Greek Style Butter Bean Bake w Feta & Honey Topping

My take on a classic greek dish ‘Gigantes Plaki’ the Greek answer to baked beans! ‘Gigantes’ means giant and ‘plaki’ means to bake. The recipe is super simple to make and because it’s cooked all in one pan, makes the washing up a breeze.

I have used dried beans soaked overnight, but if you are short on time you can use canned butterbeans. I love the addition of all the fresh herbs which subtly perfumes the tomato sauce. It tastes even better the next day making it the perfect dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

You can serve this dish hot or cold ( I prefer warm) with a drizzle of really good extra virgin olive oil on a fresh chunk of sourdough bread (or rye bread as I did here) for a late lazy brunch, or with flatbreads and a crisp leaf salad for lunch.

The beans would also work amazingly well served with some courgette fritters, fluffy quinoa or serve with a roasted vegetable salad with lots of dips on the side – Greek mezze/tapas style. 

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion (1 cup) finely chopped
• 1 large carrot (1 cup) finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery (1 cup) finely chopped
• 200g fine green beans (1 cup) topped & tailed, cut into 3 parts
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• pinch chilli flakes
• 600g cooked butter beans, (from 300g dried), or 3 cans butter beans, drained
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 200ml vegetable stock
• sea salt & black pepper
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (drizzle at the end)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped oregano or thyme or a mix of both
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, leaves only (no stalks)
• 1/4 cup chopped mint, leaves only

FETA & HONEY TOPPING

• Juice & Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 170g (two rounds) feta, broken into large chunks
• handful pistachios/pine nuts/walnuts roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons raw honey

1. If using dried beans, soak 300g dried beans overnight in plenty of water. Drain and rinse, place in a large saucepan with plenty of water and bring to a gentle simmer, skimming any foam that rises. Cover and simmer for about 50minutes until tender, then drain.
2. In a medium sized saucepan heat up olive oil and add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté for 8-10 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft.
3. Add the garlic, spices, chilli flakes, and oregano or thyme (reserve a little to garnish) and cook for another few minutes.
4. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, and add the tomato paste and sauté stirring well for another minute.
5. Pour in the tomatoes and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve a few teaspoons of mint and parsley to garnish. Add the rest of your parsley, mint and bay leaves to your saucepan and gently simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered, to reduce and thicken your sauce.
6. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 200c.
7. Add another good pinch fo salt and pepper to the pan and add your green beans and the cooked butter or drained butter beans and bring to the boil over a high heat. Give it a good stir, then cover the pan with a lid and cook in the hot oven for 20 minutes until the sauce has beautifully thickened and both beans are tender.
8. Turn your grill onto high, remove the pan from the oven and stir through the lemon juice and zest and taste for seasoning.
9. Scatter the feta over the top and pop back in the oven on the top shelf for a final 5/8 minutes for the feta to brown under the grill.
10. Sprinkle over the chopped nuts, reserved mint & parsley and drizzle with honey to serve.

Loved creating this recipe for Le Creuset!