Simple ingredients and satisfying flavors combine to create a highly delicious and nutritious Greek White Bean Soup – AKA Fasolada!
What is Fasolada?
Fasolada is a traditional Greek bean soup.
Its origins date back to ancient Greece and has been served and shared ever since. It’s even considered by many to be the national dish of Greece – or at least one of them!
What’s Inside
As usual, recipes will vary from cook to kitchen depending on availability, season and preference, but key ingredients usually include: tomatoes, vegetables, dry white beans, vegetable broth and olive oil.
Unlike more traditional recipes this one uses canned beans instead of dry beans to cut the overall prep and cooking time down from a whole day to just an hour.
Still healthy and delicious – just in much less time!
Basic Steps – Sauté & Simmer
- Aromatics – sauté a combination of onions, carrot, celery and garlic to soften.
- Tomato Base – sauté tomato paste, cumin, oregano and black pepper.
- Stock & Beans – add veggie stock, drained beans and bay leaf.
- Simmer – Bring to a boil, then adjust the temp to simmer.
Mash & Combine
- Mash: Scoop out a few ladles full of the soup solids and transfer to a heat-safe bowl with remaining oil, then mash up with a fork or potato masher until smooth (or mostly smooth).
- Or Blend: Add a few ladles of soup to a blender along with the remaining oil. Make sure not to fill to blender jug more than halfway full! Blend on high about 10 seconds or until smooth. OR use a hand held blender to blend the soup to thicken.
- Tip: Make sure to open the blender away from you to avoid a face full of hot steam!
Why Add More Olive Oil?
Traditional recipes finish off with a good amount of olive oil towards the end of the recipe.
Good quality extra-virgin olive oil will add a little more flavor and contains many health benefits adding extra boost of nutrition – especially when left uncooked.
When mixed in well enough into the soup, it also helps to create a thicker, silkier emulsified texture.
Enjoy
Serve with a side of crusty bread (gluten free bread, of course!). Top with feta cheese, chopped kalamata olives and fresh herbs and enjoy.
Let me know if you try this fasolada soup! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
More Tasty Ways to Eat Beans & Legumes
- Piyaz (Turkish White Bean Salad)
- Sautéed Adobo Black Beans
- Italian Chicken Cobbler With Cannellini Beans & Parmesan Biscuits
- Arabic Lentil Soup (Shorbet Adas)
- 20 Minute Vegetarian Lentil Bolognese
- Spanish Chorizo And White Bean Soup
Fasolada (Greek Bean Soup)
Simple ingredients and satisfying flavors combine to create a highly delicious and nutritious Greek White Bean Soup!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60ml) + 2 tbsp (30ml) extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (32g)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 L vegetable stock
- 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (14 oz | 400g)
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped - measure after chopping (12g)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tsp zest
- Chili flakes for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat until shimmering then add chopped onion, carrot and celery. Sauté and stir often until softened, about 3-4 minutes then add garlic and sauté another minute.
- Add tomato paste, oregano, cumin and pepper. Stir to combine with the onion mixture and continue cooking another 3-4 minutes until the tomato paste darkens into a darker, brownish-red color.
- Stir in the stock, beans and bay leaf. Increase to a high heat and bring to a boil. Let boil about a minute or so then reduce the temperature to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and let simmer about 15 minutes. Carefully fish out the bay leaf and discard.
- Use a soup ladle or fine mesh strainer to scoop out about 2 cups of soup solids (try to get mostly beans + veggies) and transfer to a large bowl. Add the remaining olive oil (1/4 cup). Use a potato masher to mash up the softened beans and veggies.
- Pour the pureed mixture back into the cooking pot along with the parsley, lemon juice and zest. Mix well to thoroughly combine everything together. If the oil looks like it's not fully mixing into the soup, just keep stirring a minute or so - it will combine.
- Turn off the heat. Taste and season as you see fit and enjoy.
Notes
- Cool leftovers to room temperature then store in an airtight container in the fridge about 5 days.
- Instead of mashing the soup with a potato masher you can add it to a blender and blend until smooth - just make sure not to fill it too full and open the lid away from your face. Alternatively you can use a hand-held immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency.
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