Gigantes with Lamb Meatballs
Last week, I found a bag of gigantes (dried, Greek Giant beans) at the Olive Branch Deli and Restaurant. This recipe is my attempt to combine some of my favorite textures and flavors in one slow cooked meal.
1 cup large dried lima beans, or gigantes
2 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground lamb
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried lemon peel
1/2 tsp oregano, divided
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
15 oz tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 thinly sliced preserved lemon (optional)
1. Soak the beans overnight in the two cups of water. Do not drain.
2. In a heavy duty, covered casserole, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil.
3. Meanwhile combine the lamb, egg, bread crumbs and 1/4 tsp each of the oregano, lemon peel, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Shape the lamb mixture into about eight meatballs. Nestle among the onions and garlic. Brown lightly, turning once.
5. Combine the tomato sauce, presoaked beans. Add the remaining lemon peel, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Press on the beans to submerge, and if necessary, add a bit more water.
6. If desired, sprinkle a few slices of preserved lemon on top.
7. Bake at 300 for up to four hours, or until the beans are tender. Keep warm until serving
Servings: 4
Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Oven Temperature: 300°F
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe.
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. 2 of the recipe’s ingredients were not linked. These ingredients are not included in the recipe nutrition data.
Recipe Type: Gluten-Free, Main Dish, Meat, Vegetables
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