Easy corn and edamame recipe (15 minutes)

Growing up in the tundra (aka Wisconsin), vegetable garnishes were always a challenge for my family at Thanksgiving since colorful seasonal produce was hard to come by in November. We’ve never been fans of green bean casserole, so we struggled for a while with what to include to make our Thanksgiving spread a little less brown.

One year, out of desperation, I simply made succotash using frozen corn and whatever else I had on hand. This impromptu last-minute vegetable dish has been a staple of our family’s Thanksgiving routine ever since. My family can’t spend Thanksgiving without it.

What is succotash?

Succotash is a traditional Native American dish (Mushikuatash” Narragansett word meaning boiled corn kernels). This version was first adopted in the Northeast and then more widely throughout the United States. It is always made with the aforementioned corn and some type of bean, but subsequent interpretations vary and may include tomatoes, black-eyed peas, bacon, potatoes, and even cream.

From the freezer and jar to the table

When I’m feeling extravagant, I’ve scraped fresh corn off the cob for recipes, but honestly, bagged frozen corn is just as good, and there’s a lot more to do on Thanksgiving than wrestle with corn husks (watching football, enjoying dips, catching up with family). I love the sweetness and a little crunch of frozen. Birdseye gold and white corn In this succotash. Open the bag and put it directly into the sauté pan. Lima beans are a common ingredient in most succotash recipes, but since we’re not lima bean fans, we substitute frozen shelled edamame beans.

For a pop of red, add sliced ​​roasted red peppers straight from the jar. I like Spanish-style bottled roast piquillo pepper;They have a bright red color and a juicy, smoky flavor that’s much better than regular jarred peppers. I always keep them in my pantry and always use them up quickly (think appetizers, pasta salads, and vegetable salads).

I season the succotash as follows cajun seasoning—I invented this dish in the late ’80s, when it was the “it” seasoning. The blend of paprika, salt, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic, onion, and black pepper has stood the test of time, and its zesty flavor pairs well with corn and peppers. I also love that I only have to pull out one bottle from my spice drawer.

I like to add a little green to my plates, so I snip the green onions off the top with a pair of clean scissors (the cutting board is always busy at this stage) and carry them to the crowded table. This recipe is so easy to put together that I often forget all about it until at the last moment someone yells, “Where’s the suffering succotash?!”

More easy vegetable side dishes