Greek Gigantes are, not surprisingly, GIANT beans! In this recipe, the gigantes are slow cooked in a rich tomato sauce until perfectly creamy and tender. Serve over toasted crusty bread for an easy vegetarian meal!
How fun are these gigante beans!? I’m a little bit obsessed with them.
I remember eating these big beans on my trip to Athens, but I didn’t know the name and it took be a few years to remember them and look them up (<— this is why I’m so bad at texting back). #DistractasaurasRex
Okay, so about the Greek gigantes. Huge in size, and huge in flavor. You can find them on Amazon, or substitute Lima beans.
I’m super lazy about beans, so I decided to make this a slow cooker recipe. Just throw everything in, turn it on, and walk away. SO EASY.
This is an intensely comforting and satisfying dish. It’s also incredibly versatile. You can serve it as a stew-like main course, as a side dish, or even as part of a spread of small plates or appetizers. Check out my collection of Greek recipes if you need some pairing ideas.
In the winter, a dash of cinnamon added to the mix would be heavenly.
If you think I’m crazy, just give it a try and join my cinnamon-crazy-train. It’s one of my favorite “secret” ingredients for a dish like this gigantes recipe. It adds a very special-something to the flavor profile!
I soaked my beans overnight, but I frequently forget to do this while slow cooking beans. If this is the case, you can usually get away with adding an extra hour (on high) or two (on low) to the cook time.
Cooking these Greek beans on low produces a better result, in my opinion, as it doesn’t aggressively boil the beans which can cause a lot of bean-skin separation. Not a huge deal by any means, but that’s totally up to you! If you’re a work-outside-the-home type of person, throw these in before work and let them simmer all day.
I love to place a slice of toasted crusty bread in the bottom of a bowl and then ladle the beans and sauce in on top. That didn’t look very nice for the pictures, however.
Oh, the life of a food blogger.
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Greek Gigantes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry gigantes beans - soaked overnight
- 2 medium yellow onions - peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - peeled and smashed
- 2 14.5-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetarian chicken broth - or water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Crusty bread - black pepper, and more olive oil for serving
Instructions
- Boil the beans for 10 minutes.
- Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a large slow cooker. Cook for 4-6 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low. Taste and add more salt as needed.
- Serve with toasted crusty bread. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
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Can’t wait to try this recipe!! My family of 7 loves Greek/Mediterranean food!!
Did you know….gigantes beans are the same as butter beans or large lima beans??
The recipe would probably even work with baby limas….however with the long cook time, probably a waste of the tender, more expensive babies 😉
Do you need to boil the beans for 10 minutes before putting them in the crockpot if you have soaked them overnight?
Yes, to be safe. See this article for more info: https://www.wildoats.com/blog-posts/undercooked-beans-dangerous/