I once ate Gigantes Plaki, baked lima beans made the Greek way, at a Mediterranean restaurant in Baltimore city. It came as a "mezze," an appetizer, served at a restaurant of the same name. I was hooked.
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.
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 tender 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 of 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.
More recipes to try:
- Lemony Greek Potatoes
- Lima bean mashed potatoes
- Pasta with greens and beans
- Mushroom lima bean stew
- Lima Bean Curry
Greek style baked lima beans
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
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 ½ 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.
Dr. J
When I was putting this together I thought, it's really going to need something more -- maybe some olives or artichoke hearts -- to kick it up. But... it's perfect the way it is. Great blend of flavors; very satisfying. I put it together the day before so I could throw the casserole in the fridge when I got home from work the next day. I didn't know what starch to serve with it so I put some red potatoes in the oven to bake with the casserole. Excellent choice. We'll be making this again!
Marissa
This dish is amazing. I have made it at least half a dozen times so far and it never fails to delight.
Christine
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.
Vaishali
Hi Christine, that's so awesome to hear!
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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. I’ll definitely repeat it.
Patty
I soaked my dry Lima beans overnight & followed the cooking times but my beans were not soft… and they were still too hard after cooking longer in stove & then back to stove top. HELP!
Vaishali
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.
hot roulette dirty
Just wanted to say thanx!
Vaishali
You’re welcome!🙂❤️
Hope
Do the Lima beans need to be soaked before cooking? I've never cooked with them before.
Vaishali
Hi, you can soak the beans for up to eight hours and that would reduce cooking time but it's not absolutely necessary.
Anonymous
Thank you!
Gabrielle
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.
Vaishali
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!
Sandy Lynn Stevens
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.
Vaishali
Awesome, so happy you loved it!
Jana Martin
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.
Vaishali
So happy you liked it, Jana!
Krithika
Is there a side you recommend with this? Would love to make it for dinner.
Vaishali
Toasted crusty bread to pile these on and a fresh green salad on the side would make a delicious meal,
Suzanne
Hi and thank you for this recipe. Does this freeze well?
Vaishali
Yes! Thaw and reheat before serving. You can reheat in oven or microwave.
virginia
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.
Vaishali
So happy to hear, Virginia. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Melissa Thomas
I just tried this, my beans are new and I followed directions to the tee but my beans all split open:(( What went wrong?!?
Vaishali
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.
Courtney
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.
Tom Rees
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.
Vaishali
Tom, so happy you liked it. Thanks for the feedback!
Mirage
Can I follow the same recipe using fresh Lima beans?
Jenny
Can you use canned beans instead? If so, any modifications
Vaishali
Yes, absolutely, just remember to drain the beans.
NAOMI MOSCHGAT
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.
Karen
I made this exactly as published. It’s very satisfying, filling and flavorful. I will definitely be making this again soon.
Cheri
If I use frozen lima beans would I cook them first or no? ( can't find dry lima beans in my local store)