Gigantes Plaki. Giant beans oven-baked recipe

Name: Gigantes Plaki. Giant beans oven-baked recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 2 h 35 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: lima beans; olive oil; parsley; garlic; leek; black pepper; fresh tomatoes; tomato paste; butter beans

Gigantes Plaki is a Greek traditional food with Giant beans and tomato sauce in the oven very tasty and easy to make! Popular among the days of Lent it goes beautifully with Tarama spread (Fish Roe Dip) and Feta cheese!

Butter beans or giant beans?

I wonder how you call them in your country? In Greece, we call them Giant beans. Drop me a line in the comments below and let me know where you are from and how you call them in your country! I would love to hear from you!

I love cooking Legumes and this particular Giant beans oven-baked recipe is a personal favorite! It requires very little preparation and only a few minutes on the stovetop before you put it in the oven and forget about it! A dish that does not need a lot of ingredients or spices to be tasty because the Giant beans/ Butter beans are full of flavor!

If you choose so, instead of oven-baked you can make this dish on the stovetop. The steps are the same but instead of adding them to a baking tray, you can simply continue the cooking on a pot. If you are in a hurry, Instead of freshly grated tomatoes you can also use canned diced tomatoes.

If you enjoy cooking Legumes as I do, check out my guide on how to cook any Legumes here.

Make this delicious vegan dish and let the Giant beans melt in your mouth like butter!

Gigantes Plaki. Giant beans oven-baked recipe

Prep: Soak overnight (or 8h) and 5m | Cook: 2h 30m | Total: 2h 35m | Servs: 6

Ingredients:

500g Giant beans (Butter beans)
2 fresh tomatoes grated
3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tomato paste (70gr.)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 leek cut into crescent slices (only the white)
1 bunch of finely chopped parsley
4 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Soak them overnight and in the morning rinse them under running water.
Add them in a pot, bring to a boil, skim the foam they will produce on the surface, and let them simmer with enough water to cover them for about 1 1/2 hours *. (For a pressure cooker it only needs 30 minutes but in this case we will add water just enough to cover them).
In another pot, sauté the onion with the olive oil over high heat and add the leek and garlic.
Add the grated tomatoes, the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and after you bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and turn off the heat.
Once the beans are cooked, add them in a baking tray together with 1 liter of the water they were boiling in, add the tomato sauce, the parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200C / 400F for about 1 hour until they drink their juice and the sauce sets.

Notes:

*It may take a little longer in the pot. Boil until the beans are fork-tender but be careful not to melt them.
All beans lose their skin if you boil them, drain them, and leave them at room temperature for a lot of time. You will need to time your boiling time and have your oven ready, keeping them submerged in water or their juices at all times. When they are boiled, immediately add them to the oven with the tomato sauce and their skin won’t peel off. (Provided you have also soaked them overnight).

Nutrition Facts Disclaimer

Did you make this recipe? Or are you planning to make it? Let me know in the comments below, tag me on Instagram @freshpiato or show me your photos on Pinterest!