Giant Beans With Spinach And Feta

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 8 ounces about 1 1/4 cups giant beans or 8 ounces dried large lima beans
• salt
• 2 slices high-quality bread, quartered
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press about 1 tablespoon
• 2 (10 ounce) packages spinach, stemmed and washed
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill leaves
• ground black pepper
• 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled about 1 1/2 cups
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Recipe

• 1 rinse ,pick over, and soak overnight or quick-soak beans.
• 2 drain them, discarding the soaking liquid; set aside. bring the beans, 2 quarts fresh water, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a dutch oven. reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• 3 meanwhile, process the bread with 2 tablespoons of the oil in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 5 pulses; set aside.
• 4 adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. when the beans are tender, drain and discard the cooking liquid; set aside. wipe out the dutch oven, add 2 more tablespoons of the oil to the pot, and heat over medium heat until shimmering. add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• 5 stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add half of the spinach, cover, and cook until beginning to wilt, about 2 minutes. stir in the remaining spinach, cover, and continue to cook until wilted, about 2 minutes longer. off the heat, gently stir in the drained beans, tomatoes, dill, and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. (at this point, the dish can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.).
• 6 sprinkle the feta, then the fresh bread crumbs evenly over the top. bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the edges are bubbling, about 20 minutes. (if refrigerated, increase the baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.) serve immediately with the lemon wedges.