Gigantes Plaki | Satisfying and Super Healthy |

Gigantes Plaki is basically a sugar bean and tomato stew. It is a famous Greek dish that is so easy to make. You can produce a really quick and tasty meal in under half and hour.  We usually keep a few cans of Butter Beans (Gigantes) in the store cupboard as they are a versatile staple. Great when you have to rustle up a meal in a hurry. Gigantes Plaki can be served as part of a Meza Platter or a side salad when you have friends around for barbecue. We love the dish as a wholesome lunch served with some crusty bread. It works well served hot or cold.

You need good quality ingredients for this dish. Fresh herbs are best and of course a good quality olive oil. We used Huile de Vee which is one if the best Greek Olive Oils.

Print Recipe

Gigantes Plaki ( Sugar Beans with Tomatoes and Greens)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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By Marc Spendlove-Kruger – Serves: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Satisfying and superhealthy, enjoy at room temperature as part of a meze, or on top of toasted sourdough

Ingredients

• 2 x 425g tins gigantes beans or butter beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• small handful of fresh origanum, chopped (1 tsp of dried)
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 350g/12oz chard or spinach, washed
• small handful fresh parsley, chopped
• small handful fresh mint, chopped

Instructions

1

Gently soften the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes.

2

When soft, stir in the paprika, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, 100ml/3½fl oz water, salt and pepper.

3

Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

4

Stir in the chard and take off the heat.

5

Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.

6

Drain the beans and mix with the tomato and chard sauce, adding a further 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped herbs.

7

Transfer the beans to a casserole pan, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and bake for 35–40 minutes until the beans are tender and the sauce thickened and bubbling.

8

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

You can finish this dish off with heavy sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese. Its really good.

If you like Greek Food, try some of our other recipes:

Lamb Kofta | Total Greek Addiction |

Spanakopita | This is as Greek as it gets!|

Black Olive Tapenade | The Wonders Of Greece |

Wine Matching

To be honest, as this is such a relaxed meal serve what you really like – it doesn’t matter. What does matter is enjoying yourself! We served Troupis Fteri Moschofilero 2017. The dream climate and growing conditions preserve the unbelievable aromas of the noble Moschofilero grape that is native to Mantinia… and Yiannis’ vineyard. The result is a local wine of legendary fragrance. Aromas of intense lemony flowers fill your nose, while the crisp dry wine is full of pomegranate and citrus flavors – yum. Available from Naked Wines.