Baked Greek Gigantes (w/fresh beans)

Gigantes… as the names implies, they’re huge!  This is a classic Greek dish I grew up eating… “Gigandes Plaki” in Greek.  I love it… it’s simple, nutritious, and delicious.  Gigantes are like giant fava beans- they’re very popular in Greece.  Typically, this dish is made using dried beans- so if that’s what you have, great- use ’em!  I recently got a pile of fresh beans though, so I decided to use them up.  Do what’s easiest for you… either way will result in a bowl of delicious giant beans.

Using fresh beans is a labor of love… but a tasty labor, so it’s worth it.  Plus, fresh beans are in season right now (these ones came from my weekly CSA), so it makes sense to use them while in season!  Once you get them peeled and ready, the dish is actually quite easy.  If you don’t want to use fresh, then dried beans are pretty easy to find in stores- you can use fava beans or another large white bean if you can’t find gigantes.  To make them with dried beans, follow the soaking directions on the package and then proceed with the recipe from there.  To make this dish with fresh beans, you must first remove the pods (queen of the obvious here), then soak the beans over night, and then remove the outer skin from each bean.  I described the process more below… it takes time, but it’s time well-spent. 🙂

2 cups fresh gigantes (or fava beans)

1 lb chopped tomatoes, peeled (or 1 can stewed tomatoes)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 medium onion

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp salt (for onion)

1/8 tsp pepper (for onion)

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

2 bay leaves

about 3 tbsp water
*this dish is sometimes made with diced carrots and celery… your choice 🙂

To prep the beans…

As with dry beans, you must soak these in water before using.

I find it most efficient to soak them overnight, but you can

soak them in the morning and then be ready to cook by night if preferred.

Fresh beans come in these large pods- the are pretty easy to remove-

just break along the seam and remove the beans.

Then, once beans have soaked in water, another outer

layer must be removed (see- labor of love!!)

Soaking helps makes this process easier… maybe get some extra hands

and tear off the outer skins together in front of the TV!

Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano in a pot over medium heat

(You’ll want a pot with a lid)

Stir in beans and let cook for about 20 minutes, covered

(If the sauce is gets to a boil, lower heat so it is just a gentle boil/simmer)

Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients…

Chop up onion

Heat olive oil over medium heat and stir in onions

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook for

about 10 minutes, stirring every so often

Once they are lightly browned and translucent, remove from heat

They will cook more in oven, so no worries if they’re still a wee crunchy 🙂

Finely slice garlic cloves

(Alternatively, you can mince, but in my house we like slices- they’re

pretty and add more oomph when you get a bite!)

Then chop up the parsley, removing as many stems as possible

When everything is ready, mix the tomatoes, beans, onions,

garlic, parsley, and bay leaves together in a medium-sized baking dish

Cover and bake at 350 for about one hour

Half way through, stir beans- they will look something like this

(If you feel they are dry, you can add a little olive oil or water)

After about an hour, check them for doneness…

if they are not soft yet, cook a bit longer

Since the beans will have likely soaked up most of the liquid,

I add a few tbsp of water while dish is still hot and stir in- this will help to make it all just a tad more saucy 🙂

Check for seasonings and remove bay leaves

Plate and serve- this dish is great at room temp or even cold (I love it cold personally)… whatever floats your boat!

Top with parsley and enjoy!