Plant-based

Gigantes Plaki

Name: Gigantes Plaki
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 3 tins (720g drained) butter beans, rinsed; 1 (150g) onion, finely chopped; 2 (200g) carrots, finely diced; 2 sticks (80g) celery, finely diced; 4 cloves (20g) garlic, crushed; 1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 30g (2 tbsp) tomato purée; 60ml extra virgin olive oil; 2g (1 tsp) dried oregano; 2 bay leaves; 5g (1 tsp) sugar; 1 cube vegetable stock cube; 250ml water; 15g fresh dill, chopped; 15g fresh parsley, chopped

Greek-style baked butter beans in a thick tomato sauce with carrot, celery, dill, parsley, oregano and plenty of olive oil.

makes 20 blocks, about 21p each

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Illustration of a bowl of Gigantes Plaki

Time: 1 hr 20 min15 min prep · 1 hr 5 min cook
Makes: 20 blocks
Cost per blockPer block: 21p
Calories per blockCalories: 72 kcal
Fibre per blockFibre: 2.5g

Ingredients

Batch size

blocks

3 tins (720g drained)butter beans, rinsed
1 (150g)onion, finely chopped
2 (200g)carrots, finely diced
2 sticks (80g)celery, finely diced
4 cloves (20g)garlic, crushed
1 × 400g tinchopped tomatoes
30g (2 tbsp)tomato purée
60mlextra virgin olive oil
2g (1 tsp)dried oregano
2bay leaves
5g (1 tsp)sugar
1 cubevegetable stock cube
250mlwater
15gfresh dill, chopped
15gfresh parsley, chopped

Allergens: Celery. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

Nutrition

estimated

	1 block	3 blocks
Energy	72 kcal	216 kcal
Protein	2.8g	8.4g
Carbs	8.7g	26.1g
Fat	3.1g	9.3g
Fibre	2.5g	7.5g
Salt	0.27g	0.81g

Method

Step 1: Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Heat 30ml of the oil in a large ovenproof casserole over a medium heat and soften the onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Add the garlic and oregano for 1 minute, then the tomato purée for 1 minute more.
Step 3: Add the tomatoes, water, stock cube, sugar and bay and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the beans and half the dill and parsley, then drizzle over the rest of the oil. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring once halfway, until the sauce is thick and jammy and the beans on top are lightly golden.
Step 5: Remove the bay, stir in the rest of the herbs and season with salt and pepper.
Step 6: Cool and freeze in 70g blocks.

Serve it

Crusty bread with crumbled feta · A Greek salad and warm pitta · Over a jacket potato

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per block	72	2.8g	8.7g	3.1g	2.5g	0.27g
Per 3 blocks	216	8.4g	26.1g	9.3g	7.5g	0.81g

Cook’s notes

No ovenproof casserole? Make the sauce in a pan, then tip it into a baking dish with the beans for step 4.
From dried: soak 300g dried giant or butter beans overnight and simmer for about 1 hour until just tender before baking.
Frozen chopped dill works well and keeps for months.

Serve it

Crusty bread with crumbled feta · A Greek salad and warm pitta · Over a jacket potato.

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
Reheat: Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
A portion: 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 216 kcal and 8.4g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.

Gigantes Plaki questions

Why bake the beans rather than simmer them?

The dry heat of the oven reduces the sauce slowly and catches the beans on top, giving a richer, jammier result than simmering on the hob, with no need to stir.

Can I use dried dill?

Yes, use 1 tsp dried dill in place of the fresh, added with the oregano. Finish with the fresh parsley so it still tastes bright.

Why so much olive oil?

The oil is part of the sauce in this Greek dish. It emulsifies with the tomato as it bakes and gives the beans their silky richness. You can halve it for a lighter version.