Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

southern butter beans, millie's

(5 ratings)
Recipe by
Millie Johnson
Valley Head, AL

Delicious southern butter beans made from dry beans. This recipe is not only yummy but easy on the pocketbook. I like to save the fried bacon for a salad topping, but my husband likes them cooked in the beans. Either way these are sure to be a hit ! I will divide leftovers into freezer bags as sides for other meals. I hate buying canned butter beans and this way you save money and homemade just taste so much better ! We'll have a big pot of them served with a skillet of cornbread and a wedge of onion.

(5 ratings)
yield 6 - 8
prep time 50 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For southern butter beans, millie's

  • 1 lb
    dry butter beans (the big white ones)
  • 2-3 slice
    smoked bacon
  • 1/2
    onion,diced (or 1 small one)
  • water, 3 inches above beans
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 1/8 tsp
    black pepper

How To Make southern butter beans, millie's

  • 1
    Sort beans; remove bad ones,rocks or other foreign materials.
  • 2
    Put in colander and wash under running water. Set aside.
  • 3
    Dice half an onion and set aside.
  • 4
    Dice raw bacon. Fry in large pot til crispy. Remove from pot and set aside. Leave drippings in pot. (You can save bacon bits for a salad or put back in pot after you bring to second boil.)
  • 5
    Add diced onion to pot and saute til translucent.
  • 6
    Add some water to deglaze pot then add beans and cover with water. (about 3-4 inches ABOVE beans.)Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then cover and turn heat OFF for 45 minutes. Return to a boil,(add the fried bacon bits if desired) reduce heat to med. low and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender.Keep a check on beans as you may need to add more water.Stir now and then.(taste a bean after 1 hour of cooking. You do not want to over cook). Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
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