Greek Butter Beans Recipe - Gigantes Plaki (Vegan) - Real Greek Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are gigantes the same as butter beans? ›

Gigante beans, also known as Greek giant beans or butter beans, are the star of the show in this easy vegetarian recipe! Simmered in a pool of diced tomatoes and plenty of garlic and finished with chopped kale and crumbled feta, these beans are so flavorful and nourishing.

The Italians call them corona beans; the Greeks call them gigante beans. You'll also sometimes find them labeled as butter beans. They all, in fact, stem from the good ol' lima bean.

If you can't find gigantes from Greece at your local ethnic market, you can substitute large lima beans, elephant beans or butter beans. This dish takes some time to cook, but this method is very "hands off" so you can stick it in the oven and forget about it while you prepare the rest of your dinner.

The best way to cook butter beans is to simmer them gently in a slow cooker. I find that cooking them from dry (ie without pre-soaking) helps prevent them from going soggy, so just tip them into the pot, add plenty of water to cover, a teaspoon of salt and cook until tender.

Gigantes are not only filling but also super healthy: the beans are low in fat content and an excellent source of fiber (if you're looking to lower your cholesterol, these are for you!).

Gigante beans are essentially large lima beans (also known as butter beans), but they are a little different from the varieties you'd find on the shelves in the US. And that's because they are grown in Greece, in the northwest of the country in regions like Prespes.

Gigantes plaki, a traditional Greek dish that translates to "giant baked beans," is a classic vegetarian dish that features Gigante Beans in a tomato sauce. Hearty enough to be eaten for a meal by itself, it also works well alongside other dishes as a complete ensemble.

Gigantes are like giant fava beans- they're very popular in Greece. Typically, this dish is made using dried beans- so if that's what you have, great- use 'em!

Gigantes plaki (Greek γίγαντες πλακί pronounced [ˈʝiɣa(n)des plaˈci]) or Greek giant baked beans, is a Greek dish of large white beans baked in a tomato sauce. Gigantes plaki may be served as a main dish or as a meze.

Commonly used in Greek recipes, Gigantes Beans in Europe are usually a more firm white bean that is from the Scarlet Runner bean family. In the United States, Gigantes Beans are most commonly Large Lima Beans or Giant Butter Beans (the same thing).

Which bean is creamiest? ›

Cranberry beans are known for their creamy texture with a flavor similar to chestnuts. The red specks disappear when these beans are cooked. Cranberry beans are a favorite in northern Italy and Spain. Great Northern Beans are medium-size, oval-shaped beans with thin white skin.

Butter Beans are a fantastically healthy ingredient – they're high in protein and fibre, and they're an excellent source of carbohydrates. Low in fat and calories but high in folate, starch and iron, they're one of the best store cupboard ingredients there is.

"If you rinse your beans thoroughly, you will have a consistently flavored product, but if you do not rinse them, different amounts of salt will remain in the dish each time you cook it, and it will be hard to cook consistently," he says.

If you boil them too rapidly, they will split and fall apart. Stir them regularly and gently, add more water if necessary. Cooking time may take anywhere from an hour to three, depending on the age and brand of bean you are using. You want them to be soft and velvety, but not falling apart.

If you've ever cooked beans for hours without them softening, it's probably because you're using old beans, or you've got hard (mineral-rich) water, or there's an acidic ingredient in the pot, which can slow down cooking. Using distilled water solves the hard water problem.

A lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), also commonly known as butter bean, sieva bean, double bean or Madagascar bean, is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans.

You'll see them labeled in different ways in the store, after all: frozen lima beans, canned butter beans, dried large limas—or is it dried large butter beans? Turns out, lima beans and butter beans are the same thing. Both terms refer to the same species, Phaseolus lunatus.

Lima Beans. While they're all the same bean botanically, butter beans have different names depending on the region. In the South and in the United Kingdom, they're typically referred to as butter beans. Elsewhere in the U.S., they're known as lima beans (named for Lima, Peru, the bean's point of origin).

Other than what they're called and sometimes their color, butter beans and lima beans are exactly the same. Their species is called Phaseolus lunatus and the difference in their name is only a matter of geography. In the American South and the United Kingdom, they're butter beans.