Greek

Serving

Gigantes Plaki (Baked Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce)

Name: Gigantes Plaki (Baked Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce)
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 2 cans (15 oz each) gigantes or large lima beans, drained and rinsed; 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 1 onion, chopped; 2 carrots, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 cup vegetable stock; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 bay leaf; 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley; Salt and pepper to taste

Large white beans baked slowly in a rich tomato and herb sauce until creamy and tender, a classic Greek taverna side.

80 minutes

Serves 6

Side

28 min prep

44 min cook

No common allergens detected

Based on this recipe's ingredient list. Always verify with your own brands and labels.

Instructions

6 steps

1
Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet and saute the onion and carrots until softened, about 6-8 minutes.
2
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
3
Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes.
4
Gently stir in the drained beans, coating them well in the sauce.
5
Transfer to a baking dish if needed, drizzle with extra olive oil, and bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the beans are tender.
6
Remove the bay leaf, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Gigantes Plaki (Baked Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Gigantes Plaki (Baked Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

72/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 100

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 82

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 37

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

140

Calories

2 g

Protein

7 g

Carbs

12 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Gigantes plaki takes its name from the plaki cooking method, meaning baked in a tomato-based sauce, and giant beans (gigantes) are grown widely in the Prespa region of northern Greece, where the dish is a cornerstone of the vegetarian mezze table.

Listahan note

This version builds a proper stovetop tomato sauce with a soffritto base before folding in the beans, then finishes it in the oven, so the beans absorb the sauce rather than just sitting in it.

Technique cues

Simmering the tomato sauce for about 10 minutes before adding the beans concentrates its flavor, adding beans to a thin, unreduced sauce leaves the dish tasting watery.
A final stretch in the oven, rather than finishing entirely on the stovetop, is what thickens the sauce into something that clings to the beans and gently caramelizes at the edges.
Using canned or drained beans rather than dried ones that need pre-soaking keeps the beans intact through the baking step, since they're already cooked and just need to absorb flavor.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Dice the onion and carrot while the beans drain and rinse, so the sauce base is ready to start as soon as the oil is hot.
Make-ahead: Gigantes plaki reheats beautifully and many cooks consider it better the next day, once the beans have had more time to soak up the sauce.
Leftover move: Store leftovers in their sauce rather than draining them, this keeps the beans from drying out in the fridge.
Cleanup rhythm: If baking in the same skillet used for the stovetop sauce, make sure it's fully oven-safe (no plastic handles) before transferring straight to the oven.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

gigantes or large lima beans

the dish's substance

Purpose: their large, meaty size and creamy interior are what make this a satisfying, almost meat-like vegetarian main rather than a side dish

Handling: drain and rinse well, then fold in gently near the end of stovetop cooking so they don't break apart

Adaptation: large butter beans are the closest widely available substitute if true gigantes beans aren't sold locally

onion and carrot

the sauce's aromatic base

Purpose: sauteed until softened before the tomatoes go in, they build a sweet, savory foundation for the sauce

Handling: dice both to a similar small size so they cook through evenly in the 6-8 minutes before the garlic is added

Adaptation: a diced celery stalk can round out the aromatic base further if on hand, though it's not traditional here

crushed tomatoes and tomato paste

the sauce

Purpose: the paste adds concentrated savory depth while the crushed tomatoes provide the sauce's volume and fresh acidity

Handling: cook the paste briefly in the softened vegetables before adding the crushed tomatoes and stock, this step deepens its flavor

Adaptation: a can of whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, works if crushed tomatoes aren't available

garlic

savory sharpness

Purpose: added after the onion and carrot soften, it rounds out the sauce without becoming bitter from overcooking

Handling: mince and saute for about a minute before the tomato paste goes in

Adaptation: garlic powder can stand in during a pinch, though fresh garlic gives noticeably better depth

olive oil

richness and gloss

Purpose: used both to build the sauce and drizzled again before baking, it's what gives the finished dish its characteristic sheen and body

Handling: saute the vegetables in it, then drizzle more over the top just before the dish goes into the oven

Adaptation: there's no strong substitute, the oil's flavor is central to how plaki-style dishes taste

Technique notes

Simmer the sauce until visibly thickened before adding the beans, a too-thin sauce won't reduce enough in the oven time given.
Stir the beans in gently rather than vigorously, gigantes beans are large but can break apart if handled roughly.
Check the dish partway through baking and add a splash of water or stock if the sauce looks like it's reducing too fast and starting to catch at the edges.

Ingredient swaps

Vegan direction: Wherever dairy shows up here, a neutral dairy-free butter or oil and a full-fat plant milk (oat or coconut work best for body) is the straightforward stand-in. This one leans on the gigantes or large lima beans.
Gluten-free direction: Use a certified gluten-free 1:1 flour blend or gluten-free noodles/breadcrumbs in place of any wheat-based ingredient, and double-check packaged items for hidden wheat. This one leans on the gigantes or large lima beans.
Weeknight shortcut: Skip the oven step entirely and simmer everything on the stovetop, covered, for 15-20 minutes instead, the sauce won't caramelize as much but the dish is fully cooked and ready faster.

Serve alongside

crusty bread
feta cheese
Greek salad
olives
a dry red wine
a medium-bodied Greek white
sparkling water with lemon

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Reheat covered in a low oven or on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.
Freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw overnight before reheating.

Equipment

large oven-safe skillet or pot
wooden spoon
baking dish (if the pot isn't oven-safe)

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