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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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.
These are butter beans (lima beans) that I cooked on the stovetop.
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.
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!
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 high 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 6 minutes until tender minutes. 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.
The recipe says to cook as you normally do but I never have so would love some details. I bought a brown kraft paper bag of them as Whole Foods so they are dry.
Hi Ellen! I like to soak the gigante beans overnight in a large bowl of water. When ready to cook, I drain them, then fill pot with water that goes 3 inches over the beans. Bring to a hard boil for 10 minutes. Then turn down to a simmer, covered, and cook until soft. About an hour into cooking, I stir in 1 teaspoon fine salt. The length of time to cook will vary depending on the harvest of the beans and their age.
Made a double batch of these for a Mother’s Day picnic tomorrow and am so glad I did! The flavors are delicious, and I love the brightness from the fresh lemon + parsley. Highly recommend!
Just made this with part of my gigantic beans. They are so good. My castelvetrano olives were not pitted so lots of chopping LOL. Anyway this is a very delicious recipe. I think I’ll double it next time.
Hi,
Can I make a large batch of these and can them? Will they survive long? Any advice in that direction? Love eating these but I’m lazy and batch cooking plus canning resolves this deep inner conflict with other foods.
Hi Jake! These last about 7 days in the fridge, as beans do ferment. So you could double if you think you can eat in that time frame. You could also double and freeze half, then de-thaw when you’re ready to eat.
The recipe says to cook as you normally do but I never have so would love some details. I bought a brown kraft paper bag of them as Whole Foods so they are dry.
Hi Ellen! I like to soak the gigante beans overnight in a large bowl of water. When ready to cook, I drain them, then fill pot with water that goes 3 inches over the beans. Bring to a hard boil for 10 minutes. Then turn down to a simmer, covered, and cook until soft. About an hour into cooking, I stir in 1 teaspoon fine salt. The length of time to cook will vary depending on the harvest of the beans and their age.
Made a double batch of these for a Mother’s Day picnic tomorrow and am so glad I did! The flavors are delicious, and I love the brightness from the fresh lemon + parsley. Highly recommend!
Oh, love the idea of making these for a picnic since they hold incredibly well! Thank you for making and the note.
Just made this with part of my gigantic beans. They are so good. My castelvetrano olives were not pitted so lots of chopping LOL. Anyway this is a very delicious recipe. I think I’ll double it next time.
So glad you enjoyed the giant white beans, Teresa!
Hi,
Can I make a large batch of these and can them? Will they survive long? Any advice in that direction? Love eating these but I’m lazy and batch cooking plus canning resolves this deep inner conflict with other foods.
Hi Jake! These last about 7 days in the fridge, as beans do ferment. So you could double if you think you can eat in that time frame. You could also double and freeze half, then de-thaw when you’re ready to eat.
Delicious! I used rancho gordo royal coronas for this recipe. The lemon juice really shines to marry all the rich, buttery flavors! This is a keeper.
Yes, the royal coronas are so so perfect for this! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.