Barbequed Christmas Lima Beans

If you’re looking to skip the meat but still want your daily dose of protein, beans are your friend.

This barbequed Christmas lima beans recipe provides you with excellent plant-based protein, lots of flavors, and a little bit of kick. Great for a cold winter day or when you’re in the mood for a hearty, high-fiber, and low-calorie meal.

Although beans can seem high in carbohydrates at first glance, they’re also high in fiber (which don’t affect your blood sugar), meaning that their “net carbs” are quite low.

“Net carbs” are the amount of carbohydrates that actually impact blood sugars and it’s often more important to pay attention to net carbs than the total amount of carbohydrates.

Barbequed Christmas lima beans can easily become part of your meatless Monday routine or just any other night where you’re looking for a hearty vegan dish to fill you up.

This is not a holiday recipe, although it can be enjoyed year-round, as Christmas lima beans have nothing to do with Christmas. They are also known as Large Speckled Calico and they are visually stunning, so if you eat with your eyes as well as your mouth, you’re in for a treat with this recipe.

How to make barbequed Christmas lima beans

Step 1: Place beans in a slow cooker container or large bowl and cover with water by a couple of inches. Soak overnight.

Step 2: Drain and rinse the beans. Place in a slow cooker, covered with water by at least an inch, and cook for 1 hour on HIGH, then for 7 to 8 hours on LOW.

Step 3: Remove the beans from the slow cooker and drain them well.

Step 4: Preheat oven to 350°F.

Step 5: Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion and green pepper until soft, then add beans, tomatoes, and barbeque sauce. Mix well and remove from heat.

Step 6: Pour mixture into a 3-quart casserole dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Getting even more out of your beans

Don’t pour out the bean “liquor” (this is the liquid in which the beans were cooked, NOT the liquid in which they were soaked.) You can use it in soups or for cooking rice and other grains.

You can use a mix of different beans in this recipe. They all add slightly different flavors and they’re all visually stunning in their own way.

Make the dish your own

You can use any barbeque sauce that you like for this recipe. Just remember to choose a brand that is low in sodium and without too much added sugar or other unnecessary ingredients. Or you can make your own barbeque sauce!

The main ingredients of the sauce you choose will ultimately impact the flavor of the dish. So if you choose one where tomatoes and vinegar are the main ingredients, your beans will have a tart undertone.

Using the beans for food prepping

This recipe is great for food prep as you can make a big batch and save it for later.

The beans can easily be stored for several days in the refrigerator. Just let the dish cool down and place it in an airtight container before refrigerating.

You can also freeze leftovers. I like to divide the dish into individual portion sizes and freeze them separately in zip-lock bags. That makes it easy to pull out a single serving you can reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

More healthy bean recipes

If you enjoyed this barbequed Christmas lima beans recipe, I’m sure you’ll enjoy our many other bean and vegetable dishes here on Diabetic Foodie.

Regardless of the type of diet you follow, including beans and vegetables in your diet is always recommended.

• Spicy Black Beans with Tomatoes and Corn
• White Bean Lentil Soup (Instant Pot)
• Black Bean and Brown Rice Casserole

When you’ve tried this recipe, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!