Southern Garden Succotash
This Southern Garden Succotash is a great way to use your favorite garden veggies!
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Sufferin’ succotash! I occasionally talk about cartoons here on Spiced. But c’mon…some of those childhood cartoons are still favorites. (And I may or may not own a DVD or six of classic cartoons.) Whenever I hear the word ‘succotash,’ I immediately think of Sylvester the cat and his slobbery pronunciation of ‘sufferin’ succotash.’ Poor Sylvester. He just can’t ever quite catch Tweety.
Growing up, I was a Looney Tunes kinda guy. I know all of the Looney Tunes characters by heart, and they were always my favorite pastime on Saturday mornings. (Along with these Powdered Sugar Doughnuts, of course!) Since I chose to watch Sylvester, Taz and Marvin Martian, I managed to somehow miss all of the classic Disney films.
Laura and I recently went to see the Broadway musical Lion King, and she had to give me a quick rundown of the plot as we drove over. Yup, I’ve never seen Lion King, Lion King 2, Lion King 3 (which is apparently called Lion King 1½) or Aladdin. But I can tell you that the big, hairy, orange monster who chases Bugs Bunny is named Gossamer. Chalk that one up as the one new thing you learned today! (If you already knew that, then we need to be friends…just sayin’.)
My mother would occasionally make succotash for dinner when we were kids. But here’s the thing…if dinner was anywhere close to a casserole, then it was called succotash. If dinner was a recreation made out of leftovers, then it was called succotash. Succotash was a very loose term in our house…but it was usually pretty tasty.
So what is actual succotash then? Well, it’s pretty much whatever you want it to be. In the South, succotash always starts with a base of lima beans and corn. Add in some onion and garlic for flavor, and you’ve got a good thing going. After that, it’s literally whatever you happen to have in the garden. Tomatoes? Throw ’em in! Zucchini? Sure, why not? (After all, zucchini grows like wildfire.) We always have chives growing in the garden, so those went in, too. And of course I crumbled some bacon on top.
All together, this Southern Garden Succotash makes for a delicious summer side dish. We typically serve this one hot the first night, and then we eat the leftovers cold. It’s pretty darned tasty both ways!
What other veggies would you add to this Southern Garden Succotash?
Have you seen the Lion King?
Southern Garden Succotash
Ingredients
- 5 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 red bell peppers diced
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1 jalapeno seeded and diced
- 20 oz. frozen lima beans
- 3 cups corn
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp fresh chives chopped
Instructions
- Using a large skillet, cook bacon until fully cooked. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate and pat dry. Reserve bacon grease in skillet.
- Add garlic, onion, bell peppers, zucchini, jalapeno, lima beans and corn to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, butter, vinegar, dill, salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 more minutes.
- Garnish with freshly chopped chives and crumbled bacon before serving.
You are a wealth of information when it comes to cartoons! One day all that trivia just may come in handy 🙂 I don’t believe I’ve ever had a succotash. This garden version looks yummy to me!
Hah! You know, I’m ok with being a trivia expert on cartoons. We’re all experts at something, right? My expertise just happened to peak when I was 9 years old. 🙂 And yes, make some succotash soon. Start with lima beans + corn and then just toss in whatever you’d like! Thanks, Kathy!
When I was growing up , Looney tunes were my favorite cartoons. Succotash wasn’t a favorite. I wasn’t fond of the lima beans. I have since changed my mind and can’t wait to try this version.
Yes to the Looney Tunes, Lisa! I seriously loved Looney Tunes, and I would patiently wait for the Looney Tunes hour to arrive on Saturday mornings. What do kids do now? Do they still have Looney Tunes? I hope so! And yes, I do hope you try this succotash. I don’t recall if I liked lima beans when I was a kid, but I do love them now!
I have had everything in this dish; I’ve even had some of them together in one dish. But I’ve never had succotash! It looks so amazing, I wish I could reach through the screen for a spoonful!
