Edamame Succotash

I know I’ve been giving you a lot of vegetable recipes lately.  I’m sure you’re wondering where the sugar and bread and meat have gone.  Or maybe where you live it’s also 123 degrees every day, and you can’t think much past lighter, veg-heavy dishes either – especially if they’re jazzed up with the good stuff.  Lately we’ve had vegetables with goat cheese, vegetables with Pecorino and almonds, and most recently, we’ve had vegetables with bacon.  You can handle another veggie recipe if it contains bacon, right?

I hope so, because today’s recipe for Edamame Succotash is a good one.  Succotash is a dish traditionally made with corn and lima beans, and sometimes tomatoes and bell peppers.  This recipe swaps out the usual lima beans for edamame – the bright green soybeans you eat straight from the pod at Japanese restaurants. 

This dish is quick-cooking, easy to make, and packed with great flavor and texture.  Fresh corn from the cob, juicy tomatoes, crunchy red bell pepper, sweet Vidalia onion, and those bright green soybeans come together in a colorful and delicious combination.  The crisp bacon and fresh basil added at the end take the succotash from ordinary to something pretty darn delicious.

Succotash is a great summer side that works well at barbecues and picnics since it doesn’t contain any mayo or dairy.   And, since edamame packs a big protein punch, you could also serve the succotash as a light entrée, with some great bread alongside.  However you serve it, I think you’ll like it.  I mean, c’mon, there’s bacon in there!

 

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Edamame Succotash

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

1 slice bacon

1 T. butter

2 cups sweet onion (like Vidalia), chopped

2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 3 ears)

16 oz. bag frozen shelled edamame, thawed

2 T. red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. sugar

3 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 T. fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until crisp.  Remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside.  Chop or crumble the bacon.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the butter.  Once the butter is melted, add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the corn and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the edamame and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, tomatoes, and red pepper.  Cook for 30 seconds then remove the skillet from the heat.

Sprinkle the basil and reserved bacon over the succotash. 

Serve hot or warm. Serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish.