Greek recipe

Gigantes Plaki

Name: Gigantes Plaki
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 50 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Greek cuisine
Ingredients: 500 g dried gigantes or large lima beans; 2.5 L water, for soaking and simmering; 220 g onion, finely diced; 180 g carrots, finely diced; 150 g celery, finely diced; 12 g garlic, minced; 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 40 g tomato paste; 800 g canned chopped tomatoes; 300 ml hot bean cooking liquid; 20 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 8 g fresh dill, chopped; 2 g dried oregano; 14 g fine salt, divided; 3 g black pepper

Large white beans are simmered until nearly tender, then baked in a generous tomato, onion, carrot, celery and olive-oil sauce until creamy inside and lightly caramelized on top.

Greek taverna and meze tradition

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 1 hr 50 min
Total: 2 hr 25 min
Servings: 6

Greek gigantes plaki baked giant beans in tomato olive-oil sauce — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by HevesliSource page · Original file · Public DomainCropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

500 g
dried gigantes or large lima beans
2.5 L
water, for soaking and simmering
220 g
onion, finely diced
180 g
carrots, finely diced
150 g
celery, finely diced
12 g
garlic, minced
120 ml
extra-virgin olive oil, divided
40 g
tomato paste
800 g
canned chopped tomatoes
300 ml
hot bean cooking liquid
20 g
flat-leaf parsley, chopped
8 g
fresh dill, chopped
2 g
dried oregano
14 g
fine salt, divided
3 g
black pepper

Method

01
Soak the beans overnight
Cover the dried beans with plenty of the 2.5 L cool water and soak for 8–12 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Simmer until almost tender
Put the drained beans in a large pot with the remaining fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 45–55 minutes until the centres are nearly creamy but the skins remain intact.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Reserve cooking liquid and drain
Scoop out 300 ml of the hot bean cooking liquid. Drain the beans carefully and spread them in a shallow dish so they stop cooking while the sauce is made.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Sweat the vegetables
Heat 60 ml olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook for 10 minutes until soft; add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Reduce the tomato sauce
Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute, then add chopped tomatoes, oregano, 8 g salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes until thick and glossy.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Combine beans and sauce
Heat the oven to 180°C. Fold the drained beans, 300 ml reserved cooking liquid, parsley, dill and 30 ml olive oil into the sauce without crushing the beans.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Transfer to a shallow baking dish
Spread the bean mixture in a 25 x 35 cm shallow baking dish in one even layer. Drizzle the remaining 30 ml olive oil over the surface.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Bake until caramelized at the edges
Bake uncovered at 180°C for 35–40 minutes until the sauce has reduced around the beans and the top shows browned tomato edges. The centre should remain moist, not dry.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
09
Rest and season
Rest for 15 minutes, then taste the sauce and add up to the remaining 6 g salt only if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature with bread.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Drain or reduce wet fillings before assembly so the baked layers set cleanly instead of steaming.
Rest layered bakes before slicing; the short cooling period lets starch, cheese and sauces firm enough for clean portions.

Common mistakes

Assembling with watery vegetables makes the centre loose even when the top is browned.
Cutting immediately after baking collapses the layers and releases hot sauce onto the plate.

Substitutions

Use a comparable firm salty cheese when the specified Greek cheese is unavailable, then reduce added salt to compensate.
For meat fillings, beef and lamb can be adjusted within the same total weight according to availability and preferred richness.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

Gigantes plaki is a familiar Greek ladera-style dish, where vegetables or legumes are cooked generously with olive oil and tomato. It is commonly served as a meze or a meatless main.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Gigandes plaki — Photograph by Hevesli; Public Domain.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Greek recipes

Gigantes Plaki

Ingredients

Method

Soak the beans overnight

Simmer until almost tender

Reserve cooking liquid and drain

Sweat the vegetables

Reduce the tomato sauce

Combine beans and sauce

Transfer to a shallow baking dish

Bake until caramelized at the edges

Rest and season

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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