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Black cast iron skillet filled with corn succotash and mixed with lima beams and cherry tomatoes.
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5 from 10 votes

How To Make The Best Classic Corn Succotash

This vibrant and fresh corn succotash combines fresh vegetables, crispy bacon, and simple seasoning. It’s a mouth-watering side dish for your Thanksgiving table or summer cookout!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: vegetable side
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 256kcal

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces fresh or frozen baby lima beans 2 cups
  • 4 bacon slices center-cut
  • 1 cup sweet onion chopped from 1 small onion
  • 4 ounces okra fresh cut into ½-inch-thick slices (1 cup)
  • 1 garlic clove finely chopped (1 tsp.)
  • 3 cups fresh corn kernels 4 ears
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 5 ounces grape tomatoes halved (1 cup)
  • ¼ cup fresh basil thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Cook lima beans:
  • Place lima beans in a medium saucepan, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to medium-low, and simmer until beans are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  • Cook bacon:
  • While beans simmer, place bacon slices in a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Cook until crisp, about 8 minutes, turning once after 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels; crumble and set aside. Reserve drippings in skillet.
  • Sauté the veggies:
  • Add chopped onion, fresh okra, and garlic to skillet over medium, and cook, stirring often, until onion is just tender, about 6 minutes.
  • Stir in fresh corn kernels, salt, pepper, and drained beans, and cook, stirring often, until corn is tender and bright yellow, 5 to 6 minutes. Add butter, and cook, stirring constantly, until butter is melted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
  • Stir in halved cherry tomatoes and sliced basil; sprinkle with crumbled bacon, and serve immediately.

Notes

Can you use frozen ingredients?
Yes. You can make this recipe year-round by substituting frozen corn, and frozen or dried limas, when fresh varieties aren't available.
But fresh tomatoes, okra, and basil are usually sold in grocery stores throughout the year, which is good news since the taste and texture of these fresh ingredients really make this dish outstanding.
Can you make this succotash vegetarian?
While pork is a traditional ingredient in many variations of succotash, it's easily omitted to make this recipe vegetarian.
Just leave out the bacon crumbles and replace the drippings with two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 590mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 791IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg