This traditional Greek baked lima bean recipe with added veggies is a one stop meal. Gigantes Plaki is loaded with protein, perfect for all ages and so flavorful!
I'm back with amazing Greek recipes from Yiayia's kitchen. Per usual, she put her own spin on the traditional version, because she's my mom and nothing is ever good enough as is (so we all know where I get it from).
Lima Beans (Gigantes Beans) Our BFF
This lima bean recipe is a kid favorite, and by favorite I mean 2 ½ kids shovel it in when she brings it over. The ½ is my 3 year old because they are NEVER consistent. He once screamed because I gave him a cookie. No joke.
Are lima beans good for you?
Lima beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber. They also are a great source of iron.
The high fiber content prevents your blood sugar from rising too fast, so it's great for people that need to watch that. High fiber also helps with lowering cholesterol, so it's a perfect food for those watching their levels.
The protein in lima beans help make this an all in one meal. Because of the added veggies, you basically have it all. Pair it with some whole grain bread, and it's just about perfect.
Lima beans also have iron, which is needed for those of us who don't eat meat. In order for the body to absorb plant based iron in max amounts, you need to consume a source of vitamin c along with it. Which is why this recipe is perfect because the tomatoes are vitamin C rich.
A few other healthy bean recipes you may like are:
Are lima beans and butter beans the same?
Lima and butter beans are basically the same bean, Phaseolus lunatus if you want to get nerdy like that. The difference comes in geography. One part of the world named it after the creamy dairy product and the other called them limas.
Gigantes, the greek form, are literally translated as giant beans. They are a lima bean variety but in giant form!
Do I have to soak lima beans before cooking?
Like other dried beans, it isn't mandatory to soak them before cooking. But there are two really good reasons to do so:
- First, soaking your beans helps them cook much faster. And for someone with three kids and not enough time in the day, faster is better. Unless one of you know of a time making tree? Then I'm all in for slow.
- The second reason is making the dried beans easier to digest. This old broad has a belly that decided it doesn't want to cooperate when it comes to all things bean and grain lately. So if it makes it easier on my stomach then give it to me.
To learn more about soaking beans and the different methods, you can also look at my Instant Pot Kale and White Bean Soup recipe
How to make baked lima beans and veggies
The dried bean preparation is the hardest part of this recipe. The main thing to remember here is to soak your beans. You also cook them a bit the next day so that when you bake them they don't take super long.
If you don't do this, your veggies will be over baked and there is nothing worse than melted mushy veggies. I honestly get the heebie jeebies just typing those words.
- Soak and cook the beans.
- Saute the ingredients.
- Transfer to a baking dish and bake.
You can eat them as a main dish, nothing else necessary, or you can serve them along side another dish. Either way, this lima bean recipe is the perfect boost of healthy ingredients!
Baked Lima Bean Recipe (Gigantes Plaki)
Ingredients
- 2 cups lima beans , dried
- 1 sweet onion , diced (about 3 inch diameter)
- 2 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for sautéing , optional or use ⅓ cup broth for oil free
- 2 carrots , chopped (about 5 inches long)
- 2 stalks celery , chopped (about 8 inches long)
- 1 pound fresh spinach , chopped (or Swiss chard or both)
- 1 pound fresh tomatoes , diced
- ½ cup fresh parsley , chopped
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wash and soak the beans in a pot overnight.
- The next day, drain the beans and add enough fresh water to cover them. Cook over low heat until half tender, about 30 minutes, drain, and save the broth.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C
- In a large pot sauté the onions in veggie broth or olive oil for 2-3 minutes until they begins to get translucent.
- Add the garlic, carrots, celery, spinach and/or Swiss chard and sauté for a couple more minutes.
- Add beans and mix well.
- Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and sauté for another minute. Then add parsley and mix well.
- Add enough reserved broth from the beans to barely cover them. If you don’t have enough reserved broth, then use water for the rest (you can also use extra veggie broth).
- Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes stirring, occasionally. Add more broth if needed. You don’t want it to get too dry.
- Transfer to a 9 x 12 glass baking dish, cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until beans are tender and liquid has evaporated.
- Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve hot!
Notes
- If you can’t find lima beans, you can also use corona beans.
- You can also use canned/boxed/jarred tomatoes instead of fresh if you prefer. The taste will change a bit, but it will still work.
- Some tips if your beans are not softening:
- It could be that the beans are old, the older they are the harder it is to get them to soften so make sure to use within a year. If they have wrinkled skin they are too old.
- Hard or well water makes it harder for your beans to cook to soft.
- You can try adding about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to your water to help soften them. Or add about 1 tablespoon to the soaking water and rinse them well after they soak.
- Wash and soak the beans, chop veggies and parsley.
- Great baby and toddler food. For babies puree as needed for age. Add liquid of choice to thin out if needed.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Leah
If allergic to tomatoes , can you leave out?
Sophia DeSantis
Hi Leah, the tomatoes are a big part of the recipe both for flavor and for liquid involved in the cooking of the beans. You can try adding more broth and flavor with more salt and seasoning but I have no idea how it would turn out so I can’t vouch for the result. Let us know if you try it!
Deb
Delicious!!
Sophia DeSantis
Happy you liked it!
Dee
Hello 🙂
I’m trying to copy the lima bean recipe from Greek Islands Restaurant - yours seems the closest. Can this be made without baking, like a cold salad? Do you have a different recipe for something similar to what I’m trying to make?
Sophia DeSantis
Hi Dee! I don't know that restaurant so not sure how similar it is to that dish you are looking for. But, you could give it a try and not bake this. You would need to fully cook the beans though because they cook more as it bakes. Let me know how it goes!
Lori Fortwendel
I added just a teensie bit of anchovy paste. Beans came out wonderful but I use spring water for soaking & cooking dry beans.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Lori
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you liked it Lori! Thanks so much for the great review!
Sheila
Hi I was excited to try the recipie. Everything smelled so delicious and then after preparing early in day like never do, the bean were not tender at all nor were t they dried. the looked like your photo. I am perplexed. I am African American and my elders Lima were always soft not mushed. I had to scrap diner and decided to recook and the are still firm. yes I soaked over night.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Sheila, I'm sorry to hear you had some trouble with the beans. If you followed the recipe exactly as written, making sure to have enough liquid, the beans should cook, especially if you give them extra time. Growing up my mom's Greek lima beans were always soft but not mushy either. There are a few reasons that beans don't get soft properly. One is the beans are old, this is common actually and an important tip to remember when buying beans. The older they get the harder it is for them to soften. Another is the type of water. If you have hard water or well water it can prevent the beans from getting really soft. You can try adding some baking soda (about 1/4 a teaspoon or so) in the water to help soften them, sometimes that can help. If you continue to cook for hours and they don't soften it is most likely that the beans are old. Let me know what happens!
Nancy Harrigan
I made this for dinner this evening...it is outstanding...very delicious and nutritious. I have enough for another day. I have to challenge the prep time shown as 5 minutes. I don’t think there is a person on earth who could prep this dish in 5 minutes. Soak and rinse the beans, wash, peel and chop all the veggies, cook and rinse the beans, sauté the veggies, put it all together, cover with foil, remove the foil. I’ll admit I’m on the slow side, but 5 minutes is absolutely impossible. BTW, it was worth the time it took me and I plan to make it again!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Nancy! I am SO happy you liked it so much! It's a family favorite. And thank you for bringing this to my attention. It is supposed to say 15 minutes prep time! The 1 must have been deleted when I moved over my recipe cards. All fixed!
Tricia
Hi there!! I just want to say thank you to you and your mom for sharing this amazing recipe with the world! I have made this at least three times in the last like two months. My husband and I love it, it’s my favorite. I could eat it every week. It is so healthy and so flavorful. Cooking beans makes me nervous but Lima beans have played nicely so far. I’ve been serving this over polenta and alongside chunks of sourdough bread for dipping. I add more water when cooking the beans and veggies and it makes such good broth that I like it a bit brothier now! Seriously I can’t thank you enough for sharing this delicious recipe with such helpful directions!!! Stay well!
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you like it Tricia! I love how you are using it!
Yolanda
Followed as directed. Beans were very underdone. Needed to bake longer, more stock needed.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Yolanda, depending on the beans you use (there are different kinds of Limas) you may need more or less liquid and to simmer them longer. You need to test until the beans are half tender like the directions say. Then once you cook with the vegetables and then bake, you need to watch so they don't get too dry and add more broth as needed. Because it differs depending on the beans I say to watch all of these things to get the right end result.