Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Lima Beans with Tomatoes and Herbs

Imperial October 25, 2026October 25, 2026

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Lima Beans with Tomatoes and Herbs

Tender butter beans bake slowly in a rich tomato sauce with onions, garlic, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and fresh thyme. This vegetarian take on Pennsylvania Dutch sweet-and-sour farmhouse flavors makes a cozy, economical main course or a generous side dish.

Yield: 6 main-course servings or 8 side-dish servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Oven Temperature: 325°F (165°C), conventional oven

Quick Ingredients

4 cans (15 ounces each) large lima beans or butter beans, drained and rinsed, about 6 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely diced, about 1 1/2 cups
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish if desired
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Do This

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Drain and rinse the beans.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide, oven-safe 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the onion for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, brown sugar, vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper; simmer for 4 minutes.
4. Gently fold in the beans. Cover and bake for 60 minutes.
5. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more, until the sauce is thick and bubbling around the edges.
6. Rest for 10 minutes, garnish with the optional thyme, and serve with cornbread or crusty bread.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Big flavor from simple ingredients: Brown sugar and cider vinegar give the tomato sauce a gentle sweet-and-tangy balance.
Comforting and filling: Creamy butter beans make this satisfying enough to serve without meat.
Budget-friendly and practical: Canned beans keep preparation easy, while a slow bake develops a rich, farmhouse-style sauce.
Excellent for making ahead: The beans taste even more rounded and savory after a night in the refrigerator.

Grocery List

Produce: 1 large yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves, and 1 small bunch fresh thyme.
Dairy: None needed.
Pantry: Four 15-ounce cans large lima beans or butter beans, one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, low-sodium vegetable broth, olive oil, light brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, fine sea salt, and black pepper.
Optional for serving: Cornbread, crusty bread, or a simple green salad.

Full Ingredients

For the Beans and Aromatics

4 cans (15 ounces each) large lima beans or butter beans, preferably no-salt-added, drained and rinsed; about 6 cups total
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely diced; about 1 1/2 cups or 200 grams
4 garlic cloves, minced; about 4 teaspoons

For the Sweet-Savory Tomato Sauce

1 can (28 ounces / 794 grams) crushed tomatoes, preferably no-salt-added
1 cup (240 milliliters) low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons (25 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, stripped from their stems
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Optional Finish and Accompaniments

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, for garnish
Cornbread or crusty bread, for serving; not included in the nutrition estimate

Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Lima Beans with Tomatoes and Herbs – Closeup

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the oven and beans

Place an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Drain the canned beans in a colander, rinse gently under cool running water, and let them drain while you prepare the sauce.

Use a wide, oven-safe 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven with a lid. If you do not have one, make the sauce in a large skillet and transfer everything to a 4-quart baking dish before baking; cover the dish tightly with foil.

Step 2: Soften the onion

Heat the olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened and lightly golden at the edges. Lower the heat slightly if the onion begins to brown before it softens.

Step 3: Build the tomato and herb sauce

Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, just until fragrant. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, thyme leaves, salt, and black pepper.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned onion from the bottom. The sauce will look fairly loose at this stage; it thickens in the oven.

Step 4: Fold in the butter beans

Add the drained beans and fold them into the sauce with a broad spoon or flexible spatula. Stir gently so the beans stay mostly whole. Level the surface so the beans are evenly surrounded by sauce.

If using a separate baking dish, transfer the mixture to it now and cover tightly with foil.

Step 5: Bake covered

Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 60 minutes. This covered stage heats the beans through gently and gives them time to take on the tomato, thyme, and sweet-tangy flavors without drying out.

Step 6: Uncover and thicken the sauce

Remove the lid carefully, keeping your face and hands away from the steam. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the sauce is visibly thicker, the edges are bubbling, and the exposed beans have a glossy tomato coating.

The finished sauce should cling to the beans while remaining spoonable, rather than looking dry or pasty. If the edges appear dry before the baking time is complete, gently stir in 2 tablespoons hot water and loosely cover for the remaining time.

Step 7: Rest and serve

Remove the beans from the oven and let them stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes. The sauce will settle and thicken a little more. Sprinkle with the optional fresh thyme leaves.

Serve warm with cornbread to catch the sauce. For a satisfying vegetarian supper, add a crisp green salad or roasted cabbage. For a smaller side portion, divide the dish among 8 plates.

Pro Tips

Choose large, creamy beans: Look for cans labeled “large lima beans” or “butter beans.” Small green lima beans have a different texture and are not the best match for this dish.
Start with fully cooked beans: The recipe uses canned beans intentionally. If substituting home-cooked beans, use 6 cups that are already completely tender; acidic tomatoes can slow the softening of undercooked beans.
Check your canned ingredients: Salt levels vary considerably. No-salt-added beans and tomatoes give you the most control over the finished seasoning.
Keep the beans intact: Fold rather than vigorously stir, especially after baking, when the beans are at their softest.
Let the sauce finish thickening as it rests: A little loose sauce in the hot pot is desirable. It helps keep leftovers moist and gives you something delicious to spoon over cornbread.

Variations

Smoky vegetarian beans: Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika with the garlic. Cook for the same 1 minute before adding the tomatoes.
Beans with greens: Fold in 3 cups chopped, loosely packed baby spinach immediately after removing the dish from the oven. Rest for the usual 10 minutes so the spinach wilts into the hot sauce.
Less sweet: Reduce the brown sugar to 1 tablespoon while keeping the remaining ingredients and cooking times unchanged.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Refrigerate: Transfer leftovers to shallow, covered containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Keep for up to 4 days.

Make ahead: Bake the dish completely up to 2 days before serving, cool promptly, and refrigerate. The sweet-savory flavor develops nicely overnight.

Reheat: For the full batch, stir in 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water, cover, and heat at 325°F (165°C) for 35 minutes, then check that the center reaches 165°F (74°C). Continue in 5-minute increments if needed. Reheat individual portions in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring between intervals, until they reach the same temperature.

Freeze: Freeze cooled beans in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. The beans may become slightly softer after freezing, but the sauce remains flavorful.

Nutrition (per serving)

Estimated for 1 of 6 main-course servings, using no-salt-added beans and tomatoes and low-sodium broth. Optional bread is not included; values vary by brand and drained bean weight.