Greek Baked Beans (Easy Gigantes Plaki)

These Greek baked beans in a rich tomato sauce are a weeknight-friendly version of traditional Gigantes Plaki.

Last August, a few of my girlfriends and I went on our first grown-up Euro-trip together. We stayed in actual hotels (no more hostels!), didn’t bother our parents to please, please send an extra $100, and remembered to drink something other than alcohol (well, in the daytime, anyway).

Our destination: Greece. We flew to Athens, then to Mykonos, then took ferries to Paros and Santorini. The trip lasted all of seven days, but between the unbelievable architecture, dreamy beaches, and many bottles of rose at friendly tavernas, it was jam-packed with pure indulgence.

Almost every meal we had on the trip was some permutation of the following: Greek salad (duh), charred octopus, roasted eggplant spread, some kind of potatoes, and baked butter beans – a.k.a. Gigantes Plaki.

This traditional recipe consists of creamy white beans braised in an aromatic tomato sauce. Depending on the taverna (or the cook), these Greek baked beans can be on the saucier or on the drier side, and served either hot or cold. I was a fan of this dish even before visiting Greece, so I was keen on trying it at every restaurant we went to.

In Paros (a less tourist-y island more popular among mainland Greeks and their European neighbors than Americans), we had this incredible dinner right on the waterfront. We’d paid our bill but kept lingering, working through our umpteenth carafe of wine. The chef, freed from kitchen duty, came over to offer some of his [illegally] home-brewed raki – a traditional Greek liquor made from grape skins.

Being who we are (ahem, eastern Europeans), we said yes, and took the drink as an opportunity to ask a local about what year-round life on the island is actually like. An Anthony Bourdain-like character, he explained that he’d had the restaurant for many years, though it’s only open for about four months of the year. The rest of the time? He travels to go surfing, as well as makes his own olive oil and raki.

(Long story short: I’m moving to Paros! JK…)

This was also my chance to get an authentic recipe for my favorite Greek baked beans. He, of course, explained it in the most cheffy way possible – a little of this with a pinch of that, then you cook it until it’s finished. Nonetheless, I frantically typed what he said into my phone. Armed with a vague ingredient list and basic technique, I worked on recreating the dish when I returned home.

The Technique

The recipe the chef described was designed for restaurants – requiring several hours, beans cooked from scratch, and freshly grated tomatoes. I adapted it to be more home cook- and weeknight-friendly.

You start the recipe by sautéing shallots, garlic, and spices in olive oil. Then you add canned butter beans, tomato sauce, spinach, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. You transfer the mixture to a baking dish, cover it with foil, and bake it to let the flavors combine. Then you remove the foil and continue baking until the top of the beans looks dry – this indicator, the chef said, is very important.

The smoked paprika and sun-dried tomatoes are key here, as they give the beans a smoky, intensely-savory, almost meaty flavor.

Serving Suggestions

I like to eat these beans simply, with toast and a basic green salad. They are also great alongside a warm grain salad, baked orzo, sautéed garlicky greens, or roasted vegetables like potatoes and cauliflower.

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