Home » Vegetarian Mediterranean Recipes

Gigantes Plaki – Tender Greek Roasted Beans in Tomato Sauce

ByElena Paravantes, MS, RD
Gigantes Greek Roasted Beans

This is a dish that really exemplifies the wisdom of Greek-Mediterranean cuisine. Beans were one of the main ingredients in the traditional Mediterranean diet, particularly for Greeks who due to the long periods of religious fasting (over 200 days a year) that prohibited most animal products, beans were the main source of protein. As a result, Greek cuisine has several bean dishes as main courses. One of them is known as Gigantes Plaki. Gigantes are a type of large white bean, the word gigantas in Greek means giant. Gigantes from several areas of Greece have a Protected Geographical Indication status due to the unique environment that these beans are grown in. If you can find these beans it is worth a try otherwise butter beans wil work.

This recipe combines beans which are of course a great source of protein, antioxidants and fiber, while the addition of tomato not only makes them tastier but the vitamin C in the tomato helps increase the absorption of iron from the beans. Plaki refers to the method of cooking which means basically baking in the oven with a sauce made with tomato, onion, garlic and parsley.

The recipe is easy and even though the cooking time is somewhat long, active prep time is very short. You basically soak the beans in water overnight, boil them, prepare an easy sauce, mix everything together and bake.

This is a delicious dish that is more recently served as an appetizer to accompany an ouzo or other drinks, but it is a complete meal and it is vegan. If you eat dairy it goes wonderfully with feta and the always present, slice of bread.

Need More Mediterranean Diet Guidance and Delicious Recipes?

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET COOKBOOK FOR BEGINNERS
ORDER NOW ON:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | Books-a-Million | Indigo | Target | Walmart | Public |

Jump to Recipe

Gigantes Plaki – Tender Greek Roasted Beans in Tomato Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Luscious, tender baked beans in a tomato-herb sauce. A traditional Greek dish bursting with flavor and nutrients.
Course: Entree, main
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean, Vegan
Keyword: Greek Roasted Beans
Servings: 4
Author: Elena Paravantes, MS, RD
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Gigantes or butter beans (soak them in water overnight)
  • 2 tomatoes grated or diced or canned crushed tomatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves peeled
  • 2 onions thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste mixed with a bit of water
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • Parsley
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Soak the beans overnight, the longer, the better.
  • Preheat oven at 350 Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
  • Drain and rinse the beans and boil in water for about 40 minutes to an hour, until they are soft but not mushy. Make sure you boil them enough; otherwise the beans will be too hard to eat even after baking.
  • In the meantime prepare the sauce. Sauté the onion in a bit of olive on low heat until soft and add the garlic cloves whole. If you want a stronger garlic flavor you can mince the garlic.
  • Add the tomato (this time I used cherry tomatoes that I cut in thin slices, but the traditional way is grating the tomato), the tomato paste, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and about ¼ cup olive oil. Let it simmer until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
  • Once the beans have boiled, drain them and put them back into the pot, add the sauce and mix gently. Pour the mixture in a pan and spread evenly and then pour about another ¼ cup olive oil over the beans and bake for about 40 minutes until beans are tender.
  • Accompany with feta cheese and bread.

Save for Later and Pin It!

Greek Roasted Beas Gigantes Plaki
Photos by Elena Paravantes

Elena Paravantes, MS, RDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist by the U.S. Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). She is an expert on the Mediterranean Diet. She has been active as a clinician, consultant, author and lecturer for 20 years, both in the U.S. and Greece. An expert on the Greek Mediterranean Diet, her interviews and articles have been published in many publications including CNN, U.S. News and World Report, Prevention, NPR, and Shape. Elena has collaborated with a number of organizations including Loyola University, Yale University, University of Missouri, Louisiana State University, and the American College of Greece. Elena earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and her Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds has a Master’s Degree of Science in Health Management.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




87 Comments

  1. How much crushed tomatoes should be used if not using canned. Where I am grocery stores the “fresh “ tomatoes are really not that good. I need to find a good farmer’s market.

    Reply

  4. I had such a tough time with this recipe. I bought fancy dried beans, soaked them for more than 24 hours and then boiled them for more than an hour, and they were still not tender. Baking was a disaster too, and they never turned into what I imagined which was a tender bean texture like edamame? They were like raw and mealy…. I’ve also never really eaten beans like this, so I don’t even know if there are supposed to be like this. I’m a big fan of yours but feel like I need a special class on the bean lifestyle (haha), if I’m supposed to learn how to cook and enjoy them!

    Reply

    1. Hey Erica, try adding a tsp of baking soda to water and bring beans to a boil, turn off heat, cover and leave over night, rinse as usual in morning before adding the other ingredients. Should be tender enough.