Get ready for a healthy 30-minute meal idea with our Vegetarian Succotash Stir-Fry recipe. Made with fresh vegetables, lima beans, and light brown rice, this stir-fry is nutritious and delicious!
Recipe courtesy of Derrick Worthey, blogger at This Worthey Life.
I remember when I was a kid how much my dad disliked beans, and I eventually came to understand that it wasn’t about how beans tasted; it was what beans represented to him and his family. My dad was 1 of 13 kids, and they grew up dirt poor, so poor, my dad and his older siblings dropped out of school to help support the family. As a byproduct of my dad’s hardscrabble life, they ate a lot of beans. Beans for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Why so many beans? Well, beans are cheap, affordable, and many varieties of beans are packed with a lot of nutrition, so when a struggling family is faced with feeding their respective families, beans are an obvious choice. Did you know the U.S. is a global leader in quality, dry bean production? According to the US Dry Bean Council, we have access to the state-of-art equipment, the land, and manufacturing processes to produce a variety of beans the world depends on.
Lots of folks are talking about farm to table, and if we’re being real, beans play an important role in sustainability dynamic. Still, beans are also useful for you because they’re known to reduce blood sugar levels, increase energy, and are even linked to the prevention of certain cancers.
Beans are not only good for you, but beans are good for the planet! Because beans are a notable superfood with maintaining an essential role in global sustainable food production.
In celebration of World Pulses Day, we created our Vegetarian Succotash Stir-Fry. Today we celebrate the nutritional benefits of sustainable foods, and “pulses,” like beans, lentils, legumes, and peas, are an essential part of the conversation. So, put your hands on some beans of this worldwide movement and make something delicious for your family. Beans are so versatile, and they’re packed full of essential vitamins and nutrients, and our Veggie Succotash Stir-Fry makes good use of canned lima beans to create this reimagined take on the age-old succotash side-dish. It’s flavorful, delicious, nutritious, and more than anything, it looks good!
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Our Vegetarian Succotash Stir-Fry
Lima Beans. Canned, frozen, or dry lima beans will do! However, if you’re planning on using dry beans, plan accordingly, and soak the beans a day ahead.
Corn. Corn fresh off the cob, frozen, or canned corn all will do the job. For this recipe, I think fresh is best, so I used corn on the cob, and those golden kernels were perfect in this intensely colorful and delicious meal.
Light Brown Rice. Again, use whatever brown rice or long-grain rice you like! Or shake things up a bit. I used a light brown rice blend with added red quinoa and fire-roasted freekeh.
Vegetables Galore. One of the things I love about this recipe is its versatility. Sure, you start with lima beans, corn, and rice, but as far as the veggies, use what you love! In this recipe, I used broccoli, red bell peppers, green onion, red onions, fresh corn kernels, sweet potatoes, Tuscan kale, and garlic.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Use a good grade of extra virgin olive oil or any high smoke point oil like canola, grapeseed, avocado, coconut, sesame, or vegetable oil.
Seasoning. For this recipe, I kept the seasonings super simple. I used herbs de Provence, sea salt, and freshly cracked black peppercorns. That’s it!
You Will Love This Vegetarian Succotash Because:
- Easy
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Colorful
- Delicious
- Super Nutritious
Ingredients
- 1 can lima beans
- 2 cups light brown rice blend
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups Tuscan kale chopped
- 2 corn cobs with the kernels cut off
- 2 broccoli heads chopped
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato cut into half-inch cubes
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeds and pith removed chopped
- 4 green onions trimmed and sliced thin
Directions
- Prepare rice according to package directions or in a rice cooker or an Instant Pot.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of EVOO. When the oil is hot, add the red onions and Tuscan kale, saute until the kale is bright green after about 5 minutes.
- Add the sweet potatoes and the fresh corn kernels, season with herbs de Provence, sea salt, and freshly cracked peppercorns. Place a tight-fitting lid on the skillet and adjust the heat to low.
- Allow the veggies mixture to cook for an additional 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, remove the lid and add the red bell peppers and chopped broccoli. Put the top back on the skillet and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
- Remove the skillet from heat and remove the lid and spoon the rice into the skillet; you may not use all of the brown rice, mix the rice and veggies together.
- Serve in bowls and top with green onion.
So, now that you have the recipe, you’ve got to try it! This is an excellent recipe for Meatless Monday or just because you love lima beans like I love lima beans. Happy World Pulses Day!
