Easy Succotash

Here’s a delicious veggie-packed dish with a long history: Succotash! Did you know this traditional pairing of corn and beans originated with the native Narragansett people in New England? (We didn’t.) While you might associate it with Southern American cooking, it’s even older than that. It’s a great way to infuse a colorful dose of veggies into any meal: an ideal healthy side dish! Here’s our spin on this classic and how to add it to your mealtime repertoire.

What is succotash?

Succotash is a dish of corn, lima beans and other vegetables that was introduced to American colonists by native Americans in the 1600’s. The Narragansett people in New England ate this dish featuring the “three sisters” or three crops that thrive and grow together: corn, beans, and squash. The colonists put their own spin on this dish, and Americans have been riffing on it ever since. Succotash is most often associated with Southern cooking, but it’s served all over the US. Every cook has their own spin, like any great recipe from mac and cheese to potato salad! Often you’ll see tomatoes, peppers, onion, okra, or bacon in the dish.

Ingredients in a succotash recipe

What ingredients are in succotash? To achieve the name, corn and lima beans must be present. With those, you’ll see all sorts of other ingredients: tomatoes, onion, peppers, zucchini, okra, and often bacon or pork. This spin is a vegetarian succotash, and we’ve amped up the flavorings to get a deliciously savory flavorings evenly distributed throughout. Here’s what you’ll need for this succotash recipe:

Onion Corn Lima beans Red pepper Cherry tomatoes Seasonings: garlic powder, smoked paprika, sage, parsley, salt and pepper Butter and olive oil, for cooking

Use fresh or frozen veggies

This succotash recipe is so quick and easy using frozen corn and lima beans! Contrary to what you might think, eating frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh. So stock up on some frozen corn and lima beans, for any time you need a delicious veggie-packed side dish! If it’s corn season, succotash is incredibly flavorful with fresh corn! You can cut it off the cob and then use it fresh right in this recipe with the same cook time.

A great option as a healthy side dish

Succotash is a side dish rounds out nearly any meal! It has lots of colorful vegetables and plant-based protein. The lima beans infuse 30 grams of protein into the recipe, and one bell pepper has 350% of your daily Vitamin C. We love adding this to any plate…because not only is it full of nutrients: it’s absolutely delicious!

Ways to serve this succotash recipe

This succotash recipe goes with virtually any dish, from vegetarian mains to seafood. Here are some favorite ways to pair it:

Salmon: Pair with Pecan Crusted Salmon, Grilled Salmon in Foil or Pesto Salmon Fish: Add to Easy Grilled Tilapia, Pan Fried Cod, or Perfect Baked Cod Scallops: Serve with Pan Seared Scallops Veggie mains: Add to vegetarian and vegan dinners like Vegan Meatballs, BBQ Tofu, Garlic Butter Sauce Pasta, Creamy Mushroom Risotto or Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms