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Pilar's Baby Lima Bean Casserole

A casserole of lima beans simmered with tomato, basil, pumpkin, and corn milk, topped with sautéed bell pepper and basil.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and basil are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,979 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Pilar's Baby Lima Bean Casserole

Time20 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the beans

  1. Shell the lima beans, rinse, and drain.

  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.

  3. Add the tomato and chopped basil; cook 3 minutes.

  4. Add the beans and enough chicken broth to cover by 1 inch.

  5. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer covered for 20 minutes.

  6. Add the pumpkin; simmer until the beans are very tender but still holding their shape, 20 to 30 minutes.

  7. Season generously with salt.

Make the corn milk

  1. Meanwhile, puree the corn with a generous cup of the bean cooking liquid in a blender or food processor.

  2. Press the puree through a sieve; only the milky part will be used.

  3. Discard the solids.

  4. Stir the corn milk into the beans, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.

  5. Taste, and adjust the seasoning.

Finish and serve

  1. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan over medium heat.

  2. Add the bell pepper, and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.

  3. Season with salt.

  4. Ladle the lima beans into individual earthenware bowls, and top with the bell pepper oil and a sprinkle of minced basil.

  5. Serve with crusty bread.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

523Calories
43 gProtein
19 gFat
48 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Lima Bean1/2 cup (85g) cooked108
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Pumpkinnot in our table0

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.

  1. Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,979 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Lima beans + corntop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together222 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

  3. Basil + peppertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  4. Tomato + corntop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,099 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Basil + corntop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together263 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

What each ingredient does

Lima beans
Form the main body of the dish, cooking to a tender texture that still holds its shape.
Corn kernels
Pureed and sieved, their milky starch thickens the bean cooking liquid and adds sweetness.
Tomato
Adds moisture and mild acidity that brighten the flavor of the beans.
Pumpkin squash
Adds soft texture and gentle sweetness as it cooks into the beans.
Chicken broth
Serves as the cooking liquid, giving the beans savory flavor and moisture.
Vegetable oil
Carries flavor and adds richness when used to cook the tomato and to finish the bell pepper.

The step that matters

Thickening with the corn milk. Corn milk thickens through its starch as it cooks, so it needs steady stirring over heat. Stopping early leaves it thin, while letting it sit can scorch the bottom of the pot.

Swap the pumpkin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lima beans, tomato, basil, chicken, corn, pepper):

  1. Lemonfits better
  2. Limefits better
  3. Cherryfits better
  4. Pumpkinthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lima beans, tomato, basil, chicken, corn, pepper. 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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