Saucy Southern Succotash
Sweat zucchini, red onion, and jalapeño, fold in a whole harvest of corn, peas, limas, and okra, and simmer it all in a spiced crushed-tomato broth until the starches thicken it into a rich, glossy stew. Creole seasoning and hot sauce give it Southern soul. It's a garden's worth of vegetables in one saucy, generous skillet.
Succotash is one of the American South's great garden dishes — a humble, generous way of celebrating whatever the summer plot gives up at once. This version leans into the "saucy," simmering corn, peas, lima beans, and okra in a spiced tomato broth until everything melds into a rich, glossy stew. Warm with Creole seasoning and a whisper of heat, it's comfort and abundance in a single skillet, the taste of a Southern table in high summer.
The Harvest Medley
Succotash is all about abundance — the more of the garden, the better. It starts with an aromatic base of zucchini, red onion, and jalapeño sweated in butter and oil until soft, then in goes the harvest: corn, peas, lima beans, okra, and diced roasted red pepper. Tossed together in the fragrant fat and heated through, this colorful medley is the heart of the dish, each vegetable keeping its own character while joining the whole. Frozen vegetables, thawed, make it a year-round pleasure.
The Saucy Tomato Broth
What sets this apart from a dry sauté is the broth. Pour crushed tomatoes over the vegetables, season aggressively with Worcestershire, Creole seasoning, and hot sauce, and let it simmer vigorously for a few minutes. Here's the clever bit: the dense starches from the corn and lima beans release into the tomatoes and thicken the liquid into a rich, glossy sauce all on their own — no roux or thickener needed. The result is a stew-like succotash you can spoon over rice or sop with cornbread.
Saucy Southern Succotash
Ingredients
Method
- In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven, heat the unsalted butter and olive oil together over medium heat until melted and foaming.
- Add the sliced zucchini, diced red onion, and diced jalapeño pepper to the skillet.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables release their moisture and become soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Once the aromatic base is soft, fold in the thawed corn, peas, lima beans, okra, and diced roasted red peppers.
- Toss the vegetables thoroughly in the residual butter and olive oil to ensure they are evenly coated and heated through.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes directly over the vegetable mixture.
- Aggressively season the skillet with the Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning, hot pepper sauce, kosher salt, and coarse black pepper.
- Stir the succotash to completely integrate the spices into the tomato broth.
- Reduce the heat slightly and allow the mixture to simmer vigorously for 5 minutes, allowing the dense starches of the corn and lima beans to thicken the tomato sauce into a rich, glossy stew. Serve hot.
The Heart of the Table
Succotash is generous cooking in the truest sense — born of making the most of the garden's bounty and stretching it to feed a table. There's a deep, unpretentious hospitality in a big skillet of vegetables simmered saucy and served with a warm heart, the kind of dish that carries the soul of Southern cooking: everyone welcome, and always enough to go around.
The Art of the Host
A large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven is all this needs — roomy enough to hold the generous pile of vegetables and simmer the broth without crowding. Thaw and drain the frozen vegetables well so they don't water down the sauce, and let the succotash simmer long enough for the corn and lima starches to work their thickening magic. Adjust the hot sauce to your table's taste.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: Sweat the zucchini, onion, and jalapeño, fold in the corn, peas, limas, and okra, and simmer in a spiced crushed-tomato broth until the starches thicken it glossy. It deepens overnight, so make it ahead and reheat gently.
- The Pour: A cold lager or a crisp Riesling suits the spiced, saucy vegetables. For a non-alcoholic option, a sweet tea or a sparkling limeade keeps it Southern.
- The Vibe: This is generous, saucy Southern comfort — spoon the glossy harvest stew into bowls or alongside cornbread and let its warmth gather the table.