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A round baking pan with roasted Gigantes plaki, carrots, sausages, pieces of graviera cheese, and chopped parsley.
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Greek Giant Beans -  Gigantes plaki

Gigantes beans cooked in a rich tomato sauce with sausages, graviera cheese, fresh herbs and aromatics.
Course Pulses
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Soaking time 10 hours
Servings 8
Calories 412kcal
Author by Jenny | The Greek Foodie

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

    • 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.
    • Alternatively, you can use dried lima beans or dried Great Northern beans for this recipe.
    • 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.
    • Slow cooking suits beans. Cooking fast in very high heat softens them externally; inside, they remain hard and uncooked.
    • If you need to add broth/water during cooking, add it hot. This way, it does not lower the cooking temperature.
    • 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).
 
Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only an estimate and can vary based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 690mg | Potassium: 566mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1936IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 370mg | Iron: 3mg