Vegetables & LegumesDifficulty: easy
Gigantes Plaki (Greek Giant Beans)
Giant white beans baked in a sweet-sour tomato-herb sauce until creamy inside — a Meze classic that proves beans can be a main event.
30
Prep Time
100
Cook Time
6
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
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1Simmer the soaked beans 45 minutes until just tender — not soft. Drain, keep the liquid.
2Make the sauce: soften onion and garlic in olive oil, add tomatoes, paste, sugar, herbs and a cup of bean liquid.
3Fold in the beans, transfer to a baking dish and bake at 180°C for 40 minutes until the sauce thickens and beans turn creamy. Serve warm with bread.
Chef's Tip
- Undercooking in the pot is essential — the oven finishes them while they keep their shape; fully boiled beans turn to mush in the sauce.
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- The oven finish thickens and sweetens the sauce by evaporation, which stovetop cooking never achieves.
- Gigantes improve overnight: the beans drink the sauce and the acidity rounds off.
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