My cousin Elizabeth (we were both named after our Yiayia Elisavet) is hands down, one of the best cooks in our family! She recently shared her recipe for Roasted Beans in Tomato Sauce – Gigantes Plaki. Depending on your preference you can make this dish with either Chicken Broth or I used Vegetable Broth to make it completely vegetarian. This dish is often served at room temperature as an appetizer or as a main course.
Roasted Beans in Tomato Sauce – Gigantes Plaki is made with giant white beans (such as Corona beans), tomatoes, onions, olive oil, parsley and vegetable broth. It’s a great gluten free, vegetarian option that is filling and has a lot of nutritional value. Even though the prep and cooking time is on the longer side, most of that time can be spent doing other things while you wait. Because of that, it’s a perfect weekend dish or one for when you’re stuck at home. And you’ll most likely have left overs, which is always a plus!
HOW TO MAKE ROASTED BEANS IN TOMATO SAUCE
- The beans will look like this in the package.
- Soak the beans over night. The longer the better!
- Rinse the beans and transfer them to a large soup pot, and fill with water until it covers the beans by at least 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil on medium heat for 1.5-2 hours, until they are soft but not mushy. This will ensure the beans are soft enough to eat after they are baked.
- Drain the beans and spread them out onto a 15 x 10 baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare the ingredients for the sauce.
- Saute the onion in 1/4 cup of the extra virgin olive oil for 4-5 minutes. Then add the garlic and saute for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the crushed tomato, tomato paste, fresh chopped parsley, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. Allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens up (approximately 10 min). Then add the can of vegetable broth to the sauce. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil directly over the beans.
Pour the sauce over the beans, and mix evenly and gently. Cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour.
- Once the hour is up, uncover the baking dish, and bake for an additional hour. Check the beans every 20 minutes, and keep an eye on the juices in the pan. The beans should still be bathing in the sauce. It’s okay to add more vegetable broth if needed, 1/4 cup at a time. Once the hour is up, remove from the oven.
CAN I SKIP SOAKING THE BEANS?
While you technically could skip the soak and just rinse and cook the beans, we do not recommend it. Soaking them softens and hydrates them, while also eliminating some sugar molecules, making it easier to digest.
CAN I USE CHICKEN BROTH TO MAKE THIS DISH?
Chicken broth will add a different flavor and will make this dish non-vegetarian, but using chicken broth is a tasty option if you are not looking for a vegetarian dish.
HOW LONG WILL THIS KEEP IN THE FRIDGE?
These roasted beans will last 3-5 days if stored properly in the fridge.
Roasted Beans in Tomato Sauce – Gigates Plaki Recipe
Roasted Beans in Tomato Sauce - Gigantes Plaki
Ingredients
- 1 lb corona beans
- 2 yellow onions finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 cup parsley finely chopped
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 16 oz can vegetable broth
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the gigantes overnight. The longer, the better!
- Drain and rinse the beans well after soaking to remove the starches.
- Transfer the beans to a large soup pot and fill with water so that the water covers the beans by at least one inch. Cover the pot and bring the beans and water to a boil on medium heat for 1.5-2 hours until they are soft, but not mushy. This step is important to ensure the beans are soft enough to eat after they are baked.
- Drain the beans and spread them out into a 15 x 10 baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Begin preparing the sauce. Saute the onion in 1/4 cup of the extra virgin olive oil for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the crushed garlic and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomato, tomato paste, fresh chopped parsley, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.
- Allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens up; approximately 10 minutes.
- Add the can of vegetable broth to the sauce.
- Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil directly over the gigantes.
- Pour the prepared sauce over the gigantes and mix evenly and gently - the beans should be bathing in the sauce!
- Cover the beans with foil and bake for one hour.
- Uncover baking dish and bake for an additional hour, checking the gigantes every 20 minutes and keeping an eye on the juices in the pan; they should still be bathing in the sauce. It's okay to add more vegetable broth if needed, 1/4 cup at a time.
- Note that the beans will continue to soak up the juices, even after you remove them from the oven.
This is one of my favorite Greek dishes. I soaked a bag of Rancho Gordo Royal Corona beans last night and am going to make this today. I have tried many times to replicate this with no success. I am optimistic having read your recipe. There is a great small authentic Greek restaurant in NJ that I visit when I am home and he makes this and your recipe looks like how he prepares it. I will let you know. What a great resource you are for authentic Greek recipes.
Thanks Lisa!