Thank you so much, Amanda! Yes, just combine all of these favorites into one dish and call it succotash. Then you’re all set. (And the best thing about succotash is you can sub in whatever veggies you happen to have on hand. It’s a great way to use up extras!) Thanks for commenting!
Hi David! This is something I could dive right into! It just screams summer! The Roadrunner was my favorite!
Oh, Roadrunner! Dorothy, I think we’ve finally found a place where we differ. I was always a Wile E. Coyote fan. I just felt bad for the guy because he couldn’t ever catch Roadrunner. He’d be almost there…and then an anvil would drop on his head. That’s just rude! 🙂
Now you have me thinking of cartoons, lol 😀 I loved those cartoons and still do. Have you seen the new Bugs Bunny one? I can’t recall what the name is exactly, but it’s so good. Hubby and I actually enjoy all types of cartoons and usually watch on Sunday…Archer, Simpsons, American Dad. Adventure Time is pretty awesome too. I’m realizing I may watch a lot of cartoons.
Ok, this succotash! Love recipes like this that’s great warm or cold. I could totally see myself making a big batch of this and eating throughout the week for lunch. And, of course, bacon always takes everything to the next level 😉
I don’t think I have seen the new Bugs Bunny one? Is it a movie? (I haven’t watched too many of those movies that they’ve remade from the old cartoons…) Sunday evening has indeed become the new Saturday morning. I love the Simpsons, although I haven’t watched that one in a couple of years. No real reason. I need to get back to that!
And yes, this succotash is super tasty and a great way to use up whatever veggies you happen to have in the garden! We did eat the leftovers cold as lunch and then as a side dish next to dinner. Yum! Thanks, Dawn!
I can’t say I’ve ever tried a lima bean (not even one!), but the rest of these veggies look pretty delicious. I love that anything that was a casserole was essentially a succotash. Sometimes I really wish I was brought up in the south. Or lived there now. And I totally loved Looney Tunes AND Disney – big fan of the Lion King and I saw it on Broadway 🙂 The Six Flags near me used to actually have all of the Looney Tunes characters walking around the park and I loved it.
Hey Jessica! Do me a favor and go out and get a bag of lima beans now. (I use frozen lima beans whenever I make this succotash.) They’re pretty darn tasty! (Well as far as beans go…haha!)
And yes to Looney Tunes (and now the Lion King, too). I’m not gonna lie…I kinda want to be the guy who walks around in a Looney Tunes costume. Is that allowed? 🙂
I have never heard of this dish but it looks like something I will love. I mean with all the veggies in there, I have to love it! PS: I love Lion King, the broadway in NY is fabulous!
I do want to get down and see the Lion King on Broadway now. (We saw the off-Broadway touring show, and it was amazing.) And yes, do give succotash a shot sometime soon, Manali. It’s a great way to use leftover summer veggies…and it’s super delicious!
I have never heard of succotash before, but it looks amazing. Love the vibrant colors! Also, I worked at Lion King on Broadway (as a bartender) for a long time. I just recently quit my job to blog full time. I wonder if I was still there when you went! What a small world!
Thank you so much, Olivia! Succotash is a great catch-all term for a lima bean + corn salad + whatever other summer veggies you happen to have on hand. And it’s amazing! Wait, you worked at Lion King? Say what!?! That is amazing! I didn’t make it to the Broadway version. We live upstate, so I saw the touring show in Schenectady. And congrats on blogging full time…it’s a crazy world out here, but it’s so awesome that we can blog full time! I really appreciate you stopping by and commenting! 🙂
Wanna know something funny? I think I was in my 30’s when I learned that the “succotash” in “Sufferin’ succotash” was actually a dish!
Gotta give it to ya – bacon in it is EPIC – now, what do you think about throwing in some okra and shrimp?
I haven’t seen the broadway version of Lion King – but, as for the movie – that was one of Lil Shashi’s favs – along with all the sequels, so I’ve watched it way, way too many times! Though, sufferin’ succotash, you haven’t watched Alladin???
Hah! I guess it’s not so appetizing when it’s called ‘sufferin succotash.’ I’m most definitely not sufferin when I chow down on this one! 🙂 I think okra and shrimp would both be excellent additions to this one, Shashi! I can’t believe I left out okra…that would be perfect!
