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

FAQs

Are gigantes the same as butter beans? ›

Gigante beans are essentially very large butter beans, which are usually grown in northern Greece. They are delicious, creamy, and incredibly good for you. Here's how to cook with them.

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.

To make roasted butter beans using the dried variety, you need to soak and boil them first. Soak your butter beans overnight in cold water, before draining and rinsing them. Tip them into a large heavy pan, then add enough water to cover them and then some. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

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!).

In her book The Foods of Greece, Aglaia Kremezi writes that, “Gigantes, which means 'extremely large' in Greek, is what the Greeks call the very large lima beans used for this dish”. (British readers currently feeling little the wiser should note that lima beans, or Phaseolus lunatus, are known here as butter beans.)

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).

Are butter beans healthy? ›

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.

Cranberry beans are known for their creamy texture with a flavor similar to chestnuts.

Canned beans are packed in a solution of water, salt, and starch. That solution can leave a glossy film on the beans, interfering with not only mouthfeel (slimy beans are a little off-putting), but also the ability of the beans to cling to other ingredients in the dish and absorb those flavors.

Here are some ways to remove bitterness from lima beans: Quick soak: Cover the beans with water, bring to a boil, and then turn off the heat. After an hour, drain the beans. Soak in cold water: Soak the beans in cold water for 8 hours, drain, and then soak again.

Overcooked beans will have an undesirable texture, but they may not be harmful if eaten. Furthermore, most people will spit them out rather than swallow them and ingest overcooked food. So, [overcooking] certainly can take away from the flavor and make beans taste bad. But, if you overcook your beans, don't worry!

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.