Butter Beans with Andouille

30 minutes prep 30 minutes active cooking 1 hour total
Makes 4 - 6 servings

New Orleanians call limas butter beans, and the term helps erase those childhood memories of bland, mealy lima beans.

Long, slow cooking makes the big beans creamy and especially tasty, and a little smoky sausage adds more flavor.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

  • 1 cup large limas (Butter Beans)
  • 2 links andouille or smoked sausage
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tablespoon of thyme
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 carrot
  • To taste black pepper, ground

From our shop

1 teaspoon + extra to taste  Italian Fine Sea Salt
$7.00– Trapani - Sicily
Out of stock

1/4 cup of  Novo Frantoio
$27.00– Tuscany - Italy

Equipment

From the kitchen

  • 1 Chef Knife
  • 1 Cutting Board
  • 1 Heavy Skillet
  • Measuring Spoons

What you'll have to do

Step 1

Combine the lima beans with the water, a teaspoon of salt, and a healthy glug (roughly 3 tablespoons) of olive oil in a covered, oven proof pot. Cook in the oven at 225F for at least four hours, adding water if needed to keep the beans covered (if you smell them cooking, check the water level). Cook them until they’re very soft.

Step 2

Cut the sausage into quarter round pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Cook them in olive oil until very well browned, then remove from the skillet and set aside.

Step 3

Use the same pan and fat to cook the onion with salt until well-browned, add the thyme, pepper, and the rest of the vegetables, and cook until soft.

Step 4

Add the sausage and lima beans, and crush some of the beans with potato masher or spoon. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve with chopped green onion and parsley.

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