Name: Native American Lima Bean and Tomato Soup
Ingredients: 1 lb Dried lima beans; 3 qt Water; 1 sprg parsley; 2 x Onions, sliced; 1/4 lb Salt pork; 3 x Tomatoes, cored; 1 x Chili pequin, crushed; 1 tbl Salt

Why it works: Onion and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,633 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Native American Lima Bean and Tomato Soup

Time1 hour, then 1 additional hour

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Soak the beans in 1 1/2 quarts water for 3 1/2 hours; drain and rinse.

Simmer

Place in large, heavy kettle, cover with 1 1/2 quarts water, add remaining ingredients and simmer slowly for 1 hour.
Uncover and simmer for 1 additional hour.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

425Calories

37 gProtein

15 gFat

36 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pork	100g cooked	242
Lima Beans	1/2 cup (85g) cooked	108
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,633 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Parsley + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,398 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Lima beans + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together131 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,843 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Onion + porktop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,214 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Dried lima beans: Form the main body of the soup and thicken it as they break down during slow simmering.
Onions: Add savory sweetness and aromatic depth to the broth as they soften.
Salt pork: Adds fat and savory, smoky flavor to the broth.
Tomatoes: Contribute acidity, color, and body to the soup as they break down.

The step that matters

Simmer slowly, not at a hard boil. Gentle simmering lets dried lima beans soften evenly and become creamy without bursting or turning mushy at the surface. A hard boil can break up the skins and cloud the broth.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lima beans, onion, pork, tomato):

Garlicfits better
Thymefits better
Celeryfits better
Parsleythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lima beans, onion, pork, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Native American Lima Bean and Tomato Soup