Baked Lima Beans

Recipe No. 559 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Vegetables. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Beans, Lima, dry — 15 pounds (9 No. 56 dippers)
• Water, cold — 2½ gallons (10 No. 56 dippers)
• Salt — as needed
• Bacon, diced — 2 pounds

Onions, chopped — 2 pounds (2 No. 56 dippers)

• Peppers, green, chopped — 1 pound (1 No. 56 dipper)
• Pimientos, chopped — 8 ounces (⅓ mess kit cup)
• Molasses — 1 pint (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Salt — 4½ ounces (9 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — (½ mess kit spoon)
• Mustard, prepared — (3¾ mess kit spoons)

Directions

Key ingredients

Molasses · Mustard

1. Wash beans thoroughly. Cover with cold water; soak 3 to 4 hours.
2. Add salt. Cover and heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer until tender but not split or mushy.
3. Combine bacon, onions, green peppers and pimientos; fry until tender.
4. Combine beans, onion and bacon mixture, molasses, salt, pepper and mustard.
5. Pour mixture into well greased baking pans. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) 1½ hours.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Beans, Lima, dry — 1 lb 3¼ oz Water, cold — 3¼ cups Salt — to taste Bacon, diced — 2½ oz Onions, chopped — 2½ oz Peppers, green, chopped — 1¼ oz Pimientos, chopped — ⅔ oz Molasses — 2½ tbsp Salt — about 2¼ tsp Pepper — scale to taste ((½ mess kit spoon)) Mustard, prepared — scale to taste ((3¾ mess kit spoons))

Add more water during baking if necessary.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 559, Vegetables. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.