You can also use diced ham or even andouille sausage or chorizo to switch it up a bit.
- Tomatoes: I love me some ripe summer tomatoes but you can easily swap in canned diced tomatoes if you don’t have some lying around. Just make sure you drain it.
- Beans: Change out the beans for legumes like black eyed peas, green beans or chickpeas. It will give a whole new vibe to this succotash recipe.
- Peppers: You can use a yellow or even a red bell pepper in place of a green one.
Recipe Additions and Variations
- Vegan: I love the wonderful flavor of bacon but you can kick it to the curb if you want to make this recipe vegetarian or vegan. Also just use water or vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock.
- Add Some Acid: You can brighten up the flavors in this with just a splash of acid. Grab some lemon or lime juice or even some vinegar.
- Heat it Up: I like to toss in some cayenne, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, red pepper flakes or even a drizzle of hot sauce. But I like it hot! Do you boos!
- Make it Creamy: If you want to add some richness, a splash of heavy cream or even butter can take this succotash recipe up a notch.
- Change Up the Veggies: Get into summer y’all but throwing in some squash, zucchini, green beans, or even mushrooms. It’s so bomb y’all.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Go Fresh When You Can: This corn succotash recipe thrives when you use seasonal ingredients. Nothing tastes better y’all. If fresh corn, okra and tomatoes are around, throw them in. If not, frozen is still a great sub.
- Don’t Overcook: If you want to keep the different textures of all of the veggies strong, make sure you don’t overcook. If you do, everything will soften and get super mushy.
- Let it Rest: Once you finish cooking, chill boos. Let all those flavors mingle and turn into something legit.
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge: Let it cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Again, allow it to cool then store in a freezer-safe container and store up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Heat it on the stovetop with a splash of water or stock, stirring until it’s warmed back up. You can also use the microwave. Just cover it up and heat and stir in intervals.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may have cooked it a bit too long boo. Add in some more stock or water to create more of a sauce.
For sure. The best thing about this recipe is you can make it your own. Do you boo. Swap and switch out similar veggies as much as you want.
I would go for frozen first if fresh isn’t available. If canned is all that’s available, drain and rinse before adding them into this recipe.
Favorite Corn Recipes
Succotash
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Ingredients
- 3 strips bacon chopped
- 1 small onion minced
- 1 green pepper cored, seeded and minced
- 1 cup frozen lima beans
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn nibblets thawed and drained if frozen
- 1 small tomato cored and chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water or chicken stock
- 1 young okra stem ends trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick to equal 1 cup
Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the bacon pieces, and cook until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes, then remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon to a plate.
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the fat in the pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium low and stir in the lima beans, corn, tomato, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato sauce and water, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the okra and simmer for 10 minutes more or until the okra is fork tender but not mushy. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add back in the bacon and serve it up.
Notes
- Let it cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge, consuming within 3-4 days.
- For best results, reheat on the stovetop with a splash of water, stirring until warm.
- Alternatively, use the microwave, covering the dish and heating in short bursts, stirring in between.
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I love succotash! This recipe looks delicious!
Hii,
Thanks for sharing with us!
This is great article for me.
I’m on a diet and that just seems to be a healthy recipe. Thanks for sharing.
This recipe looks so unique and amazing. This is an easy and quick recipe that will take a few minutes to prepare. Will surely give it a try this weekend.