Oh, and you guys should try to see the Lion King…especially if Lil Shashi loved the movie. We only saw the touring version (not the actual on-Broadway version), and it was totally amazing. I can only imagine how good the on-Broadway version is. You’ve gotta check it out next week!!
I grew up in Georgia and my Mom made Succotash occasionally but it was simply lima beans, corn and onions. Your version looks a bit more exciting.
Hey, that’s the thing about succotash. Start with lima beans + corn, and then go from there. I happened to have bell peppers and zucchini on hand, so those went in. Yum! Thanks so much, Celeste! 🙂
hahahaha brought back memories- Although Loony Tunes was one of my least favorite shows. Although, they did convince me we could jump off cliffs and land on two feet (seriously!)
This looks delicious though, and I reckon would be the perfect vehicle for steak!
Hah! Did Looney Tunes also convince you that an anvil could land on your head and you’d keep going? (Although you might have lost the Roadrunner in the process…) And yes to the steak with this one! Bring it on! (Just not a kangaroo steak, please…)
David, I’ve never made succotash even though I’m familiar with this name. Well, I might have made it a couple of times not even knowing that I was making exactly this dish (Which is sad of course.) Anyways, I’ve read the theoretical part (Few times) and made some notes (27,5 pages). I have some questions to clarify. You are saying that you can grab whatever you can find in the garden. We’ve got some fresh lavender in our garden so can I put it as well? Then you mentioned bacon. I’m wondering did you find it in your garden as well and how did you manage to do that? You answers (As well as tips how to grow bacon in the garden (or maybe seeds/plants), would be so much appreciated!:) Thanks, professor David!
I’d love to see your notebook sometime, Ben. I bet it’s packed full of amazing notes and recipes! But yes, succotash is pretty much just lima beans + corn and then whatever other veggies you have around. You want to put lavender in there? Go for it! And wait…are you telling me you don’t have a bacon plant? Seriously? Stop everything now and go to the garden store. Ask them for a bacon plant. 🙂
I have never heard of succotash but this one looks amazing! Love how beautiful and colorful it is 🙂
Succotash is a great side dish…especially in the summer! Thanks so much for stopping by, Kushi! 🙂
I haven’t watched Lion King yet but it’s on my list this Fall. Can’t wait! And succotash? That’s a whole word for me. Thanks for sharing this…it sounds fantastic especially when corn and bacon are part of it. Yum!
Yes! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about the Lion King, Linda. I wasn’t so sure before we went, but I was blown away by the performance! 🙂
I never watched Sunday morning cartoons as a kid because… I didn’t have TV growing up. Can you believe it?
But at least I watched the Lion King :p I also saw the Broadway musical version when I was in England visiting, and it was amazing!
I have never heard of succotash before, but I am glad it seems to have such a loose definition. I must have made it then!
Say what? No tv as a kid? That’s probably a good thing in hindsight. But, hey, you can still make up for lost time and watch lots of cartoons now. Just call it ‘doing research’. 🙂
I’m sure you’ve made some form of succotash before! This version is quite tasty if I say so myself…and it’s a great way to use summer veggies. Yum!
I actually chuckled to myself when I read “Sufferin’ succotash!” I even heard the voice! Loved Looney Tunes cartoons. I purchased tickets for Lion King for next years tour that comes to San Diego, so we’re excited. I’ve never had succotash, and when I was recently down in LA recently I did not see it on a menu. Might have to make this now! #EverythingsBetterWithBacon
Wow, you are on your game…already got tickets to the Lion King for next year? Impressive! It was an awesome show, and I was totally impressed. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but it was great! Succotash isn’t likely to show up on a restaurant menu. (I mean I guess it could…) It’s more of a home-style comfort food using lima beans + corn + your favorite garden veggies. Enjoy!
Omggg this looks really amazing!
Thank you so much, Anne! This is one delicious side dish…and a great way to use those extra garden veggies, too. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! 🙂