Greek recipe

Fasolada

Name: Fasolada
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Greek cuisine
Ingredients: 500 g dried white beans; 2.2 L water, divided; 200 g onion, finely diced; 250 g carrots, sliced; 180 g celery stalks and leaves, chopped; 10 g garlic, minced; 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 40 g tomato paste; 400 g canned chopped tomatoes; 2 bay leaves; 2 g sweet paprika; 2 g dried oregano; 14 g fine salt, divided; 3 g black pepper

A rustic white-bean soup built from onion, carrot, celery, tomato and generous olive oil. The beans should be fully creamy inside while the broth remains spoonable rather than turning into a thick purée.

Greece-wide bean-soup tradition

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Total: 1 hr 55 min
Servings: 6

Greek fasolada white bean soup with tomato, carrot and celery — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Miansari66Source page · Original file · CC0 1.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

500 g
dried white beans
2.2 L
water, divided
200 g
onion, finely diced
250 g
carrots, sliced
180 g
celery stalks and leaves, chopped
10 g
garlic, minced
120 ml
extra-virgin olive oil, divided
40 g
tomato paste
400 g
canned chopped tomatoes
2
bay leaves
2 g
sweet paprika
2 g
dried oregano
14 g
fine salt, divided
3 g
black pepper

Method

01
Soak the beans
Cover the dried beans with plenty of cool water and soak for 8–12 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Parboil until partly tender
Put the drained beans in a pot with 1.5 L fresh water. Bring to a boil, lower to a steady simmer and cook for 30–35 minutes until the centres begin to soften; drain.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Sweat the vegetables
Heat 60 ml olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for 10 minutes until glossy and softened.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Cook the tomato paste
Stir in the tomato paste and paprika for 1 minute until the paste darkens slightly and coats the vegetables.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Combine the soup
Add the drained beans, chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and remaining 700 ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim any foam that appears.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Simmer until creamy inside
Cover partially and simmer for 40–50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans crush easily between two spoons but mostly keep their shape.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Finish with olive oil and oregano
Stir in the remaining 60 ml olive oil, oregano, 10 g salt and black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes so the oil disperses through the broth.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Rest and adjust
Remove the bay leaves and rest the soup for 10 minutes. Taste and add up to the remaining 4 g salt only if needed, then serve with bread, olives or feta.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Keep beans and braises at a steady gentle simmer so their centres soften before the liquid reduces too far.
Finish acidity and salt near the end of cooking, especially after olives, feta, stock or preserved ingredients have contributed seasoning.

Common mistakes

Hard boiling can split beans, tighten meat and reduce the sauce before the centre is tender.
Adding cold liquid late in cooking interrupts the simmer and lengthens the time needed for beans or meat to soften.

Substitutions

Use a similar dried bean of comparable size when the named Greek bean is unavailable and cook to tenderness rather than by the clock.
Unsalted stock can replace part of the water in savoury soups and stews; season only after it has reduced.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

Fasolada is one of Greece’s emblematic everyday bean dishes. It is often treated as a complete meatless meal, with olive oil providing much of the body and richness.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Fasolada — Photograph by Miansari66; CC0 1.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Greek recipes

Fasolada

Ingredients

Method

Soak the beans

Parboil until partly tender

Sweat the vegetables

Cook the tomato paste

Combine the soup

Simmer until creamy inside

Finish with olive oil and oregano

Rest and adjust

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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