Baby Lima Bean Soup

Baby Lima Bean Soup – My Sicilian husband is a big fan of lima beans. So, I decided to enhance his favorite lima bean soup by adding fresh vegetables and pancetta for an extra flavor. This hearty soup is loaded with veggies and features a delicious broth with baby lima beans. It’s a satisfying meal that everyone will enjoy!

 

Baby Lima Bean Soup…

Baby Lima Bean Soup is filled with carrots, celery, onions, pancetta (Italian bacon), and baby lima beans. It is simmered in chicken broth, tomato sauce, and water until the broth reduces and thickens.

This is an old recipe, but it’s a goodie! I posted it a few years ago and thought I’d revive it, especially since we have cold temperatures here in Charleston today and frigid temperatures up the East Coast.

These temperatures in most of the country and here in Charleston are keeping everyone home to stay warm!

When We Have Bad Weather

When we have bad weather, what else do we do when we’re home?  Cook up a storm – of course!  And thankfully, I was able to get new photos to replace some of the old ones in this post.

And, when cooking up a pot of soup, sometimes we love adding pancetta (and even prosciutto) to our soups because it adds a wonderful aroma of flavor. Just like this recipe, since lima beans alone have no flavor whatsoever!

Helpful Tip! Nowadays, you can find pancetta already cubed in easy-to-find packages in your deli section at the local supermarket.  Which is a great find!

How to prepare the Dried Baby Lima Beans?

This is a great soup to make any day of the week, either on the stovetop, in your slow cooker, or Instant Pot. Here are some great tips to prepare these dried beans:

TO PREPARE AHEAD:

• You will need some time to prepare the lima beans, soaking them overnight in a tub filled with water. Allow them to soak, then rinse them in the morning.
• Or, you can boil them in a pot filled with water (see my notes below) for at least one hour or more, then rinse and drain in a colander, before incorporating them into the soup.

Can we use Canned Lima Beans?

You can use canned lima beans. But be sure to rinse well and drain before adding them to the soup.

How to prepare this Baby Lima Bean Soup?

1.  For our recipe, all you need to do is rinse, boil, and then soak the beans for 1 hour before using them in this recipe.

2.  Next, slow cook them with the rest of the ingredients, requiring a low simmer for about 1 and 1/2 hours.  It’s definitely all worth it.

Cook’s Tip! When making lima bean soup, I used the entire bag (1 pound, 16 ounces) of dried baby lima beans. So I can have plenty of leftovers and even freeze some.

The result?

These baby lima beans become tender and luscious, making an amazingly hearty soup that is not only light and comforting but also very satisfying. Loaded with nutrients, they’re even high in protein along with fiber, folate, and magnesium. Best of all, this baby lima bean soup is big on flavor!  Hands Down!

How To Make This Baby Lima Bean Soup?

*Follow along below or jump down to the bottom of this post for our full recipe card.

Ingredients Needed for this Baby Lima Bean Soup:

• 1 pound package of dried Baby Lima Beans
• 8 cups of boiling water
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion – chopped
• 4 small carrots-chopped
• 2 stalks of celery – chopped
• 2 ounces (about 6 Tbsp.) cubed pancetta
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 2 cups of water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Mom’s Quick Marinara Sauce

 

Directions To Make This Soup:

1.  Rinse and sort the beans.  Add 1 pound of beans to a pot filled with 8 cups of hot water and on high heat, boil beans in a rapid boil for 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover with a lid, and set aside for 1 hour.  Drain soak water and rinse beans again in cold water.

2.  In a large, heavy soup pot or a slow-cooked pot, sauté the vegetables and pancetta in olive oil on medium heat until the pancetta is cooked and the onions and celery have softened, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add lima beans and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add the broth, water, and cayenne pepper.  Cover and simmer the soup on low heat, for 1 + 1/2 hours.  Lima beans should be softened and tender to the bite.

4.  Turn off the heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in 1/2 cup of cooked marinara sauce. Serve warm. Yields: about 2 quarts

A Cook’s Tip! Adding some marinara sauce to the soup will add some sweetness and enhance its flavors. But if you don’t have any on hand, you can add some tomato paste (about 1/4 cup) and sauté the paste with the beans before adding the broth.

Serve and enjoy!

Lima Bean Soup always turns out delicious, hearty, and loaded with flavor! Even the leftovers are never a problem since this soup freezes very well for future quick meals when you need them.  Be sure to allow the soup to cool completely before freezing.

A healthy soup is pure comfort food, especially on cold winter nights.

ENJOY!!

More Hearty Soup Recipes

• Easy Butter Beans Soup
• 15 Bean Soup with Pancetta and Basil
• Split Pea and Thyme Soup
• Black Bean and Quinoa Soup
• Easy Pasta Fagioli Soup
• Classic Italian Minestrone Soup
• Roasted Garlic, Parsnip, White Bean Soup

Hello friends!  Are you cooking with us?  If you make our baby lima bean soup, let us know and leave a comment and a star rating below!  Sharing your experience and insights will not only help those who read them but will help us too!

Thanks again!

Happy Cooking!  🙂

 xo Anna and Liz