Lima Bean Bake
Tender beans cook in a tomato soup and brown sugar mixture filled with ground beef and bacon to make a memorable Lima Bean Bake.
Old Fashioned Lima Bean Casserole
Also known as butter beans, green lima beans from a can are already tender and bake perfectly in this casserole.
Our Lima Bean Bake is the kind of dish that people are going to rave about at a potluck or church dinner. A simple combination of ingredients create a delicious bbq like flavor in this old fashioned recipe.
Similar to our Calico Beans, ground beef and bacon are prominent flavors. Brown sugar sweetens the mixture that the lima beans bathe in to make each bite special.
More unique, vintage side dish recipes include Scalloped Tomato Casserole and Baked Pineapple Casserole.
Ingredients Needed
- Canned Green Lima Beans – found in the vegetable section at most grocery stores, not with the other beans.
- Ground Beef – choose a lean beef.
- Bacon – using prepared bacon bits can save some time.
- Onion – brown in the skillet with beef for maximum flavor enhancement.
- Tomato soup
- Brown sugar
Do Lima Beans Need Cooked Ahead of Time?
Baking canned beans that already have absorbed moisture, in a casserole with other liquid is the easiest option. The beans cook in the casserole dish over an hour and a half. With the longer baking time no precooking is necessary for canned beans.
For a shorter baking time of 30 minutes, cook the beans ahead of time and mix in the casserole.
Dry beans or frozen lima beans should be cooked according to the directions on the package before mixing into this casserole. Then baking time will decrease to about 30 to 45 minutes.
How To Make Lima Bean Bake
Cook and crumble bacon. Can be baked and chopped or fried in a skillet and set aside. Clean fat from skillet if necessary.
Brown and drain hamburger. Then add chopped onions and cook until tender.
I like to use a deep, non-stick skillet so that I can mix up all of the ingredients in the one pot.
Open cans of lima beans and drain well. Add to the skillet.
Pour in tomato sauce and brown sugar.
You can keep heat on medium while you work. Stir well and pour into a greased 9 x 13″ baking dish.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours in an oven preheated to 325℉.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Option
Cook on high in a medium to large crock pot for 3 hours. Stir well and then turn down to low and cook for another hour.
Set to keep warm while serving.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Always cover with foil to hold in moisture. This casserole can dry out if left uncovered over a long baking time.
- Can add 1/2 to 1 cup of water to the tomato soup if drying out is a concern. It is not a problem for us when testing this recipe in our kitchen, but is a known issue for some lima bean recipes.
- Lima beans are with the green canned vegetables as opposed to the beans in most grocery stores.
More Tasty Old-Fashioned Recipes
Stuffed Shells Alfredo – a mixture of spinach and a variety of other vegetables fill these shells in a creamy sauce.
Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes are creamy, delicious and another timeless side dish recipe.
Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp, Chocolatetown Special Cake and Old-Fashioned Pineapple Cake are all delicious vintage desserts.
Lima Bean Bake
Ingredients
- 45 ounces canned lima beans or butter beans
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 2 cups onion chopped
- 20 ounces tomato soup
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Cook bacon, drain well and crumble or chop into small pieces.1/2 pound bacon
- Cook ground beef and drain.1 pound ground beef
- Add onions to the ground beef and cook until transclucent.2 cups onion
- In a deep skillet or large mixing bowl stir together all ingredients including drained lima beans.45 ounces canned lima beans, 20 ounces tomato soup, 1 cup brown sugar
- Pour into a greased 9 x 13" casserole dish and cover with foil.
- Bake covered for 1 1/2 hours at 325℉
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