pork chop limas

A Lima Good Tima

When I least expect it I’m surprisingly rocked by one of my Mom “Betty’s” recipes. This one totally changed how ima gonna feel about limas from today going forward.

In my former me, I thought limas were right up there with split pea soup – green, gross … grody to the max! Had my Mom called them by their other given name – the butter bean – I would have dove mouth first into a large bowl of ’em. Superfan of butter here! #Bombdiggity

Decades later I decided to revisit my mental block for limas by making this recipe and you know what? It wasn’t all gag me with a spoon. If fact, I wanted a bigger spoon – I actually loved limas! Totally gnarly! Are you channeling some 80s lingo yet? If not, best saddle up to this vintage classic for a refresher, if you wanna be a cool kid again:

I’ve also included The Periodic Table Of 80s Slang down below to help you on your way!

Foodie Tips

❤  During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic we couldn’t easily find dry limas. Lame. But we could source frozen and they worked just fine. In fact they seriously reduced the prep time in a rad way by 2 hours. Legit!

❤  Mom noted the caraway seeds as optional but I totally included them – their earthy unique taste makes dishes extra fresh and special.

❤  Wanna profess your love for limas beyond mealtime? I just ordered a lima bean T-shirt and sticker to keep things legit!

❤  While your chops ‘n limas are baking why not enjoy some vintage lima bean art?! I’ve peppered a few examples below for you to peruse and enjoy.

i. Time

Total prep: About 90 minutes (includes 60 minutes for baking)

ii. Ingredients

1 ½ cups  |  dry california limas (or frozen if dry is hard to find)
1 quart (4 cups)  |  water
½ teaspoon  |  salt
4  |  pork chops
to taste  |  salt
to taste  |  fresh cracked black pepper
1  |  white onion, sliced
1 can  |  cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
½ cup  |  milk
1 teaspoon  |  caraway seeds (optional)

iii. What To Do

1. Prep the limas!

• If using dry limas: Rinse the limas with cold water. Put into pan with water and salt and bring things to a boil. Simmer about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until tender.
• If using frozen limas: Bring 2 cups of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the frozen lima beans and return to a boil. Cook uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or to desired tenderness. Drain the limas and set aside.

2. Prep the chops ‘n onions!

• Our pork chops are usually from Costco and they are hella thick. So we usually trim them in half; they usually end up more tender.
• Season the chops with salt and pepper. Brown them quickly in a skillet with a little fat/oil/butter (we used olive oil). Remove the chops.
• In the same skillet brown the onion slices in a little fat/oil/butter.

3. Bake those chops ‘n limas!

• Turn (pour) the drained limas into a baking/casserole dish.
• Arrange the chops and onions over the lima beans.
• In a medium-sized bowl mix together the soup, milk, and caraway seeds then pour over the whole shebang.
• You can refrigerate this dish until you’re ready to bake or roll forward by covering the casserole with foil and baking at 350°F for 45 minutes… then remove the foil and bake for 15 additional minutes. Plate up and enjoy!

Limas: Bad To The Bone

~ Patrick

Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook

Pork Chop Limas Fresh From The Oven

Enjoy this vintage lima bean art!

“Ah” Inspiring? Or “AAaaacckkk!” Inspiring?!? LOL #SPAM

A Scan Of Mom’s Original Recipe Card