Gigante beans with slow roasted tomatoes and artichoke hearts

Contributed by Victoria Mancuso, MD


Gigante beans with slow roasted tomatoes and artichoke hearts

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Crete, Greece, which many consider to be the source of the Mediterranean diet. People in Greece really love their olive oil, their tomatoes, and they consume a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables! I noticed lovely large white beans in a corner store, and the shopkeeper gave me a hand-written recipe ... here it is!

This is a simple, but delicious recipe, that can be combined with garlic bread and a green salad.

Servings: 4 to 6

Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup gigante beans (other white beans will work here as well)
  • 1 16 ounce can of San Marzano* roma tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • One jar of artichoke hearts

*San Marzano are the most famous plum tomatoes from Italy and many say they are the most flavorful.

Directions

  1. Soak the beans overnight, then gently boil for two hours. 
  2. Add salt at the end when they are tender. 
  3. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.  
  4. Drain a 16 ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes into a baking dish, add one cup water, add a few basil leaves, a tablespoon of olive oil,  and salt, and slow roast for three hours. This will bring out the natural sugars in the tomatoes, and provide you with healthy lycopenes. 
  5. Combine cooked beans with the tomatoes, and add artichoke hearts in any proportion that looks good to you. 

Nutrition information (per serving)

  • Calories: 179
  • Total fat: 3 g
  • Saturated fat: 0 g
  • Trans fat: 0 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg
  • Sodium: 355 mg
  • Total carbohydrate: 30 g
  • Dietary fiber: 9 g
  • Total sugars: 3 g
  • Protein: 11 g