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    Home > Global Vegan Recipes > Middle Eastern Recipes

    Greek Gigantes. How to make Greek style baked lima beans

    Posted: Jan 10, 2017 ยท Updated: Aug 16, 2021

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    I once ate Gigantes Plaki, baked lima beans made the Greek way, at a Mediterranean restaurant in Baltimore city. ย It came as a "mezze," an appetizer, served at a restaurant of the same name. I was hooked.

    A white oval baking dish with Greek gigantes plaki beans simmered and baked in a tomato, oregano and thyme sauce.

    Although I tend not to love anything drowning in a tomato sauce, this dish was different. The creaminess of the lima beans was the perfect foil to the tangy tomatoes, reduced in the oven to a rich, mellow sweetness.

    I have since made this dish many times, and although I can't claim that it is a rip-off of the original, I daresay it is pretty good.

    Front shot of a white bowl with gigantes plaki, Greek style baked lima beans.

    Gigantes, as limas are called in Greece because of their gigantic size among beans, are among my favorite beans to cook in a hurry because they get tenderย on the stovetop in no time at all-- unlike most other beans that require hours, or, if you have a pressure cooker, at least a few dozen minutes. These lima beans are cooked to perfect doneness in about 25 minutes on the stovetop, without any soaking time. Now beat that.

    There are also only just a bare minimum ofย ingredients in this recipe, and nearly everything comes out of a can or a jar, making it perfect winter food. I needed a can of tomatoes, a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, and a couple of jarred herbs-- I used oregano and thyme, although dill features quite often in other recipes for this dish.

    A white oval baking dish with Greek gigantes plaki beans simmered and baked in a tomato, oregano and thyme sauce.

    More recipes to try:

    • Lemony Greek Potatoes
    • Lima bean mashed potatoes
    • Pasta with greens and beans
    • Mushroom lima bean stew
    • Lima Bean Curry
    Overhead shot of a white oval baking dish with Greek gigantes plaki beans simmered and baked in a tomato, oregano and thyme sauce.
    Greek style baked lima beans - holycowvegan.net

    Greek style baked lima beans

    A delicious side dish of Greek style lima beans. The creamy beans are baked in a bubbly, tangy-sweet tomato sauce with herbs.
    5 from 122 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: gluten-free, Greek, nut-free, Soy-free, Vegan
    Keyword: Lima beans
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins
    Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 86kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 1 pound lima beans (dry)
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • 1 medium onion (diced)
    • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 15 ounces diced tomatoes
    • 2 heaping tbsp tomato paste
    • 1 teaspoon thyme (dry)
    • 1 teaspoon oregano (dry)
    • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
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    Instructions

    • Place the dry lima beans in a large pot and cover with two inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and let the beans simmer until the beans are tender, but not mushy. It took me under 30 minutes to do this, but it might take longer, so be patient. Add more water at any point if needed. Drain the beans and set aside
    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • In the same pot used to cook the beans, heat the oil and add the onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3-4 minutes until the onions soften but don't brown.
    • Add the thyme and oregano, stir to mix, and add the tomatoes and tomato paste with ยฝ cups water. Stir well to mix and bring to a boil.
    • Add the lima beans, mix, and add more salt and ground black pepper if needed.
    • Pour out the lima bean-tomato mixture in a large baking dish and spread in an even layer.
    • Bake, uncovered, for 60-75 minutes or until the top is slightly crusty.
    • Garnish, if desired, with some fresh parsley and serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 19.9mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2.4mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    About Vaishali


    Hi! I am so happy you're here. I'm Vaishali, and I've been sharing recipes for delicious vegan food at Holy Cow Vegan since 2007. Every one of the more than 1,000 recipes on this blog has been tried and tested -- and loved -- by my family and I. I hope you will find something here to share with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by!
    Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christine

      March 28, 2022 at 12:13 pm

      5 stars
      I made it with the frozen baby limas I always keep on hand. Heated them through before adding the other ingredients. Excellent! My brother's family doesn't like limas so when he came for a visit I made this. Couldn't get enough, hot or cold. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        March 28, 2022 at 2:35 pm

        Hi Christine, that's so awesome to hear!

        Reply
    2. Anonymous

      March 15, 2022 at 12:12 am

      5 stars
      This recipe was delicious and so easy! I baked it in the same pot I fried the onions in and used some Lima beans I had already cooked. Iโ€™ll definitely repeat it.

      Reply
    3. Patty

      February 08, 2022 at 7:09 pm

      I soaked my dry Lima beans overnight & followed the cooking times but my beans were not softโ€ฆ and they were still too hard after cooking longer in stove & then back to stove top. HELP!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        February 08, 2022 at 10:31 pm

        Hi, It's possible the beans are old. Beans that are too old or have been improperly stored can remain hard despite soaking and cooking.

        Reply
    4. hot roulette dirty

      October 26, 2021 at 9:00 pm

      Just wanted to say thanx!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 27, 2021 at 12:08 am

        Youโ€™re welcome!๐Ÿ™‚โค๏ธ

        Reply
    5. Hope

      October 21, 2021 at 5:02 pm

      Do the Lima beans need to be soaked before cooking? I've never cooked with them before.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 21, 2021 at 5:29 pm

        Hi, you can soak the beans for up to eight hours and that would reduce cooking time but it's not absolutely necessary.

