This is baby fennel, giant beans (Greek gigante beans), sliced lemon, a honey-kissed, in-pan, white wine sauce, all finished with a shower of chopped dill. If any of you are in a side-dish rut, I’m going to lobby for trying this. It’s fast, it’s good, and as a base idea, it’s flexible. You can make the beans as instructed below, or use the recipe as a jumping off point.
Lemon Gigante Beans: Variations
There are a lot of ways to tweak this recipe idea. There are also a bunch of great suggestions down in the comments as well!
- When made in an oven-proof skillet, top it with feta, chopped olives, and breadcrumbs, and bake into a crunchy-topped gratin.
- Add a poached egg on top of each serving to make a complete one bowl meal.
- Add a few cups of water (or herby broth), season well, and you have a bright, substantial stew.
Giant Beans: Favorite Sources
Greek gigante beans can be challenging to source in local stores. I tend to stock up ( with a few bags) when finding them, or order, in bulk, on line.
- Arosis Gigante Beans: Keep an eye out for the organic version of these as well.
- Rancho Gordo Royal Corona Beans: These are a fantastic substitute for Greek gigandes. Comparable in size, they’re often a bit creamier.