Traditional Greek Bean Soup (Fasolada)
Fasolada is a highly nutritious, traditional Greek bean soup 🥣. A hearty bowl of beans often called the national food of Greece.
Ingredients
- 17.6 oz/500g dry white beans (cannellini or navy)
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 large red onion
- 1 bullhorn red pepper
- â…“ cup/80ml olive oil extra virgin
- 3 sprigs celery leaves
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 tbsp/30ml tomato paste
- ¼ cup/60ml tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Soak the beans for 8-12 hours (overnight). Fill a bowl with enough water to cover the beans completely. Also, add a pinch of salt.
- Drain the beans and rinse them with cold water.
- Place the beans in a large pot and put enough fresh water just to cover them.
- Bring to a boil, and lower to medium heat
- Simmer the beans for about 30 minutes.
- While the beans cook, prepare the vegetables and sauce. Finely chop the onion and the bullhorn pepper. Slice the carrots 2cm round and chop the celery sprigs.
- Add the vegetables, half of the olive oil, tomato paste, tomato puree, oregano, black pepper, paprika powder, and red chilli flakes(if applicable) in the bean pot, and let it simmer over lower/medium heat for 60-90 minutes.
- Towards the end of the cooking, add the rest of the olive oil, and salt.
- When the beans are soft and the sauce is thick, the soup is ready.
Notes
If you forgot to soak the beans, place them in a pot with plenty of cold water. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium, and boil for 35 minutes until tender.
Do not add the salt until the last 5 minutes of boiling, otherwise the beans will be tough.
The cooking time depends on how old the beans are. Good quality fresh dry white beans are better for this recipe.
When the soup is ready, you can add ½ tablespoon lemon juice. This makes the beans easier to digest.
Cook fasolada in a pressure cooker to minimize the time in half. Boil the beans first for 15 to 20 minutes, and then open the pressure cooker, add the rest of the ingredients, and close it again. Cook for about 40-45 minutes and the soup is ready.