        Reply
        • Anonymous

          October 22, 2021 at 11:19 am

          Thank you!

          Reply
    6. Gabrielle

      September 04, 2021 at 5:19 pm

      5 stars
      Wow, this was delicious! I love Lima beans but was looking for a new way to enjoy them and this recipe is it! I was out of thyme so I altered the seasoning a bit (used harissa, oregano, and some zatar), added some frozen spinach I had in the freezer, and topped with feta after baking (vegetarian here). Served with garlic bread one night, and rice another.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        September 05, 2021 at 7:57 pm

        Hi Gabrielle, so happy you enjoyed the dish. I love the addition of za'atar, such a nice idea. Thanks for letting me know you made it!

        Reply
    7. Sandy Lynn Stevens

      August 31, 2021 at 8:05 pm

      5 stars
      Very delicious - and like the author, I'm not fond of vegetables cooked in a tomato sauce. I used fresh lima beans bought at local farmers' market and followed the directions as if they were dry, being careful not to overcook in first step. Will definitely be making this again.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        September 01, 2021 at 1:01 pm

        Awesome, so happy you loved it!

        Reply
    8. Jana Martin

      May 18, 2021 at 12:58 pm

      5 stars
      I love big limas and when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. So easy and so fast. I highly recommend this dish. Will use this recipe time and again.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        May 20, 2021 at 3:59 pm

        So happy you liked it, Jana!

        Reply
    9. Krithika

      March 16, 2021 at 11:34 pm

      Is there a side you recommend with this? Would love to make it for dinner.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        March 17, 2021 at 12:53 am

        Toasted crusty bread to pile these on and a fresh green salad on the side would make a delicious meal,

        Reply
    10. Suzanne

      March 15, 2021 at 6:16 pm

      Hi and thank you for this recipe. Does this freeze well?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        March 15, 2021 at 6:23 pm

        Yes! Thaw and reheat before serving. You can reheat in oven or microwave.

        Reply
    11. virginia

      March 10, 2021 at 2:30 pm

      5 stars
      I don't like butter beans. My husband does but doesn't eat many vegetables. I used canned butter beans for your answer to another person; followed your recipe to the T. And guess what? We both loved it. The flavor is very very good. I must tell you also that before I started it oh, I went out to the store and bought new bottles of thyme and oregano. It's just the two of us so we couldn't finish the whole casserole but I am having some of it for lunch today. Thank you so much.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        March 10, 2021 at 5:03 pm

        So happy to hear, Virginia. Thanks for letting me know. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    12. Melissa Thomas

      November 02, 2020 at 3:33 pm

      5 stars
      I just tried this, my beans are new and I followed directions to the tee but my beans all split open:(( What went wrong?!?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        November 02, 2020 at 5:03 pm

        Not sure what you mean by they split open--can you explain with a little more detail? And at what stage did they split. You can expect some beans to open up as they cook--cooked beans won't look intact like dry beans would.

        Reply
      • Courtney

        January 27, 2021 at 1:13 pm

        5 stars
        I think it would've been better if I had soaked them overnight. The beans were never fully cooked even though I boiled and baked longer. Next time, I think I'll get canned butter beans, but otherwise great recipe, thanks.

        Reply
        • Tom Rees

          September 29, 2021 at 7:14 am

          5 stars
          I made this recipe to serve hot with a cold vegan-meatloaf-birthday-cake. For the spices i used my "go to" jar of spices i bought in the latino section of our grocery store ( Sazon Completa) . This dish was very very delish!!!! Thank You. I had soaked the dried beans overnight (where they all split open- which was no problem) and cooked them for 12 min in my instant pot before putting them in the oven, but looking forward to trying this soon without pre soaking them.

          Reply
          • Vaishali

            September 29, 2021 at 7:47 am

            Tom, so happy you liked it. Thanks for the feedback!

            Reply
      • Mirage

        November 09, 2021 at 8:58 am

        Can I follow the same recipe using fresh Lima beans?

        Reply
    13. Jenny

      July 12, 2020 at 9:46 pm

      Can you use canned beans instead? If so, any modifications

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        July 13, 2020 at 5:42 pm

        Yes, absolutely, just remember to drain the beans.

        Reply
    14. NAOMI MOSCHGAT

      June 19, 2020 at 12:50 pm

      The flavor is great. I found a bag of limes in pantry and made it. Unfortunately they were OLD and never softened. The flavor was so good we tried to eat them anyway. My 3rd batch is on the oven and we can't wait. SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS.

      Reply
    15. Karen

      June 19, 2020 at 10:45 am

      5 stars
      I made this exactly as published. Itโ€™s very satisfying, filling and flavorful. I will definitely be making this again soon.

      Reply
    16. Cheri

      May 27, 2020 at 1:13 pm

      If I use frozen lima beans would I cook them first or no? ( can't find dry lima beans in my local store)

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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