Gigantes Plaki (Φασόλια γίγαντες)

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 3 hours

Ingredients

500 grams gigantes (white runner beans)

1 cup chopped carrot

1 leek, chopped (only the white portion)

1 cup chopped celery

1 onion, sliced into rings, which are then halved

2/3 cup (160 mL) Greek olive oil

1 ⅔ cup (410 mL) tomato sauce or passata

1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste

1 ⅓ cup (330 mL) boiled water

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

soak

The night before you want to prepare your meal, rinse and then soak the gigantes.

boil

The next day, bring a pot of water to a boil and boil your gigantes for approximately 60 minutes, until you are able to bite into them. They will still have a crumbly inside texture at this point. This is fine, as they will finish cooking in the oven.

take

Take a baking pan which is approximately 10 x 15 inches large.

drain

Drain the gigantes and then place them in the baking pan. Mix in the chopped vegetables, the tomato sauce, the tomato paste, the olive oil, the water and the salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and spread the ingredients evenly throughout the pan.

bake

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in a pre-heated oven (350 degrees Farenheit). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, lift the aluminum foil carefully, so you don’t get burned, and stir the gigantes around, and if the pan looks dry, add a bit more liquid (equal parts tomato and water). Re-cover with the aluminum foil after you have stirred everything, and bake for another 30 minutes.

place

Remove from oven, remove the aluminum foil, stir carefully (add more liquid if it’s too dry) and place back in oven, uncovered for another 25-30 minutes, to thicken up a bit.

let sit

Remove and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before eating. This will thicken up the liquid. The interior should be smooth and somewhat creamy.

Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Calories: 529 kcal
• Total Fat: 38 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 30 g
• Sodium: 1206 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 41 g
• Dietary Fiber: 10 g
• Total Sugars: 11 g
• Protein: 11 g