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.
Howie Fox
YUMMIEEE!! I want to try this, looks super easy too!! Deffo a recipe i'd like to try out as long as it's cold :-))
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Howie!! It's so good and super cozy!
Kristina
such a unique dish - I love it! yay for fall and the comfort foods like this that come with it!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks lady!! Loving the arrival of fall!!
Danielle Omar -- Food Confidence RD
I adore lima beans, especially from scratch. This dish is right up my alley, looks amazing!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Danielle! It's really flavorful and perfect comfort food!
Gin
I love idea of your kids nomming up veggies and lima beans! That's awesome. 🙂 I haven't had lima beans in a while but they sound great done like this! Great choice for fall.
veggiesdontbite
Oh they nommed it for sure!! It's a perfect fall dish!
Rachel
I have this baking right now in my oven and I can't wait to taste it! Left out celery because I couldn't buy just two stalks and did not want to throw the rest away (working with a college student budget here)! I was wondering if you peeled the Lima beans after soaking them or just left them. I haven't worked with Lima beans before so I wasn't sure!!
veggiesdontbite
Oh yay!!! I'm so excited for you! Sans celery is totally fine. I struggle with the same thing, why can't they sell it per stalk?! Lol. I did not peel the limas, I think it's fine with skins on but you could if you wanted to. Let me know how it turns out!
Lucie Javorska
Oh wow, I can basically feel the comforting energy radiating off this dish! So amazing for this season, I'm all about hearty veggie dishes like this 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Lucie! It's so comforting!!
Jacqueline Meldrum
It's dark and wet here in Scotland, dreich as we call it. This dish would definitely brighten up the dinner table and cheer us all up.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Jacqueline! It's a great dish for those dreary days!
Kelly @ TastingPage
This looks so healthy and tasty and I can see grazing on this dish all week long - if it even made it to the end of the week!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Kelly! This doesn't last a day in our house, let alone a week! LOL
The Vegan 8
Hahaha, I love how you started your post "well, well, well...." cracked me up! I'm still waiting on Fall...ugh! Anyways, I LOVE every single ingredient in this dish...for real! I wish it was sitting in front of my right now so I could be shoving my face in it. I'm hungry and haven't had lunch yet, lol. I would make it except I literally ate the whole bag of carrots last night, seriously, I ate 8 carrots, half raw and half baked....so dang good. Anyways, what a great, healthy recipe and filling too! I love lima beans and any beans in general, I don't understand how people don't like them!
veggiesdontbite
I'm laughing so hard imagining you stuffing your face with carrot after carrot. LOLOL! Thanks so much! It's so hearty and good. I know you'd love it!
Linda @ Veganosity
I have never liked lima beans, but this beautiful recipe makes me want to try them again. I love that fall in San Diego means rain and thunder. That's summer in Chicago. 😉
veggiesdontbite
Ha! San Diego is definitely not one for normal seasons. You definitely should give limas another try!
Mel @ avirtualvegan.com
Totally my kind of food. These beans and veggies look delicious! I would love to eat them with a big slice of crusty fresh bread!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Mel! My kind of food too. A nice slice of bread would be great with it!
Levan @ Crazy Vegan Kitchen
I've never actually tried lima beans! But this recipe inspires me to GO FOR IT! Now, I just need to know where to find them 🙂
veggiesdontbite
They are great! Not only for protein but they have a nice consistency, a little different than most beans. You definitely should give them a try sometime!
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes.com
I've never been a big fan of lima beans but it might have to do with the fact that I never had such yummy looking ones like yours! I'll have to give them another try after seeing your yummy recipe 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much! You definitely should! This is great dish!
Jenn
My kids would go nuts for this too!! I LOVE casserole type dishes and this one looks so delicious!! Can't wait to try!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Jenn!! I am not kidding when I say I have to sneak this. They go nuts! But what a great thing to go nuts about right?!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
O girl, I haven't had Lima Beans in months! They are so good though! My brother and I were so obsessed with lima beans when we were kids, haha! (There are some funny dinner memories we have eating them!)
veggiesdontbite
That's SO funny to hear about you and your brother! My boys are the same, obsessed! LOL But they are really good, and this dish is awesome!!