Ingredients:
- 1 (1-pound) package Camellia Brand Green Baby Lima Beans
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1/4 cup minced celery stalk and leaves
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups cold water
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 pound ham, diced small (tasso, ham bone, ham hocks may be substituted)
- 1/2 pound smoked sausage or 1/2 pound andouille sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- Salt and pepper
- Cooked white rice
Directions:
- Rinse and sort beans. (Optional: Soak beans using your preferred method.)
- Place the beans into a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven. Add remaining ingredients, excluding the salt.
- Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, monitoring water level and adding more as needed. After an hour, add salt to taste and continue to simmer, covered, until beans are very tender and creamy, approximately an additional 3/4 hour.
- When nearly finished, press beans several times with the back of a large spoon against side of Dutch oven to encourage thickening of the sauce.
- Serve over fluffy white rice. Freezes well.