giant beans

Greek Gigantes are, not surprisingly, GIANT beans! In this recipe, the gigantes are slow cooked in a rich tomato sauce until perfectly creamy and tender. Serve over toasted crusty bread for an easy vegetarian meal!

Greek Gigantes

dry gigantes beans,

onions,

garlic,

tomatoes

vegetarian chicken broth (or water)

bay leaves

oregano

thyme

red pepper flakes

salt

sugar

extra virgin olive oil

Crusty bread, black pepper,

Boil the beans for 10 minutes.

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl...

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a large slow cooker. Cook for 4-6 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low. Taste and add more salt as needed.

Serve with toasted crusty bread. Garnish with freshly...

Serve with toasted crusty bread. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

There are so many great recipes all over Greece for braised or baked giant beans, called gigantes. These butter, comforting beans marry well with everything from tomatoes to feta and spinach. This recipe is one of my favorites and may be served as an appetizer, vegetarian main course, side dish or meze. You can also enjoy it hot, warm or at room temperature.

Baked Gigantes With Honey and Dill

lb. / 450 g dried Greek giant beans

/ 125 ml Extra-virgin Greek olive oil

onions

garlic

carrot

Plum tomatoes (peeled, seeded, chopped)

tbsp. Ikarian or other Greek pine honey (divided)

dill (chopped)

Greek balsamic vinegar (to taste)

tomato paste

Salt

Pepper (freshly ground)

Soak the beans overnight in ample water. Drain the next day. Place in a large pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, skimming the foam off the top. Simmer beans for 1-1 ½ hours, until tender but firm.

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).

Remove beans from heat and drain, but reserve the water.

Place beans in a large baking pan with 6 tablespoons extra-virgin Greek olive oil. Mix the the onions, garlic, carrot, bay leaves, and the tomatoes. Stir in about 1 ½ cups of the bean cooking liquid, just enough to barely cover the beans. Stir in half the honey. Mix thoroughly. Cover the pan with parchment then aluminum foil and bake for about 1 – 1 ½ hours, or until the beans are tender and the sauce is thick and creamy. Add more water throughout baking, if necessary, to keep the beans from drying out.

Fifteen minutes before removing from oven, add vinegar, tomato paste, salt and pepper. As soon as the beans come out of the oven, stir in additional honey and vinegar to taste as well as the chopped dill.

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, sprinkled if desired with crumbled feta and drizzled with additional olive oil.

Gigantes plaki is a deliciously hearty vegan dish made with giant beans, which are cooked until soft and then baked in a delicious tomato sauce until the beans absorb all the juices and caramelize.

Gigantes Plaki sto Fourno (Baked Giant Beans)

giant beans,

bay leaf

red onion, finely chopped

olive oil

celery ribs, finely chopped

carrot,

¼ of a big red bell pepper, finely chopped

black pepper

tomatoes,

water

Soak the beans in plenty of water, overnight.

Drain and put them in a pot with...

Drain and put them in a pot with fresh water and bring to a boil.

Remove any froth forming on top, with a...

Remove any froth forming on top, with a slotted ladle. 

Drain them again and add fresh water as...

Drain them again and add fresh water as well as the bay leaf and bring to a boil. 

Add salt, lower heat and simmer until almost cooked...

Add salt, lower heat and simmer until almost cooked (about 1 hour and 30 minutes).

Drain and discard the bay leaf. 

Put the beans in a a Pyrex in...

Meantime, heat the olive oil in a skillet...

Meantime, heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onion until translucent. 

Add the garlic and sauté for a few...

Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.

Add the chopped celery, carrot and bell pepper. ...

Add the chopped celery, carrot and bell pepper.  Sauté for a few minutes

Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomato and mix. 

Add vegetable stock or water with a vegetable...

Add vegetable stock or water with a vegetable bouillon.

Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the beans. Add more...

Pour the sauce over the beans. Add more water, if necessary, to cover the beans.

Cover the Pyrex with aluminium foil.

Preheat the oven to 200o C / 400o...

Bake for about 1 hour and remove the...

Bake for about 1 hour and remove the aluminium foil and mix.

Lower heat to 180oC and continue cooking for...

Lower heat to 180oC and continue cooking for another half an hour, or until the beans absorb all the juices and the beans begin to caramelize.

Serve as a main dish or as part...

Serve as a main dish or as part of a mezze dish.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/dmiqlaixm2imzrcplg2h.mp4

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Top 4 giant beans recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

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The most viewed giant beans recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine