Gigantes Plaki: Greek Giant Lima Beans with Stewed Tomatoes

Soak the beans: Cover the beans with a few inches of water and soak overnight. The beans will double to triple in size.

To Cook the Giant Lima Beans: Drain the soaked beans and rinse with water.  Place the soaked beans in a small pot. Cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until beans are tender, about 50-70 minutes. The beans are ready when they are tender but not completely falling apart.  Drain the cooked beans and reserve until sauce is ready.  Meanwhile, make your sauce

To make the Stewed Tomato Sauce: Place the diced onion in a medium pan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, until golden around the edges.  When the onions start to turn brown around the edges, add the minced garlic, canned tomatoes, and chopped oregano, along with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Skim off any “foam” that rises to the surface. This can taste quite tart.
After about 30 minutes, your sauce will thicken and be quite aromatic. It’s ready. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350F.

To make the Stewed Beans: Combine the cooked Giant Lima beans and the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Pour into a 9-inch baking dish (either square or round).
Cover and bake at 350F for 60 minutes.  Remove the cover and bake another 10-15 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Garnish with Sunflower Seed Oregano Pesto or fresh basil and enjoy

Chef Katie’s Tips:  

Pre-Made Sauce: Don’t have time to make your own sauce?  You can also use a good quality oil-free jarred sauce.  It also helps to make a double-batch of the sauce and freeze extra.  You can use it in a future batch of this recipe or serve over pasta for a quick dinner.

Double-Batch of Beans: Cook a double-batch of beans and freeze extras. You’ll use them again for this recipe or other recipes calling for hearty plant-based flavor.

Using Canned Beans: Giant Lima beans are traditional to this Greek recipe. They bring hearty texture to this vegan dish. For a quicker version, you can substitute with pre-cooked canned lima or navy beans.

Slow-Cooker or Instapot: You can cook this in your Slow Cooker.  Make the sauce separately, then add to the Slow Cooker with the pre-soaked beans.  Cook on Low 6-8 hours.  For the Instapot, first saute the onion for the sauce. Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients, plus the pre-soaked beans.  Follow the directions for cooking beans (or choose the Bean”setting)”.
Yield: One 9-inch baking dish