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    Home » Healthy Diets » Vegetarian Greek Food » Greek Butter Beans Recipe (Gigantes Plaki)

    Published: Nov 18, 2017 · Updated: Jan 6, 2023 This post may contain affiliate links

    Greek Butter Beans Recipe (Gigantes Plaki)

    70 15.5K 

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Greek Butter Beans Recipe
    Greek Butter Beans Recipe

    Do you like beans? If you nodded yes to yourself then you are at the right place. Butter beans or also known as Lima beans are a 100% tastier than plain white beans. They are bigger in size that's why we call them "Gigantes" in Greek which means Giants.

    Dried For A Better Taste

    We almost always prefer them in their dried white form instead of the fresh green ones. They are much tastier but they also require a bit of extra preparation (soaking before cooking) they totally worth it though.

    Greek Gigantes
    Greek Gigantes

    These creamy-textured beans with their buttery flavor are also packed with nutrients providing us with so many health benefits.

    They are rich in high-quality protein as well as soluble fiber which helps regulate blood sugar levels and lowers cholesterol. They also contain insoluble fiber, which helps to prevent constipation and digestive disorders.

    The Greek Butter Beans Recipe

    As for the cooking method, the Greek "Plaki" refers to food being baked in tomato sauce. Like in this delicious butter beans recipe with tomato sauce and lots of fresh herbs. To make them I first soak them 1 day before cooking. Then boil them in a large stockpot (they need their space to boil). In the same pot, you make the sauce and then finish off by baking everything in a large 11x15 inch baking pan (which I also use for making Moussaka).

    Baked Butter Beans In Tomato Sauce
    Baked Butter Beans In Tomato Sauce

    Most people like to top them with some crumbled feta cheese but what I personally love to have them with and truly recommend you should try is to serve them along with some Kalamata olives or fried pieces of spicy Greek sausage it's a match made in heaven.

    Here are two Greek labels of Giant Beans that are flavorful and tender. The first one is the one I use most of the time.

    1. Greek Giant Beans 3 alpha.
    2. Arosis Organic Dry Greek Giant Beans.

    SERVE WITH ⬇

    Spicy Greek Sausage And Peppers. Cooked in less than 30'. The perfect side dish to these baked beans!

    Sausage And Peppers In Tomato Sauce
    Gigantes-Plaki

    Greek Butter Beans Recipe (Gigantes Plaki)

    These butter beans are cooked on the stovetop until very tender. Then finished off in the oven together with a hearty and thick tomato sauce!
    4 from 163 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Greek
    Keyword: Dinner, legumes, Oven baked
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 374kcal

    Ingredients

    • 500 grams /17.6 oz dry butter beans
    • 100 ml olive oil
    • 1 small onion chopped
    • 2 small carrots cut in slices
    • 2 large garlic cloves
    • 1 large fresh tomato finely chopped
    • 65 grams / 2.2 oz tomato paste
    • a handful of parsley
    • a handful of fresh dill

    Instructions

    Soaking the beans the night before:

    • Fill a large cooking pot with tepid water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and add the butter beans. Let them soak overnight.

    Cooking Method:

    • Drain butter beans in a strainer.
    • In a large cooking pot add 3 liters of water and the butter beans. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 hours or untill butter beans are completely soft.
    • Heat olive oil in a pan over high heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and sliced carrots. Cook until soft and golden in color. Add the chopped tomatoes and fresh herbs. Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.
    • Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 more minutes. Transfer mixture into the pot with the butter beans. Season with salt and pepper.
    • Bring heat to high and cook for approximately 10 minutes until sauce starts to thicken slightly. Preheat oven to 220°C/428°F.
    • Transfer beans to a large baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 543mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g
    Tried this recipe?I would love to see! Mention @real_greek_recipes or tag #real_greek_recipes!

    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

    • Baked Giant Beans With Greens & Lemon
    • Greek Green Beans In Tomato Sauce (Fasolakia Ladera)
    • Black-Eyed Pea Soup With Greek Sausage
    • Fasolatha - White Bean And Tomato Soup

    70 15.5K 
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jesse says

      June 28, 2019 at 5:23 pm

      Thanks for the recipe!
      Am I right to assume that you need to drain the beans after simmering them for 2 hours before you add the tomato/onion mixture? You're not supposed to keep whatever water is left in the pot, right?

      • [email protected] says

        July 17, 2019 at 10:48 am

        It's better to keep the water since it contains most of the nutrients and flavor of the beans.

    2. Anonymous says

      June 24, 2019 at 7:36 pm

      After just 15 minutes of soaking the beans, the skin is shriveled and the beans are splitting. Is that normal?!

      • [email protected] says

        June 28, 2019 at 10:39 am

        No, 15 minutes is too soon to see any difference on the beans for one. And for two the difference, you should see is that they get larger in size and not fall apart.

    3. Tracy says

      June 09, 2019 at 1:46 pm

      I have always read that adding salt prior to cooking beans will make them tough. What's your reason for adding salt to the soaking water?

      • [email protected] says

        June 14, 2019 at 10:22 am

        I think this article can explain it much better than me https://www.thekitchn.com/think-salt-is-the-enemy-of-perfect-beans-think-again-196470

    4. Katie says

      April 10, 2019 at 1:08 am

      Do you keep the liquid from when you cook the beans or drain? I drained but it seemed like liquid was needed so I added some stock.

      • [email protected] says

        April 10, 2019 at 10:47 am

        Yes, you have to keep the liquid. You only drain the water they've soaked in overnight.

    5. Brittany says

      March 29, 2019 at 2:03 am

      How would the recipe change if I were to use canned butter beans instead of dried ones?

      • [email protected] says

        March 29, 2019 at 9:51 am

        I've never used canned beans so I cannot tell for sure Brittany.

    6. C. Chen says

      March 23, 2019 at 5:05 am

      If I am unable to find butters beans, what can I use instead? Will lima beans also work?

      • [email protected] says

        March 23, 2019 at 10:44 am

        They're exactly the same just under a different name!

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    Hi, (or Yiasou as we say in Greece)

    I'm Fotini and cooking is my job as well as my passion. I love making healthy, homemade dishes completely from scratch + sharing them with you...

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