Creamy Lima Beans and Broccoli is a fantastic casserole especially for the holidays! Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Seriously, lima beans and broccoli together? Yes, yes, a thousand times YES! This fabulous casserole is absolutely scrumptious and I’ll tell you why.
The first time I was introduced to this delicious casserole my catering partner was making it for a large luncheon we were serving. I told her to make up a side dish and she brought this in. I was MORE than skeptical. Yes, I can do lima beans, and I can do broccoli, but TOGETHER???? Yikes, I secretly thought to myself. But she made me taste it and I’m so glad she did. It was spectacular and then some. And the crowd we were cooking for raved over it and kept coming back for seconds…and thirds!
Lima beans and broccoli are mixed with cream of celery soup and cheddar cheese. A little of the cereal topping is added into this mixture. Then the side dish is topped with a coating of sauteed Rice Krispies, butter and curry powder. Yes, you heard me right. Just a little bit of curry adds a marvelous flavor to this excellent topping. Then more cheddar cheese is sprinkled over top of the casserole before it’s baked. I couldn’t believe it when I actually liked this combination, but it really is wonderful.
Carolyn’s original recipe called for one can of cream of mushroom soup and one can of cream of celery soup, but because she always made it with two cans of cream of celery soup that’s how I’ve always made it because that’s the way I’ve always enjoyed it.
I made a batch of this tasty casserole for our church cookout last Sunday and had one of the gals in our Sunday school class taste it. She was apprehensive to say the least when I told her what was in it. But she came back to me later and said how surprised she was that it tasted so wonderfully.
Most people who know us personally know that I don’t like to serve awful food! I’m sure no one else does either. And they are willing to give me the benefit of the doubt because they have enjoyed so much of my cooking in one way or another.
Try this recipe sometime. It is different than probably any casserole combination you’ve ever experienced but the flavors really work. The curry flavors the veggies just enough to provide sensational taste and the cheese and cream of celery soup make the casserole nice and creamy. I only have one other casserole that uses Rice Krispies on top and that’s my marvelous Butternut Squash Bake recipe. I’m not sure why Rice Krispies cereal goes so well with this casserole but it provides a nice crunch along with the veggies.
I make one recommendation to you about this recipe: if possible, select frozen lima beans rather than canned. I was trying to use up some canned lima beans to clear out my pantry, but frozen lima beans will provide a lot more color and beauty to the casserole.
If you’re looking for a non-traditional casserole dish to shock your relatives over the holidays, this is certainly it! 🙂 If you like lima beans and broccoli you will love this combination. The curry powder is not overwhelming and everything is just right. You may be as shocked as your company at how much everyone enjoys this crazy ingredient dish.
But take my word for it, just about everyone loves this dish–even people who don’t normally eat lima beans or broccoli. Keep this recipe in mind during the summers, too, when you have a harvest of lima beans and broccoli you need to cook up! Truly, you will be licking your chops after just one bite of this amazing side dish.
Creamy Lima Beans and Broccoli is a wonderful side dish–especially if you can get past the combination of ingredients in the recipe!
Here’s an interior look at Creamy Lima Beans and Broccoli. This excellent casserole is great for holiday meals or potlucks. You can be sure no one else will bring this combination. That way, you won’t have the unfortunate experience of having two Green Bean Casseroles at the same meal!
Here’s a serving of Creamy Lima Beans and Broccoli. The crunchy Rice Krispie topping on top with a little cheddar cheese makes this savory casserole something special.
Here’s what I did.
Melt butter in cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add curry powder. Just a little so the casserole is not overwhelmed with curry flavor. Add Rice Krispies.
Saute topping ingredients until lightly browned. Then set aside.
In a large mixing bowl place frozen or fresh broccoli.
Add frozen or fresh lima beans (rather than canned) if you have them.
Add two cans of cream of celery soup.
Add sharp cheddar cheese and one cup topping mix.
Stir ingredients to combine.
Grease 9×13″ glass baking dish or spray with cooking spray. Add broccoli mixture.
Sprinkle remaining Rice Krispie coating over top.
Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese over top. Cover casserole with foil. Bake at 350 about 45-60 minutes or until veggies are cooked through.
Here’s what Creamy Lima Beans and Broccoli look like after baking. Yum, yum.
To serve: scoop out servings with a large serving spoon. Eat and enjoy! This is a delicious creamy casserole with a lot of great flavors going for it.
The cereal coating topped with more cheddar cheese adds tremendous flavor to what would otherwise be a ho-hum dish! I’m not kidding. This casserole is really delicious!
Here’s the recipe.
CREAMY LIMA BEANS AND BROCCOLI
(Recipe adapted from Carolyn Allen, Baptist Convention of New England, Northborough MA)

Prep Time | 10 minutes |
Cook Time | 1 hour |
Servings |
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- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp. curry powder
- 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 16 oz. pkg. frozen lima beans
- 16 oz. pkg. frozen chopped broccoli
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can cream of celery soup you can also use 2 cans of celery soup instead of mushroom soup
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided use
Ingredients
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- Melt butter over low to medium heat in medium-sized skillet.
- Add curry powder and cereal.
- Stir over low heat about 5 minutes to coat cereal.
- Combine frozen veggies, soups and 1 cup sautéed cereal mix.
- Put half of the cheese in this mixture.
- Spread into greased 2-3qt. baking dish.
- Sprinkle with remaining cereal mixture and remaining cheese.
- Bake about 45-60 minutes at 350°.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
- 3 tbsp. butter
- ¼ tsp. curry powder
- 2 cups [url href=”http://www.ricekrispies.com/” target=”_blank” title=”rice krispies”]Rice Krispies[/url]
- 16-oz. pkg. frozen lima beans
- 16-oz. pkg. frozen chopped broccoli
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can cream of celery soup (you can also use 2 cans of celery soup instead of mushroom soup)
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided use
- Melt butter over low to medium heat in medium-sized skillet.
- Add curry powder and cereal.
- Stir over low heat about 5 minutes to coat cereal.
- Combine frozen veggies, soups and 1 cup sautéed cereal mix.
- Put half of the cheese in this mixture.
- Spread into greased 2-3qt. baking dish.
- Sprinkle with remaining cereal mixture and remaining cheese.
- Bake about 45-60 minutes at 350°.
Creamy Lima Beans and Broccoli is such a tasty dish. But don’t just take my word for it. Be brave and make this casserole yourself!
I dare you to make up this casserole for the holidays this year! I wish you could taste this so you could see for yourself just how flavorful this casserole is.
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Broccoli and Pearl Onion Casserole
I am not much of a Lima bean lover, but this sure has me intrigued!! I might just have to make it, and see of it changes my mind! 😉
I wasn’t a lima bean eater either until I first tasted this recipe in the early 1990s. I’ve eaten them ever since. It really has a delicious sauce and the curried rice krispies stirred into the casserole and layered on top just make this recipe something special. I know it sounds weird, but it really is tasty!
BTW, I really love your blog. You are truly an artist in your layouts. Is this just a God-given gift or have you had art training along the way?
Thanks for stopping by. 🙂