Chef John's Succotash

This may be America’s oldest vegetable recipe, coming from a Narragansett Indian word, ‘msickquatash,’ which, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, means ‘boiled corn kernels.’ When most of you hear the word succotash, you probably don’t think of a delicious vegetable side dish, you probably think of the catchphrase, ‘Sufferin’ succotash!’ But succotash really is a great and very underrated recipe.

Original recipe makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 green zucchinis, cut into cubes
4 ounces fresh green beans, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups corn
1 cup frozen baby lima beans, thawed

PREP

20 mins
COOK

20 mins
READY IN

40 mins

Directions

Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion with a pinch of salt in hot butter and oil until onion is softened and slightly golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Add red bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic; cook and stir until peppers are fragrant and softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir tomatoes, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into onion mixture; cook and stir until heated through, 1 to 3 minutes. Add zucchini, green beans, water, and a pinch of salt; cook until zucchini are almost tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir corn and lima beans into zucchini mixture until heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes more. Season with salt.