Summer Veggie Succotash

“Sufferin’ succotash!” was once the famous line of the classic cartoon character, Sylvester the Cat. It’s an irresistible phrase to bring out when we make one of our favorites, a great classic summer side dish called succotash. Our summer veggie succotash is simple and delicious, a “summerin’ succotash,” if you’ll indulge us a little humor. A bright and fresh summer salad is the perfect side dish for a backyard barbecue or potluck. This succotash recipe mixes up some of our absolute favorite summer veggies into one beautiful cold salad side dish. Whether you’re serving burgers or barbecue ribs, this corn-tomato-okra-bean-bacon dish will be the absolutely perfect accompaniment.

A succotash is made up primarily of corn kernels then punctuated with other veggies, like okra, tomatoes, bell peppers, and beans. We absolutely couldn’t resist adding bacon to the dish, because bacon is always the right choice. We like to sauté the corn, onion, and okra in bacon grease, but another way to add roasted-sweet flavor would be to grill the corn and then carve it off of the cob – yum! All of this gets tossed with a few extra ingredients that make a subtle but very important contribution, paprika, a little apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Everything gets a good stir and then we cover the bowl and refrigerate until the succotash is ready to be served.

We just love a good side dish and this summer veggie succotash will be a huge hit with family and friends. Besides the fact that it’s super fun to say “succotash,” one bite will have everyone practically begging for more. And the recipe is a beautiful and flavorful way to get some veggies on the plates of even our pickiest eaters. Our summer veggie succotash is as much fun to say as it is to eat!

Summer Veggie Succotash

35 minutes to prepare serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups okra, sliced ½-inch thick
  • 4-5 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 (15 oz) can lima beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4-5 cups corn
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, garnish

Preparation

  1. Fry bacon pieces in a cast iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and keep the bacon grease. Wipe some of the grease from the pan with a paper towel.
  2. Add onion, okra, and corn kernels to the same skillet. Cook until just brown on the edges, about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add butter and minced garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat to cool.
  4. Combine lima and cannellini beans in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled onions and okra. Add bacon pieces, bell pepper, tomatoes, vinegar, paprika, kosher salt, and pepper. Toss until well mixed. Add more salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Recipe adapted from Small Town Woman.