Greek Gigantes Plaki: Baked Butter Beans in Tomato Sauce

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Gigantes plaki is a Greek dish of giant butter beans baked slowly in a thick tomato sauce with carrot, celery, and plenty of olive oil. The beans turn soft and creamy while the top of the dish caramelizes into deep red edges. It tastes rich and a little sweet from the tomatoes, with dill and oregano cutting through the olive oil.

This is a classic taverna side in Greece, though it’s hearty enough to eat as a main with bread and feta. I use dried gigantes beans soaked overnight, since they hold their shape better than canned beans during the long bake. If you can’t find gigantes, large dried lima beans work the same way.

The dish takes patience but not much hands-on work. Most of the time is the beans simmering on the stove and then baking in the oven, so you can build the sauce while they cook.

One thing to watch: don’t skip pre-cooking the beans in water before baking. Beans that go into the oven still hard will stay hard, even after an hour in there.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Beans turn soft and creamy after the slow bake
• Sauce thickens into a rich, spoonable tomato base
• Feeds a crowd from simple, cheap pantry ingredients
• Tastes just as good the next day, maybe better

Ingredient Notes

• Dried gigantes beans: Large dried lima beans work the same way if you can’t find gigantes. Canned butter beans are a faster swap, see the FAQ for timing.
• Olive oil: Use a decent extra virgin olive oil since it’s a main flavor here, not just a cooking fat.
• Crushed tomatoes: Canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, work fine if that’s what you have on hand.
• Fresh dill: Dill is the classic herb in plaki. Parsley alone works if you don’t have dill, though the flavor will be milder.
• Feta: Optional garnish. It’s salty, so taste the sauce before adding extra salt if you plan to top with feta.

Greek Gigantes Plaki: Baked Butter Beans in Tomato Sauce

Soaked butter beans baked in a thick tomato sauce with carrot, celery, and dill until the edges caramelize.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Calories: 205

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Beans

• 300 g dried gigantes beans (or large dried lima beans) soaked overnight in cold water
• 1 bay leaf for boiling the beans
• water as needed; for soaking and boiling

Sauce

• 100 ml olive oil divided
• 1 onion large; finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 carrot diced small
• 2 stalks celery diced small
• 400 g crushed tomatoes can
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf for the sauce
• 4 tbsp fresh dill chopped, divided
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 250 ml vegetable stock or water

To serve

• 80 g feta cheese crumbled, optional
• crusty bread as needed; optional

Method

 

Cook the beans

1. Soak the dried gigantes beans in plenty of cold water overnight, at least 8 hours.
2. Drain the beans and put them in a 4-quart / 3.8L saucepan with fresh water to cover by 5 cm / 2 inches and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes, until the beans are just tender but still hold their shape. Drain and set aside.

Make the sauce

1. Heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until soft.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
4. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, remaining bay leaf, salt, pepper, and the vegetable stock. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.

Assemble and bake

1. Spread the cooked beans in a 23 x 33 cm / 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pour the sauce over the beans and stir gently to combine. Mix in half the dill and half the parsley.
2. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top and bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is caramelized at the edges and the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Scatter the remaining dill and parsley over the top, and add the crumbled feta if using.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread.

Notes

• Soak dried beans overnight in plenty of cold water before cooking.
• Don't skip pre-boiling the beans or they'll stay hard after baking.
• Use a wide baking dish so the sauce reduces evenly.
• Rest the dish 10 minutes before serving so the sauce sets.

Tips for Success

• Soak the dried beans overnight so they cook evenly and don’t split apart during the long bake.
• Simmer the beans until just tender, not fully soft, since they keep cooking once they hit the oven.
• Use a wide baking dish so the sauce reduces evenly instead of staying watery in the center.
• Taste the sauce before baking and adjust salt, since canned tomatoes vary a lot in acidity.
• Let the dish rest 10 minutes after baking so the sauce thickens enough to hold on a spoon.

Variations

• Swap dried gigantes for 3 cans (400 g each) of butter beans, drained, and skip the simmering step, reducing bake time by 10 minutes.
• Add sliced fennel or a diced bell pepper to the sauce base for a different vegetable mix and a slightly sweeter flavor.
• Stir crumbled feta into the dish halfway through baking so it melts into the sauce instead of sitting on top.

Storage and Reheating

Gigantes plaki keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days in an airtight container. The flavor actually improves after a day, since the beans keep soaking up the sauce.

To reheat, cover the dish and warm in the oven at 180C / 350F for 15-20 minutes, or heat individual portions in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water until warmed through.

This dish freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool it completely before freezing in an airtight container, then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the oven.

Serving Suggestions

Serve gigantes plaki warm with crusty bread for scooping up the sauce, or at room temperature the next day for lunch. A block of feta on the side and a squeeze of lemon both work well against the richness of the olive oil.

A simple Cypriot village salad with cucumber, tomato, and olives rounds out the plate. For a fuller meal, add Mediterranean baked fish or lamb chops alongside, since the beans are hearty enough to hold their own next to grilled meat.

FAQ

Why is my gigantes plaki watery instead of thick?

Watery sauce usually means the dish came out of the oven too soon or the beans held onto extra liquid. Bake uncovered for the full 45 to 50 minutes so the tomato sauce reduces and coats the back of a spoon. Draining the beans well before mixing them with the sauce also helps a lot.

Can I use canned butter beans instead of dried gigantes?

Yes, canned butter beans work well if you’re short on time. Use 3 cans (400 g each), drained and rinsed, and skip the simmering step since they’re already soft. Just reduce the bake time by about 10 minutes so they don’t turn mushy in the oven.

Can I freeze gigantes plaki after baking?

Yes, this dish freezes well for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Cool it completely before freezing, then thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 180C / 350F for 20 minutes. The texture holds up better than most bean dishes since the sauce is thick.

What goes well with Greek baked beans gigantes plaki?

Crusty bread, a block of feta, and a simple Greek salad with cucumber and tomato all work well alongside gigantes plaki. I also like a squeeze of lemon on the side to cut through the richness of the olive oil. A glass of dry white wine rounds it out nicely.

Is gigantes plaki vegan?

Gigantes plaki is vegan as long as you leave off the feta at the end. The base of beans, tomato sauce, and olive oil has no dairy or eggs in it at all. If you want it vegan, just skip the cheese garnish and add extra herbs instead.

What’s the difference between gigantes plaki and fasolada?

Gigantes plaki bakes in the oven with a thick tomato sauce until the top caramelizes, while fasolada is a brothier bean soup simmered on the stovetop. Fasolada uses smaller white beans and stays soupy, and gigantes plaki uses large butter beans and ends up thick enough to eat with a fork.

Related recipes

• the One-Pan Greek Chicken and Rice Bake with Feta and Lemon
• our Easy Homemade Greek Tzatziki with Cucumber and Dill