If you’ve ever sat down at a Greek taverna and been handed a clay dish of baked beans bubbling in tomato sauce, you know exactly what gigantes plaki feels like. It’s one of those dishes that looks simple but tastes like someone’s yiayia spent all day in the kitchen.
Gigantes plaki — pronounced yee-GAN-tes PLAH-kee — is one of the most beloved dishes in Greek cooking. Giant white beans are slow-roasted in a deeply flavored tomato sauce with onions, carrots, garlic, and herbs. My version adds rustic sausage and cubes of graviera cheese, turning a classic side dish into a full, satisfying meal.
I grew up eating this in Greece, and I can tell you — the version you get there is nothing like the canned stuff. The beans are creamy and velvety inside, the sauce is thick and jammy, and the cheese melts into little pockets of heaven in the last stretch of cooking. This is the real thing.
If you love these Gigantes Plaki with Sausage and Graviera Cheese, you will also love my Instant Pot Gigantes Beans & Roasted Tomatoes, Fasolada – Greek White Bean Soup, or Heirloom Bean Soup!
Why you will love gigantes plaki
What are Gigantes beans?
Gigantes (from the Greek word for “giant”) are large, creamy white beans grown in northern Greece, particularly around the Kastoria and Florina regions. They’re similar to large lima beans or butter beans but meatier and more substantial. When cooked, they become velvety soft while still holding their shape — perfect for slow baking.
You can find them at Greek or Mediterranean grocery stores or order them online. If you can’t find true gigantes, large dried lima beans or giant butter beans are the best substitute.
What you need for Gigantes plaki
- Gigantes Beans — Look for authentic Greek gigantes, ideally from a Greek market or online. Avoid any that look yellowed — that means they’re old and won’t cook properly.
- Sausages — Greek rustic sausage with leek is my favorite here. Sweet or hot Italian sausage, bratwurst, or andouille all work well. Quality matters. This is a simple dish, so good ingredients show.
- Graviera cheese — This is Greek gruyère, most famously made in Crete. It gets cubed and added in the last 30 minutes of roasting, where it melts into creamy, golden pockets. Regular gruyère works as a substitute.
- San Marzano tomatoes — Look for the D.O.P. label. Real San Marzanos are naturally sweet and low in acidity. If using other canned tomatoes, add a teaspoon of sugar to balance the acidity.
- Tomato paste — Adds depth and richness to the sauce.
- Carrots and celery — Aromatics that add earthiness and slight sweetness — don’t skip them.
- Fresh parsley — Classic in Greek cooking. Adds brightness right at the end.
- Good olive oil — This is Greek cooking. Use it generously.
How to make gigantes plaki
- Soak the beans overnight in water.
- Drain the gigantes, put them in a pot with plenty of water and boil for about one hour, until they are almost soft, skimming the foam forming at the top as needed.
- Drain the beans and add them to a roasting pan.
- Heat the oven to 380°F/190°C.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the sausage. In high heat, brown the sausage for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the roasting pan with the beans.
- In the same skillet add some olive oil, over medium high heat and the onions and garlic. Season with sea salt and saute until translucent.
- Add the carrots, celery, dried oregano, and tomato paste, and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the veggies to the roasting pan with the beans and sausages.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, broth, pepper, salt and toss.
- Roast covered for one hour or until beans are soft.
- Halfway, check the beans. Add some hot broth if you feel they need more liquid but don’t overdo it.
- Uncover and sprinkle the cubed graviera cheese on top. Roast uncovered for 20 more minutes.
Drizzle some olive oil right before serving and sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley.
Pro tips
- Check for old beans before you buy. Yellow or wrinkled beans are old and will never fully soften no matter how long you cook them.
- Soaking is non-negotiable. Overnight in plenty of cold water. A pinch of baking soda in the soaking water helps them soften faster (note: it does reduce some nutrients).
- Par-boil before roasting. The beans should be almost soft before they go in the oven — they’ll finish in the tomato sauce and absorb all that flavor.
- Don’t rush the oven. Low and slow is the only way. High heat will cook the outside of the beans while the inside stays firm.
- If you add liquid mid-cook, make it hot. Cold broth added to a hot dish drops the temperature and throws off the cooking. Always add hot broth or water.
- Don’t over-sauce. The beans should be saucy but not swimming. Check halfway and add broth sparingly.
- The cheese goes in at the end. Add graviera cubes in the last 20-30 minutes uncovered so they get a little golden on top.
Storage and leftovers
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The flavor actually deepens overnight — this is a great make-ahead dish.
Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing gigantes plaki, the beans tend to get mushy when thawed.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the oven at low heat. Add a splash of broth or water if needed to loosen the sauce. You can also serve leftovers at room temperature, which is very traditional.
Serving suggestions
- Drizzle with good olive oil and a handful of fresh parsley right before serving — non-negotiable.
- Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce (Greek bread with oregano is perfection here).
- Pairs beautifully with a classic Greek salad.
- Serve as part of a mezze spread alongside tzatziki sauce, zucchini fritters, and classic Greek keftedes.
- Works as a side dish to Greek pork steaks, roasted chicken, or shrimp saganaki.
- Pile onto toast with a few marinated olives for a snack.
FAQs
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If you tried this recipe, I’d love to know how you liked it — drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram @thegreekfoodie__.
Gigantes Plaki with Sausage and Graviera Cheese
Ingredients
- 18 oz gigantes beans soaked in water overnight
- 10 oz sausage cut it into bite-size pieces
- ⅓ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 large carrot cut in 1/3 inch pieces
- 14 oz San Marzano tomatoes crushed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ⅓ bunch parsley roughly chopped
- 8 oz graviera cheese or gruyere
- 2 cups broth total. Veggie, chicken or beef broth
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
for serving
- chopped fresh parsley
- olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Place the presoaked beans in a pot with plenty of water and boil for about one hour, until they are almost soft, skimming the foam forming at the top as needed.
