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If you like lima beans, you'll love this tasty Lima Bean Salad made with sweet potatoes, garlic and burrata cheese! It's gluten free, veggie-forward and an easy lunch or side dish that you can easily prep ahead of time.
Recipe features
- A very quick side dish and/or lunch recipe
- Easy to make ahead
- Gluten free and vegetarian, with plenty of protein
- A more exciting way to enjoy lima beans
Ingredient notes:
Lima beans - Dried or frozen. With that said, I almost always use frozen lima beans because it's much faster. Frozen lima beans cook in 5-10 minutes, whereas dried beans take about 90 minutes, according to the package instructions.
Sweet potato - Peeled
Burrata cheese - Can sub fresh mozzarella
Lemon - Optional! I think a small amount of lemon juice adds more flavor, but it's also plenty flavorful with just the garlic and burrata -- so, the lemon juice is optional.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cook the sweet potatoes. Place the peeled sweet potatoes into a large skillet, along with a little oil, and cook them for approximately 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Then, add the garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Step 2: Cook the lima beans. While the potatoes are cooking in a skillet, cook the lima beans in a saucepan. If you're using frozen beans (which I recommend), this should only take 5-8 minutes; simply cook them until they're soft.
Step 3: Assemble. Add the cooked beans and potatoes to a large bowl, along with the burrata, parsley, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Do a taste test, and see if you want to add a little lemon juice (I liked it with the lemon juice but my husband didn't -- it's a personal preference!). Then, drizzle with a little more olive oil and eat up!
Tips and FAQs
- Using frozen lima beans will make this recipe incredibly quick, you should easily be able to find some in the frozen vegetable section at the grocery store. If not, dried beans will work, just make sure to follow the package instructions.
- You don't have to peel the sweet potatoes; again, this is a personal preference and how I normally cook sweet potatoes.
Can this be made vegan?
Yes! You can make this vegan simply by omitting the cheese. With that said, the cheese helps to add flavor, so I would recommend either subbing your favorite vegan cheese, or some type of flavorful protein like bacon-flavored tempeh.
Can this be made in advance?
Of course! If you want to make this ahead of time, I recommend cooking the beans and potatoes, then storing them in a container in the refrigerator. Before serving (after reheating), add the burrata cheese and lemon juice.
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If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Lima Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet potato peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 12 oz. frozen lima beans
- 1 ball burrata cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice to taste, optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and then add the chopped sweet potatoes. Cook sweet potatoes for 5 minutes, and then add the garlic to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook until sweet potatoes are soft, and then pour into a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, cook the lima beans in a saucepan until they're soft. Strain them, then add them to the bowl with the cooked sweet potato. Add the burrata cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper to the bowl and stir to combine. Taste test, then add lemon juice if desired.
- Drizzle bowl with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in November 2017. It was updated with new text in July 2020.
Jessica says
I was thinking about swapping sweet potatoes for butternut squash and burrata for goat cheese?
Erin says
That would work and I bet it'll be delicious!
Isadora Guidoni says
I've been saving some recipes here to try later but this one looks so delicious that I'll have to try it today. Can't wait!
2pots2cook says
Love the photos (pinned, of course ) and love the idea : plan to make the salad for my office lunch ! Thank you so much!
Erin says
Thanks--I hope everyone loves it!
Lucia Wright says
I love lima beans, too! I am so desperately in need of vegetables this week. I love how colorful this salad is and that burrata!!!!!! Major swoon. Pinning!
Erin says
Thanks girl!! I feel like no one eats them, but they're so good!
Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food says
What did you think of the casino there? Riley and I have some free Marriott nights and were thinking of doing National Harbor at some point. I feel like it'd be super pretty at Christmas time!
Erin says
The casino was pretty nice, though I feel like we only saw part of it. I'd want to go again when it's warmer out because the outdoor area is what really makes it unique I think. The National Harbor is beauuuutiful at Christmastime, and so is the Marriott lobby (which Miguel and I stumbled upon last year--seriously, it's so festive!).