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Vegetarian, European

Gigantes plaki with grilled bread

Gigantes plaki is a Greek dish of large white beans baked in a tomato sauce flavored with dill, served with grilled bread. This recipe serves 4, takes 55 minutes, and is very easy to make. It costs €1.80 per serving, and the key to success is the oven time, which softens the beans while lightly caramelizing the top.

Tonight we're making gigantes plaki, big white beans turned soft in a dill scented tomato sauce.

Gigantes plaki with grilled bread
Total time
55 min
Difficulty
Very easy
Cost per person
€1.80
Calories per person
650 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall

Gigantes plaki are the big white beans you find on nearly every Greek table, slow baked until soft in a tomato sauce lifted with garlic and sweet paprika. The dill stirred in at the end gives the dish that fresh, distinctive flavor so different from the thyme or bay leaf you might expect in a French kitchen. The lightly caramelized top adds a real contrast to the soft beans underneath.

This is a fall and winter dish, easy enough for a weeknight since it relies on beans already cooked in a jar, with no soaking and no simmering to watch over. It works just as well for a quiet dinner as for a slightly more festive meal, served with grilled bread for mopping up the sauce. Kids used to plain white beans in sauce might be thrown off by the dill, but adults who like Mediterranean cooking tend to take to it fast.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • large white beans, cooked, in a jaroften in the pantry 3 can
  • crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 500 g
  • sweet paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • tomato pasteoften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • olive oiloften in the pantry 6 tbsp
  • saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • onions 2
  • carrots 2
  • garlic 4 cloves
  • dill 8 sprigs
  • parsley 6 sprigs

Bakery

  • country bread 8 slices

Allergens Gluten

The step by step recipe

  1. Drain and rinse the beans. Slice the onions, cut the carrots into rounds, and chop the garlic.

    Rinse them well, the liquid from the jar is too salty and sticky.

  2. Cook the onions and carrots in the oil, then add the garlic, paprika, and tomato paste.

    Cook the tomato paste for a minute, it loses its acidity.

  3. Mix the tomatoes and beans together in a baking dish, season with salt and pepper, and add half a glass of water.

    Pick a dish where the beans sit in a thin layer, they brown better that way.

  4. Bake at 190°C until the sauce thickens and the top is lightly caramelized. 40 min

    Stir once halfway through without crushing the beans.

  5. Take the dish out, sprinkle with dill and parsley, drizzle with a little oil, and serve with the grilled bread.

    Grill the bread slices for 2 minutes with a bit of oil, that's the real way to eat them.

Our tips to get it right

  • Drain and rinse the jarred beans well before cooking, the liquid they're packed in is usually too salty and changes the final taste.
  • Let the sauce reduce enough before baking, it should already coat the beans, otherwise the dish stays too watery even after 40 minutes in the oven.
  • Taste and adjust the salt only at the end of cooking, the tomato paste and jarred beans already bring plenty of salt on their own.

The variations

  • Swap the white beans for gigantes coco beans or large red beans, the texture barely changes and the tomato sauce pairs just as well.
  • For a richer version, scatter a few cubes of feta on top five minutes before the end of baking, it softens slightly and adds a salty edge.
  • To save time, skip the oven step and simply let everything simmer covered for fifteen minutes on the stovetop over low heat, the result is closer to a stew than a bake.

What to serve it with

  • Garlic rubbed grilled bread
  • Crumbled feta on the side
  • A glass of dry white wine

Storage

Gigantes plaki keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, and the flavor actually improves overnight. It freezes well for up to 2 months, without the grilled bread. Reheat it in a pan or in the oven with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.

Questions about this dish

Can you make gigantes plaki with dried beans instead?

Yes, but you need to soak them overnight and cook them for about an hour before following the recipe. Jarred beans save a lot of time without losing much texture.

Can this dish be made ahead?

Yes, and it's actually better that way since the tomato sauce improves as it sits. Make the dish the day before, keep it in the fridge, and reheat it in the oven before serving with fresh grilled bread.

What can replace the dill if I don't like its flavor?

Parsley alone works well if dill isn't for you, though the dish loses its most distinctly Greek touch. Avoid swapping in dried dill, it has far less flavor than fresh.

Should the dish be covered while baking?

No, the recipe works best uncovered so the top can lightly caramelize. If the sauce reduces too fast, add a little water rather than covering the dish.

How long does it take to make gigantes plaki with grilled bread?

Count 55 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “very easy”.

How many calories are in gigantes plaki with grilled bread?

About 650 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does gigantes plaki with grilled bread cost?

About €1.80 per serving, or €7.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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