The recipe for giant beans with spinach and feta cheese is typical of the Epirus region. Mountainous region, the inhabitants of Epirus are known for their local products like cheese and butter. This abundance of dairy products is explained by the fact that being the most mountainous region of Greece, Epirus gathers an important community of shepherds.
Healthy, vegetarian and complete recipe with green and dry vegetables, it can also be adapted to vegans. Just replace the feta with your favorite vegan cheese.
Ingredients for 4-6 people
- 250 gr of giant beans(gigantes) or Soissons if you are in France
- 1 kg of fresh spinach
- 2 onions
- 10cl of olive oil
- 1 leek
- 1 cup of fresh herbs: parsley, dill, fennel tops…
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and crushed
- 200gr crumbled feta cheese
- Salt, ground pepper
Preparation steps
- First, soak the beans for 12 hours in cold water.
- Drain and cook in 1 ½ liters of unsalted water until melted.
- Salt at the end and drain, keeping some of the cooking water.
- Then wash the spinach, chop it coarsely, salt it raw and rub it with your hands in a drainer.
- In a casserole, brown the chopped onions with 4 spoonfuls of olive oil, the leek cut into small pieces, then the herbs, the tomato and finally the spinach. Melt everything slightly.
- Then, in a baking dish, combine the beans, spinach mixture and olive oil.
- Crumble the feta cheese over it and sprinkle with a glass of the gigantes‘ cooking water.
- If desired, two tablespoons of breadcrumbs can be added on top. Bake at 180° for 45 minutes.
- Finally, check that there is still a little sauce, if not add water. The top should be lightly toasted.
Enjoy!
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Thank you to Evi Siougari-Parmantier for sharing with us her love of the Greek islands and for making us discover this recipe. Evi and Marc, her husband, have a guesthouse in the heart of an organic olive grove in the Peloponnese. A paradise for all those who want to spend a nature vacation in Greece. And to learn more, it’s here.
