Deliciously Creamy Lima Bean Soup
March 14, 2012 7 Comments
I’m here to make more promises! Oh, yes, I am! This soup is phenomenal. Really. I’m sure you’re thinking that lima beans are the last thing you’d describe as phenomenal, but trust me this silky smooth, hearty soup is nothing short of amazing. Even if you despise lima beans, I’m willing to place bets that you’ll actually like this soup because when lima’s are pureed their creamy texture lends itself to a delicious soup base. No mealiness found here!
What I love about this soup and why I’ve been making it for many years is because it’s incredibly quick to put together (almost instant to make), it’s tasty, hearty, satisfying and loaded with protein, fiber, Vitamins A, C, and K, and manganese. So to break that down, it’s healthy, fast, and delectable!
Lima Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 10 oz. bags of frozen lima beans
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped into small pieces
- 2 medium carrots, chopped into small pieces
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 heaping teaspoons dried thyme (don’t forget this ingredient—IMO, it completely makes the soup!)
- salt and pepper to taste
Cook Beans: Empty both bags of frozen lima beans in a medium pot and fill with just enough water to cover. Cook the beans over high heat until they boil. Reduce the head to low, cover, and cook until heated through—about 10 minutes.
Sautee Veggies: While the beans are cooking, pour the olive oil in a medium saute pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 7-10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the carrots and garlic and saute for another 7 minutes.
Puree Beans: While the veggies are cooking and after the beans are heated through, puree the beans in their cooking liquid either directly in the pot with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until silky smooth. Return the pureed beans to the cooking pot and then add the cooked veggies. Add the dried thyme (I like to rub it between my hands to allow the flavors to come through more before adding it), salt, and pepper. At this point, you can either cook the soup for another 15 minutes on low heat or, if you’re pleased with the tenderness of the veggies and the flavors of the soup, eat it now.
Note: The rosemary garnish is completely unnecessary and would be ridiculous to actually eat with this soup—I just thought it needed some kind of accessory in order to be more photogenic and that was the best I could find in my fridge :). A few fresh thyme leaves would be more appropriate.
Fruit of Adventure 
What a great recipe! I am totally trying this. It kind of reminds me of split pea soup (from the looks, that is).
That’s a great analogy! Same veggies, color and consistency of split pea soup. Though, I will say that it definitely has a different flavor, especially with the thyme! And while I love split pea, if I had to choose between the two, I’d have to go with this one. So if you end up trying it, I’m curious to hear what you think!
I made it, and it turned out great!
I decided to puree the carrots and onions as well. I needed an extra cup of water. I also used a mortar and pestle for the thyme (with some sel de mar to grind it).
Your immersion blender must be more powerful than mine: Even after some work, it was still lumpy – it ended up as more of a potage. Maybe the initial direction to “fill with just enough water to cover” should specify a volume of water?
Excellent, John! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I find it interesting how tasty lima beans can be in this pureed form.
As for my immersion blender, it’s just a standard Cuisinart one and I wouldn’t expect it to be more powerful than any other so perhaps it was the need for more liquid like you alluded to in your comment. The next time I make it I’ll measure exactly how much water I use and update the post—thanks for the suggestion!
Your right this is a lot like split pea soup. I made it for a client of mine. She said it has to thick for her I think if I try this again I might use a regular blender. If you add to much water the immersion blender I had doesn’t work that well she also needs soft vegetables I tried to soften the carrots up, but if I cooked them anymore it would have burned the rest of the vegetables..
Thanks for your comment, Joanna. Yes, it’s a very thick soup, like pea soup and you certainly can add more water if you like it a bit thinner. I hope she enjoyed the flavors, though!
I tried a recipe like this at a restaurant recently, and my kids and I all loved it so much, I wanted to look up a recipe I could make at home. This one looks delicious! I’m wondering what adjustments I might make to cook this in a slow cooker?