Baked Giant Butter Beans

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

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Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • ½ lb. dried Greek gigantes (or giant butter) beans, soaked overnight and drained
  • ½ 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

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Stir in tomato sauce, water, parsley, and chili flakes. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium-low and let simmer 15–20 minutes.
  • 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.