The invention relates to the field of producing succinate by E. coli fermentation. Specifically, the invention provides an engineered recombinant E. coli for producing succinate, wherein said E. coli contains one or more of the following modifications: a) enhanced activity of the protein(s) encoded by the gene(s) involved in pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), b) enhanced activity of the protein encoded by sthA gene, and optionally c) mutant lpdA gene. The invention also relates to use of the engineered recombinant E. coli for producing succinate, and a method of using the engineered recombinant E. coli for producing succinate.