Greek Braised Gigante Beans in Tomato Sauce (Gigantes Plaki)

About This Recipe

Gigantes plaki is a beloved Greek dish of large, meaty gigante beans (giant lima beans) baked slowly in a tomato-based sauce with onion, garlic, and herbs until the beans turn creamy and the sauce thickens into something rich and stew-like. This version adds a small spoonful of tamarind paste to the tomato sauce, a less traditional but complementary addition that deepens the sauce's tang in a way that plays surprisingly well with the dish's Mediterranean herbs. The technique for great gigantes plaki is baking, not just simmering on the stovetop -- the dry, even heat of an oven concentrates the tomato sauce and lets the beans absorb flavor slowly over an hour or more, developing a richness that stovetop simmering alone doesn't quite achieve. Using dried gigante beans, soaked overnight and parboiled until just tender before baking, gives a far better texture than canned substitutes like lima beans. Served warm or at room temperature with crusty bread and a drizzle of good olive oil, gigantes plaki is a staple of Greek meze spreads and vegetarian home cooking, hearty enough to serve as a main course on its own.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 gdried gigante beans(or large lima beans, soaked overnight)
• 0.33 cupolive oil(plus more for drizzling)
• 1onion(diced)
• 2carrots(diced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 cancrushed tomatoes(400g)
• 1 tbsptamarind paste
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1bay leaf
• 1 cupvegetable stock
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 0.25 cupparsley(chopped, for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Parboil the beans

   Drain the soaked beans and boil in fresh water 30-40 minutes until just tender but not fully soft. Drain and set aside.

2. 2

   Build the sauce

   Heat olive oil in an oven-safe pot over medium heat. Cook onion and carrots 8-10 minutes until soft, then add garlic and cook 1 minute.

3. 3

   Add tomatoes and tamarind

   Stir in crushed tomatoes, tamarind paste, oregano, bay leaf, and stock. Simmer 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Combine and bake

   Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Add the parboiled beans and salt to the sauce, stirring to combine. Cover and bake 45-50 minutes.

5. 5

   Finish uncovered

   Uncover and bake 10-15 more minutes until the sauce thickens and the top begins to caramelize slightly at the edges.

6. 6

   Serve

   Remove the bay leaf, drizzle with extra olive oil, scatter with parsley, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations

• •

  Skip the tamarind for a classic, traditional gigantes plaki flavor profile.

• •

  Add diced celery along with the onion and carrots for extra depth in the base.

• •

  Top with crumbled feta before the final uncovered bake for a richer, saltier finish.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days; the flavor deepens significantly overnight. Freezes well up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in a low oven with a splash of water if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions