Baked Lima Beans with Onions, Tomatoes, and Parsley

Baked Lima Beans with Onions, Tomatoes, and Parsley

Please note, not included in the cooking times below, is the fact that you must soak the beans overnight, so do plan accordingly.

Slightly adapted from: Falling Cloudberries

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried lima beans, soaked overnight
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small red onion
1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 3/4 pound ripe, peeled, and chopped fresh tomatoes)
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Drain the beans, put them in a saucepan with the bay leaf, cover generously with cold water, and bring to a boil. Skim off any scum that rises to the top, decrease the heat slightly, and cook for about 30 minutes or until they’re very tender. Add salt towards the end of cooking time.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Drain the beans, reserving about 3/4 cup of the cooking water, and put them in a large baking pan.

Heat about 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Gently saute the onions until they’re lightly golden and softened, stirring so that they don’t stick. Remove from the heat and fold in the celery, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, and remaining olive oil. Season with pepper and a little salt. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved bean water into the beans, and mix through well. Save the rest of the bean water in case the beans start drying out as they cook (otherwise, you’ll just throw it out). Cover the pot l and bake for about 45 minutes, them remove the lid, stir beans, adding a little extra water if they seem to be drying out. Sprinkle with panko bread crumbs and return to the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.

The beans should be tender and still with a little sauce. Serve warm, with an extra drizzling of olive oil and some crusty bread.