These cozy Greek baked beans (Gigantes Plaki) are creamy tender with an intense tomatoey sauce. Serve as a vegetarian entree, side dish, or appetizer.

Greek gigantes plaki baked in an oval dish and topped with parsley and feta cheese.

The Greek term plaki (pronounced plah-KEE) refers to the Greek cooking method where the main ingredient is baked or roasted with tomatoes, aromatics, and olive oil. This cooking method is used here with beans, but is also common with fish preparation.

Gigantes plaki features slow-cooked beans in a thick and robust tomato sauce. Olive oil, onions, garlic, celery/carrots, and oregano help build flavor in this otherwise simple and rustic dish.

A large spoon scooping some giant beans in a thick tomato sauce out of a dish.

This vegetarian recipe can easily be made vegan by skipping the garnish of feta cheese. It features plenty of plant-based protein and is a hearty option for a main dish served with crusty bread, or as a side dish or part of a mezze platter.

Although this recipe requires advance prep in soaking the beans and a long cook time, the actual active prep time is minimal. You can even prepare gigantes plaki in advance, as the flavor improves with time.

Ingredient notes

Ingredients for gigantes plaki on a light grey background.

Beans: You may not be able to find actual Greek gigantes beans (I got mine at a local Middle Eastern/Mediterranean market), but large butter beans or lima beans are a suitable substitute. This dish is traditionally made with dry beans which are soaked in water overnight and then cooked. If you must, you could substitute about 2 (15.5 ounce) cans of large butter beans, drained and rinsed in place of the 250 grams of dry beans called for in this recipe.
Tomatoes: Ideally if they’re in season use fresh tomatoes for this recipe. My 2 large local tomatoes were about 600 grams in weight before I halved, seeded (just used my index finger to scrape and scoop seeds out of all the pockets into a bowl) and grated them on a box grater, discarding the skins. The resulting weight of the pulp was about 450 grams. If tomatoes aren’t in season, you can use a can of diced tomatoes, though the result will be different (chunkier) and you may need to break them up a little as they cook to help thicken the sauce.
Celery or Carrots: You can use either chopped celery or carrots in this recipe, or technically a combination if you'd prefer. I've made it both ways and it's delicious either way.

How to make it

Place your dry beans in a large bowl and cover with a generous amount of fresh cold water. Let it soak overnight.

Giant beans soaking in a large bowl of water.

Drain the soaked beans, discarding the water and rinsing them well. Transfer to a medium pot and cover with plenty of fresh water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer partially covered for 55 to 65 minutes until mostly tender (it’s ok if they’re not fully cooked as they’ll finish cooking in the oven).

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and celery or carrot and cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Chopped red onion and celery cooked in a skillet with oil.

Add minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Then add grated tomatoes, water, oregano, chili flakes if using, and season with salt and pepper.

Adding grated tomatoes, dried oregano, dried chiles, and water to a skillet.

A tomato-based mixture in a skillet before simmering.

Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to develop the flavors and slightly thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

A tomato-based mixture in a skillet after simmering to slightly thicken.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) with the rack in the center.

When the beans are ready, drain them and combine them with the sauce.

Adding cooked giant beans to a tomato-based sauce in a skillet.

Giant beans mixed into a tomato-based sauce in a skillet.

Transfer the mixture to a baking dish (about 1 ½-to-1 ¾-quarts). If the mixture seems dry, add more water and gently stir the mixture to combine.

Giant beans in a thick tomato sauce in an oval baking dish before baking.

Note: If the baking dish is very full and in danger of bubbling over in the oven, place it on top of a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any drips and spills. Keep in mind that doing so may require longer baking time as well.

Transfer to the oven and bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes or until the beans are soft and creamy and the sauce has thickened and reduced quite a bit.

Giant beans in a thick tomato sauce in an oval baking dish after baking.

Top with chopped parsley and crumbled feta cheese to garnish. Serve hot or at room temperature with crusty bread.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Greek gigantes plaki baked in an oval dish and topped with crumbled feta cheese.

Expert tips

Store leftover gigantes plaki for up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat leftovers in the microwave.

Gigantes plaki is arguably even better the next day as the flavors have more time to intensify and soak into the beans, and the sauce has more time to set. If you can, plan to make it ahead of time and reheat to serve!

If you double the recipe, expect to bake it a bit longer than the recipe directs. This can vary based on your baking vessel and how deep the bean mixture is. Just check periodically to see how much liquid remains at the bottom by inserting a large spoon into the center and gently pushing the beans aside.

Soaking beans allows them to cook faster and more evenly (especially if you have old beans in your pantry). It can also reduce the amount of gas produced after eating them! After soaking them overnight, you'll notice a huge (literally) difference in their size.

Soaked and unsoaked beans on the palm of a hand showing the difference in size. — Larger soaked beans on the left, with smaller dry unsoaked beans on the right

To cover or not to cover. Some recipes cover with foil for the majority of baking and then remove it toward the end, while other recipes skip the cover altogether. Covering with foil will trap in the steam and yield a saucy result, while baking uncovered will allow the sauce to thicken and reduce much more.

The final result is a matter of preference, and if you prefer a more wet and saucy finished dish, then you can cover for about ¾ of the bake time and then remove the foil for the last part of baking. I cook mine fully uncovered to really thicken and saturate the incredible sauce.

An oval dish of Greek gigantes plaki served with sliced crusty bread.

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Gigantes Plaki (Greek Baked Beans)

Ingredient notes

How to make it

Expert tips

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