Greek Butter Beans Recipe - Gigantes Plaki (Vegan) - Real Greek Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are gigantes the same as butter beans? ›

Gigante beans are essentially large lima beans (also known as butter beans), but they are a little different from the varieties you'd find on the shelves in the US. And that's because they are grown in Greece, in the northwest of the country in regions like Prespes.

Gigantes are not only filling but also super healthy: the beans are low in fat content and an excellent source of fiber (if you're looking to lower your cholesterol, these are for you!). Now you know why we've included these as part of our heart-healthy diet!

The Italians call them corona beans; the Greeks call them gigante beans. You'll also sometimes find them labeled as butter beans. They all, in fact, stem from the good ol' lima bean.

Sow 2 inches deep in root trainers or a 9cm pot. Once all risk of frost has past, harden off the beans by placing outside during the day and bringing in at night or placing in a cold frame and lifting the lid during the day. Plant out after a week. They will need a trellis or other support up to two meters high.

Gigantes are like giant fava beans- they're very popular in Greece. Typically, this dish is made using dried beans- so if that's what you have, great- use 'em!

I'll use them for breakfast with eggs, mixed into rice, marinated in an acidic dressing of lemon juice and mustard, eaten with their bean liquid straight out of the pot with a crusty piece of bread, and this way: as stewed Gigantes.

Navy Beans

Regularly eating navy beans may improve certain health parameters, such as body weight, blood sugar, and lipid levels. Their high protein and fiber content could help support weight loss and reduce blood sugar and blood lipid levels.

The Greeks had some strange superstitions about food – some wouldn't eat beans as they thought they contained the souls of the dead!

Gigantes plaki, a traditional Greek dish that translates to "giant baked beans," is a classic vegetarian dish that features Gigante Beans in a tomato sauce. Hearty enough to be eaten for a meal by itself, it also works well alongside other dishes as a complete ensemble.

If you can't find gigantes from Greece at your local ethnic market, you can substitute large lima beans, elephant beans or butter beans. This dish takes some time to cook, but this method is very "hands off" so you can stick it in the oven and forget about it while you prepare the rest of your dinner.

What beans are creamiest? ›

Cranberry beans are known for their creamy texture with a flavor similar to chestnuts. The red specks disappear when these beans are cooked. Cranberry beans are a favorite in northern Italy and Spain. Great Northern Beans are medium-size, oval-shaped beans with thin white skin.

Butter Beans are a fantastically healthy ingredient – they're high in protein and fibre, and they're an excellent source of carbohydrates. Low in fat and calories but high in folate, starch and iron, they're one of the best store cupboard ingredients there is.

Other than what they're called and sometimes their color, butter beans and lima beans are exactly the same. Their species is called Phaseolus lunatus and the difference in their name is only a matter of geography. In the American South and the United Kingdom, they're butter beans.

The coldest district in Greece, Kato Nevrokopi, boasts two such beans: giant elephant beans and common medium beans, while Florina, Kastoria and Prespes also have gigantes and fasolia of note. Greek PGI beans are the following: Fasolia Gigantes Elefantes Prespon Florinas.

A lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), also commonly known as butter bean, sieva bean, double bean or Madagascar bean, is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans.

If you can't find gigantes from Greece at your local ethnic market, you can substitute large lima beans, elephant beans or butter beans. This dish takes some time to cook, but this method is very "hands off" so you can stick it in the oven and forget about it while you prepare the rest of your dinner.

You'll see them labeled in different ways in the store, after all: frozen lima beans, canned butter beans, dried large limas—or is it dried large butter beans? Turns out, lima beans and butter beans are the same thing. Both terms refer to the same species, Phaseolus lunatus.

Lima Beans. While they're all the same bean botanically, butter beans have different names depending on the region. In the South and in the United Kingdom, they're typically referred to as butter beans. Elsewhere in the U.S., they're known as lima beans (named for Lima, Peru, the bean's point of origin).