Baked Giant Butter Beans

Name: Baked Giant Butter Beans
Total time: 135 min
Ingredients: 1⁄2 lb. dried Greek gigantes (or giant butter) beans, soaked overnight and drained; 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion; 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 1 Tbsp. dried oregano; Salt and pepper; 1 cup tomato sauce; 1 cup water; 3 Tbsp. chopped thyme; 1 tsp. chili flakes

Shop Ingredients

Try adding some fried bacon pieces to this dish as a final garnish for a nonvegetarian version. Serve with some chewy sourdough village-style bread.

Serves: 4Hands-on: 15 minutesTotal: 2 hours 15 minutesDifficulty: Medium

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1⁄2 lb. dried Greek gigantes (or giant butter) beans, soaked overnight and drained
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water
3 Tbsp. chopped thyme
1 tsp. chili flakes

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Step 2
Add beans to generous pot of boiling water; cook 45 minutes over medium heat, until beans are soft. Use large spoon to skim away any surface foam.
Step 3
In large pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil; sauté onion until soft. Add garlic and red pepper; mix well. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper.
Step 4
Stir in tomato sauce, water, parsley, and chili flakes. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium-low and let simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 5
Place stoneware or clay baking vessel in oven to warm. When beans are cooked soft, drain and add to pan with sauce; combine. Take heated vessel out of oven. Add beans; pour remaining olive oil over top and return to oven. Bake 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.