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Greek Style Baked Lima Beans

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Easy Greek style baked lima beans - fast dinner idea!

Greek style baked beans, often known as Gigantes or gigandes plaki, uses a “giant” form of lima bean that’s baked with an olive oil-heavy tomato base and topped with garnishes such as feta cheese and parsley.

Easy Greek style baked lima beans - fast dinner idea!

Since I wanted to keep this recipe in the category of simple dinner ideas, I opted to use a jarred pasta sauce for my tomato base.  I used La Regina di San Marzano marinara sauce.  I *love* this sauce.  The ingredients for the basic marinara are simple, just peeled tomato purée, olive oil, onions, sea salt, sliced garlic, basil, black pepper, and oregano.

Easy Greek style baked lima beans - fast dinner idea!

Notice how olive oil is the second ingredient on the list.  If you didn’t already know, ingredient lists on product labels include the items in order from largest to smallest quantity in the finished product.  Also, notice that the calorie count is a bit higher for a 1/2 cup serving than many jarred sauces – this is also due to the heavy-handed olive oil, which makes this sauce simply delicious and -perfect- for recipes when that olive oil flavor should be front and center.

Easy Greek style baked lima beans - fast dinner idea!

And that includes any Greek recipes!  And if you can’t find true giant lima beans at your regular grocery store, don’t worry.  Go ahead and use butter beans or whatever kind of lima beans you can find and it’ll be fine.

Easy Greek style baked lima beans - fast dinner idea!

While prepping this meal is quick and easy, it does need some time to cook properly.  You’ll need to soak your beans for at least 6 hours (or overnight), boil for about 35 minutes, and then bake for an hour.  So it may not be ideal when you’re strapped for time and getting home late for the evening, but it’s still totally easy.

Easy Greek style baked lima beans - fast dinner idea!

Greek Style Baked Lima Beans
4.8 from 18 reviews
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Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: about 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb gigantes or large lima beans, soaked 6+ hours, rinsed, and drained
  • 1 large jar (28 - 30oz) marinara sauce * SEE NOTES!
  • ½ cup vegetable or chicken broth
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Crumbled feta cheese and/or parsley for garnish
Instructions
  1. Place the soaked, rinsed, and drained beans in a large pot and cover with water that reaches about 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for about 35 minutes (the beans will not be totally tender at this point) About halfway through the cooking process, Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the jar of sauce, olive oil (if using, see notes), and broth. Add salt and pepper and taste, adjust as needed. Since all jarred sauce will be different, you can add other seasonings as well such as oregano, thyme, onion/garlic powder etc.
  3. Pour into a large casserole dish (9x13 works fine) and bake uncovered for about an hour or until beans are nice and tender.
  4. Serve with crumbled feta and/or parsley.
Notes
The sauce I used is already heavy in olive oil, but please check the ingredients list of your sauce. If it doesn't use plenty of olive oil (enough that you can taste it when tasting just the sauce) add olive oil to the mixture 1TBS at a time, stirring and tasting after each addition until it has a great Greek-y (yes, that's a word) olive oil flavor.

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

If you want to try out the La Regina di San Marzano sauces for yourself to use in both your Italian AND your Greek recipes, this is a giveaway you’ll love!  One randomly-chosen winner will receive:

  • Exclusive San Marzano Cooking Apron

  • One of each of the following Italian pasta sauces:

    • Marinara

    • Arrabbiata [spicy]

    • Four Cheese

Use the widget below to enter!  Contest ends one week from today!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Save this recipe to your dinner boards!  Share on Pinterest using the pretty graphic below.  Just hover your mouse over the image and click the button that pops up.

Easy Greek style baked lima beans - fast dinner idea!

Disclosure:  I was provided a sampling of sauces to review and share with you.  Giveaway prize pack will be provided by La Regina Di San Marzano.  All opinions are my own.

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Comments

  1. We usually make homemade sauce when we have the time, and are not very happy with the prepared marinara sauce brands that are available in our local market…would love to give this brand a try !

    Reply

  5. Oh I love sauce on so many different dishes. I watch my weight so I would like to try to make a cauliflower pizza with this sauce

    Reply

  13. We love trying new international dishes and would love to try some new recipes with this sauce! It looks really gourmet and delicious!

    Reply

  25. I would like to try the different sauces because I have tried making homemade pasta and this would be a quality sauce for the pasta.

    Reply

  30. I’ve had this style of beans at restaurants and have always wanted to try them at home. The flavor and texture combination work great together and it is great as a side. Given it’s uniqueness, tastiness factor and super easy recipe this seems like it would make a great dish to take to a potluck, also.

    Reply

  31. I would love to try this sauce. I’m tired of the same old boring ones and love trying new healthy ones for my family.

    Reply

  37. I would like to try it because I am always looking for new flavors and sauces to try in my cooking. And it looks good!

    Reply

  53. I want to try this sauce because I like that olive oil is the second ingredient. That is hard to find in a bottled sauce.

    Reply

  69. I love Italian food and cooking. I often make my own sauce but I always love to try new foods and would love the convenience when I can’t cook from scratch.

    Reply

  70. I am crazy for tomato sauces in general, and I have never tried this brand- I am jazzed that they have a spicy variety too.

    Reply

  71. I’m teaching my daughter in college how to cook and these sauces would be great for her to create some quick meals with.

    Reply

  74. I would love to try the La Regina di San Marzano products because the company has decades of experience and craftmanship to bring the very best tomato products to market. I am most excited to try their spicy Arrabbiata Sauce.

    Reply

  75. I find it a benefit to try other sauces, especially if I have had a sample to try. There are so many ideas to enhance the flavors of food (without being a chef) and ideas from anyone/anywhere is also nice. It provides a good change to the regular taste of foods for our family. Thanks for this chance to win.

    Reply

  81. I would like to try these because it’s a brand I’m not familiar with and therefore I would like to compare it to the brands I usually use.

    Reply

  86. I have read you blog with the recipe containing La Regina di San Marzano sauces. I have visited the link that you gave for their website, as well. I did not see any information as to where La Regina di San Marzano sauces can be purchased. Where can I buy them??? Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway.

    Reply

  88. There are numerous types of links: One-way, two-way, three-way and the in depth four-way hyperlink.

    The substantial thing about this is really that when your visitors get to your page, they stay there!

    Reply

  91. I would like to win the La Regina di San Marzano sauce,because I believe that I would make excellent Italian dishes with the non-GMO ingredients provided in the La Regina di San Marzano sauce.

    Reply

  96. I would love to find a good tasting sauce to make a faster dinner to prepare. I am always rushed at dinnertime when I get home from work.

    Reply

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