- Drain the beans and add them to a roasting pan.
- Heat the oven to 380°F/190°C
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the sausage. In high heat, brown the sausage for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the pan with the beans.
- In the same skillet add olive oil and the onions and garlic. Season with sea salt and saute until translucent.
- Add the carrots, celery, dried oregano, and tomato paste, and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the veggies to the roasting pan with the beans and sausages. Add the chopped tomatoes, one cup broth, pepper, salt and toss.
- Roast covered for one hour or until beans are soft.
- Halfway, check the beans. Add some hot broth if you feel they need more liquid but don't overdo it.
- Uncover and sprinkle the cubed graviera cheese on top. Roast uncovered for 20 more minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
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- Ensure the giant beans are not yellow- if they are, they are old and will take forever to soften. Old beans will be difficult to cook.
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- Alternatively, you can use dried lima beans or dried Great Northern beans for this recipe.
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- You may add a little baking soda when you soak the beans. It helps make them softer when they cook. However, baking soda strips the beans of some of their nutrients.
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- Slow cooking suits beans. Cooking fast in very high heat softens them externally; inside, they remain hard and uncooked.
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- If you need to add broth/water during cooking, add it hot. This way, it does not lower the cooking temperature.
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- Feel free to use your favorite canned tomatoes. Add one teaspoon of sugar to the tomatoes to break the acidity and bring out their sweetness (no need to do that if using San Marzano DOP tomatoes).
Nutrition
These roasted beans with all the herbs and tomatoes look awesome. We eat a lot of beans as well and I would love a big bowl of this with some crusty bread.
It is my favorite meal. Thank you so much, Sandhya!
These beans in tomato sauce bring so many flavors! Can’t stop thinking how delicious it is over roasted chicken.
It is the perfect side, isn’t it? Thank you so much, Linda!
This was such a wonderful, flavorful dish! The beans came out perfectly, and the tomato sauce was so rich and delicious. I’m so glad we had plenty of crusty bread for dipping.
Thank you so much Amanda for trying this recipe!
This is a delicious comfort food meal that’s great for meatless Mondays. It’s definitely filling comfort food.
Thank you so much, Sharon!
I am a bean fan, and these roasted beans are my favorite side. Sometimes I even eat them as a main dish with a side of rice.
Love these beans with rice. Thank you so much, Adriana!
Love this recipe! I’ve never tried gigantes beans before, but it looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much, Veronika!
I’m so intrigued by this roasted bean recipe! I love the flavors used in this dish! No doubt this is a delicious, hearty meal!
Beans have never been better! I love the flavors and textures you added to classic beans!
Love beans cooked in tomato sauce! We make them also in Italy, but on the stovetop, so this is a recipe I want to try! They look delicious!
How long the cooking time if I cook it on a stove top?
The whole cooking process will be 2 hours or so.
Let the beans soak in water overnight. Place them in a large pot, cover with water and boil beans until they are soft, about 40-50 minutes. Add salt for the last 10 minutes of boiling. Save a cup or two of the bean water (just like we do with pasta water).
Saute the onions, garlic in olive oil in a large pot, and add the rest of the ingredients, tomatoes, etc.
Add the beans, one cup of the reserved water, and simmer until beans are cooked well. The sauce must not be too runny and watery. The beans and sauce flavors should be mellowed out. Adjust sea salt and pepper to taste.
Let me know how they came out!
Thanks so much,
x jenny
The instructions say to add “bay leaves,” but they don’t appear in the list of ingredients. The instructions also say to add “water, broth, pepper, salt…” but the amount of water isn’t specified. The list of ingredients only says 2 cups of broth. Help! 🙂
Hi Jarrod,
So sorry for my delayed reply! We moved back to Greece recently, and due to having so much to do at the new house, I have neglected to check for comments. Also, my apologies, the water in the recipe is an error. I should have deleted it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. You can add the two cups of broth or a bouillon cube with two cups of water to dilute. I hope that helps! Thank you so much for trying the gigantes beans. x Jenny
Question if I am using San Marzano tomatoes do I use the liquid or drain the tomatoes thank you
Always use the liquid unless indicated otherwise! Thanks so much, Sandy!
You don’t mention what temp to cook the beans in the oven
You are right, Julianna! Thank you for helping me fix this error. Somehow the paragraph about the temperature was removed. It was added back in the post and recipe card. The oven should be at 380°F/190°C.
Thanks again! x Jenny
What a gorgeous recipe.
Thank you! x Jenny
yasou Jenny, I just moved back to Glyfada with my family, where did yu move to
Hello Pavlo and Constantina,
Welcome to Greece!
We share out time between South Orange NJ in the Usa and the Hilton district in Athens, Greece.
x Jenny
I couldn’t find the gigantes beans so I used Great Northern beans as you suggested and it was perfect. A delicious Sunday dinner. Thank you!
My mouth is watering…I’ve never had this before but what a beautiful meal. It’s hearty and satisfying and I know it is one that my family will love! My brother is half Greek so I know he will appreciate this too!
These beans were great, we had them with my cornbread as a side. My husband was happy we had leftovers for his lunch at work.
This is the first time I cooked the giant beans with sausage. It turned out so flavorful and delicious.
Wow these beans were delicious! Love that the sausage is stretched with the beans and it was such a hearty meal.
Well this just might be one of my newest favorite things. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I am sure that I am going to be making this over and over in the next couple of months.
These roasted beans are so delicious, packed with flavours. Made with vegetarian sausages and family loved it with crusty bread.
Now this is a good looking dish! I’ve never heard of gigante beans. As a bean lover, I will be scouring my stores looking for them.