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Christmas Lima Beans with Tomato and Celery

Large meaty Christmas lima beans with tomato and celery and garlic is a delicious stew-like vegan dish. My favorite way to serve these beans is over steamed brown rice and sautéed dark leafy greens.

Christmas Lima Beans with Celery and Tomato with rice and greens in white bowl ove

Christmas limas are huge beans, at least twice the size of a black bean. They’re an hierloom bean with a full-bodied velvety chestnut texture and nutty flavor .

Aren’t these maroon-spotted babies beautiful?

dried christmas lima beans on a wooden board

Christmas lima beans need an overnight soak to come out with a tender texture when cooked.

Other than the long soaking time, the recipe is easy. The best and fastest cooking method for Christmas lima beans is in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Cooked in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, using beans you’ve soaked overnight, this meal will be ready in 45 minutes!

>>>> For pressure cooking: Bring the cooker to pressure and cook the soaked beans 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally, 10 to 15 minutes.

>>>> For regular stove-top cooking, simmer the soaked beans with onions and garlic and tomatoes and celery until they’re tender.

For a sumptuous vegetarian meal ladle this soul food stew over steamed brown rice and sautéed dark leafy greens like kale, collards, or spinach.

Christmas lima beans soaking in water in a stainless steel bowl

To learn more about cooking beans in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot–see this post on How to Cook Black Beans in a pressure cooker.

Sometimes you can find Christmas limas in bulk bins. I order mine fom Rancho Gordo.

This recipe for Potato and Pinto Bean Soup would also be delicious made with Christmas limas instead of the pintos.

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1 comment

  • Lynn Cameron

    Excellent!! Reply · 19 August, 2020

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