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By Amanda Paa – Updated February 22, 2023
5 from 14 votes
27 comments
This easy recipe for marinated gigante beans (also known as butter beans) is incredibly flavorful from olives, garlic, and red pepper. Sauteed on the stovetop, they're ready in 20 minutes. The giant white beans are creamy and meaty, and become infused with the robust flavor of the other ingredients. They're just like you find on the olive bar at the deli! Serve on toast with ricotta, in pasta, or as part of a charcuterie board.
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You know those marinated giant white beans you find at the olive bar, like in Whole Foods? Well, I LOVE them. But like anything on a self-serve bar, the weight of them, therefore price of them adds up quickly. So I decided to make my own recipe for them that you can make at home! They’ve quickly become one of my favorite gluten-free dinner recipes.
These big beans are soft, creamy, and meaty; full of garlicky lemon flavor and bursts of red pepper and buttery, mild Castelvetrano olives. They’re filling and hearty, with richness from the olive oil they’re marinated in.
Marinated gigante beans are an absolute dream when nestled atop a bed of creamy ricotta on fried sourdough toast (or gluten-free). It’s my favorite way to eat them; for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What are gigante beans?
Gigante Beans (you may also know them as Royal Corona beans if you are familiar with Rancho Gordo beans) are extra-large white runner beans, common in Greek cuisine. They have a sweet, mild taste, meaty texture, and hold their shape well through cooking. I love marinating them with aromatic ingredients, as they soak up all the delicious flavors they’re paired with.
Butter beans (also know as lima beans) are similar to gigante beans in shape and texture, and can be excellent substitutions. I use them in this Cozy Gratin with Butter Beans and Roasted Tomatoes. You can pre-cooked butter beans in cans at many grocery stores, if you prefer not to cook dried beans from scratch.
How to Make Marinated Gigante Beans
- If you are using dried gigante or butter beans, cook them as you normally do, until soft and tender. You can do this a day or two ahead if you like.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet on stovetop. Add shallot and salt, saute for a few minutes. Then add red pepper and olives. Saute for a few minutes, until shallot and red pepper are softening.
- Add a bit more olive oil and place garlic in it, letting it sizzle and saute for 30 seconds to a minute, then stir into the rest of ingredients. Add beans and olive oil. Stir and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper, and parsley. Serve warm, at room temp, or cold.
The best toast isn’t made in a toaster!
Yes, that’s right. Toast that is made in a skillet is a whole new level of deliciousness compared to that made in toaster. It’s rich, golden, and has the perfect crunch that you just can’t get from a toaster.
Simply heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Then add your bread and press it down so that the surface fully makes contact with the pan. Let cook for 4ish minutes, until it is absolutely golden and crisp. Enjoy with ricotta and the marinated beans.
More Bean Recipes:
- Vegetarian Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- Cozy Gratin with Butter Roasted Tomatoes, Beans, and Kale
- White Beans with Lemon Roasted Broccoli and Bacon
Marinated Gigante Beans with Olives (Giant White Beans)
This easy recipe for marinated gigante beans (also known as butter beans) is incredibly flavorful from olives, garlic, and red pepper. The giant white beans are creamy and meaty, and become infused with the robust flavor of the other ingredients. They're just like you find on the olive bar at the deli!
5 from 14 votes
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Prep Time :10 minutes minutes
Cook Time :15 minutes minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Author: Amanda Paa
SCALE:
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium shallot (35 grams), finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (70 grams) diced red pepper
- kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (100 grams) coarsely chopped green olives, preferably castelveltrano olives
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups (330 grams) cooked gigante beans (or butter bean, also known as lima beans)
- scant 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- zest of a 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Instructions
If you are using dried gigante or butter beans, cook them as you normally do, until soft and tender. You can do this a day or two ahead if you like (just store in their cooking liquid).
Measure out your olive oil into a liquid measuring cup. Heat medium sized skillet over medium heat on stovetop. Pour about 2 tablespoons olive oil from the measure cup into the pan. Let it get warm, then add shallot, red pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, saute for about 5-6 minutes, until tender. Then add olives and saute for another 2 minutes.
Add a bit more olive oil into pan and place garlic in the olive oil, letting it sizzle and saute for 30 seconds to a minute, then stir into the rest of ingredients. Add beans, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and what remains of the 1/3 cup olive oil. Stir and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed or preferred. (Depending on the type of olives you use, they may be saltier than those I used here, so that's why it's best to assess salt level at the end. Serve beans warm, at room temp, or cold.
Notes
Beans will last in fridge for 5-6 days.
