Gigante Beans are marinated in olive oil, garlic, herbs, and spices. The end result is a tender and flavorful side or snack, perfect spooned on toasted bread. Make these Marinated Gigante Beans today!
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Marinated Gigante Beans
Marinating beans is one of the best kept secrets when it comes to easy, protein-packed meals. Marinating adds incredible flavor, making them absolutely addicting! You might recognize them from your grocery store Deli-bar, but you won’t believe how easy thy are to make at home.
Marinated beans are delicious on their own, but they’re extra good spooned onto toasted bread or tosed with mixed greens. Read on to learn how to make your own Marinated Gigante Beans!
What Are Gigante Beans?
Gigante beans are common in Greek cuisine and are typically served as a mezze, or appetizer. They’re larger than the type of bean you’ll typically find in a bag or can in your grocery store. They’re creamy an toothsome, with a mild flavor that easily takes on the ingredinets that the beans are served with (or marinated in!).
I found my Gigante beans online, but many retailers offer them, although they may be called Greek Giant Beans, Borad Beans, or Greek Fava Beans. uite honestly, any white beans will work wonderfully in this recipe, but I’m partial to the large varieties!
How To Prepare And Cook Gigante Beans
- Place dried beans in a lidded bowl. Cover with water.
- Return lid and allow to soak in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
- Once ready to cook, drain the beans.
- Place in a medium saucepan and cover beans with water.
- Simmer over medium heat for at least 60 minutes, or until beans are tender. Make sure to keep an eye on them: they have a tendency to boil over if cooked at too high heat, or absorb so much water that they burn the bottom of your pan!
How To Make Marinated Beans
Marinating beans is as simple as combining olive oil, spices, and herbs and allowing your beans to sit in the mixture until you’re ready to eat! Honestly, these will be delicious after just 10 minutes of marinating, but you can make them up to 2 days in advance.
Ingredients
Dried gigante beans
Shallot
Champagne vinegar
- Olive Oil
Chopped parsley
Fresh dill
Garlic
Lemon zest
Aleppo pepper
Salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl, including cooked beans, and toss completely to combine.
- These will be ready to enjoy right away, but they get even more flavorful after a few hours in the refrigerator. Serve over toasted bread, on a bed of greens, or on their own!
Ways To Make Marinated Beans Your Own
When it comes to marinating beans, you can add whatever aromatics you like! A few ingredients to consider if you’re looking to make this recipe your own:
- Olive oil
- Citrus juice
- Any vinegar
- Citrus Zest
- Fresh dill, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, or any herb of your choosing
- Good quality salt
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Dried Oregano
- Aleppo Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Garlic
- Any allium such as shallot, red onion, yellow onion
How To Enjoy Marinated Beans
You can enjoy these marinated beans simply on their own: I promise they’re that good! However, one of my favorite ways to eat them is on a piece of toasted pita or sourdough bread. The crunch from the bread offers different texture, and feels like a more substantial meal.
Tools To Make Marinated Beans
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Marinated Gigante Beans
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried gigante beans
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 Tbsp Champagne vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
To cook the beans:
- Place dried beans in a lidded bowl. Cover with water. Return lid and allow to soak in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
- Once ready to cook, drain the beans. Place in a medium saucepan and cover beans with water. Simmer over medium heat for at least 60 minutes, or until beans are tender. Make sure to keep an eye on them: they have a tendency to boil over if cooked at too high heat, or absorb so much water that they burn the bottom of your pan!
To marinate beans:
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl, including cooked beans, and toss completely to combine.
- These will be ready to enjoy right away, but they get even more flavorful after a few hours in the refrigerator. Serve over toasted bread, on a bed of greens, or on their own!
Can you freeze the marinated beans after they have been marinated in case we don’t finish them in a couple of days? What is their consistency when thawed?
Hi Lisa! I have not tried freezing these, and feel that they would be best when made fresh!
Hi Lisa I’ve made these for years now, just figuring out from the ones I bought in the store how to add the necessary ingredients and particularly the spices. Yours is the best and simplest recipe for these magnificent beans I’ve come across! However, in your printed recipe you forgot to mention the olive oil, which is one of the most important ingredients. Not trying to be mean or nasty, but you might want to revise! Thanks again for these wonderful, delicious recipe!!!!
Hi Ric! I love getting comments like this – I always appreciate when readers let me know if there is an error or issue with the recipe. I will review and get this fixed! Also, thrilled to hear that you liked this recipe! 🙂
Also, in addition to above, I’d recommended adding salt to the beans in the last 20 minutes of cooking. Otherwise, they will be a bit bland. Also, in my prior comment I realize that you may have omitted the olive oil in your recipe on purpose. Without it, they will be lighter and no chance of coagulation in the fridge! CHEERS!!!