This traditional fasolada recipe (Greek White Bean Soup) is a healthy, simple and comforting dish. Easy to make and highly nourishing, it’s no surprise that this is one of Greece’s top national dishes.
There is nothing more warming and comforting on a cold night than a bowl of warm soup. As far as comforting soups go, Fasolada is easily one of the most popular go-to dishes in a Greek home.
This traditional Greek bean soup is loaded with nutrients that will fill you up and nourish your body. Bonus- it’s also incredibly easy to make, requiring simple ingredients that are almost always on hand.
This traditional bean soup is so popular in Greek homes, it is often referred to as the national dish of Greece, alongside other national favorites including Moussaka and Souvlaki.
One taste and it’s easy to see why this hearty soup is so popular- it’s downright yummy! Add a slice of crusty bread or lagana (a bread often made during lent) and a side of Kalamata olives or feta cheese for a delicious, stick to your ribs meal.
If you are looking for more warming, Greek soup recipes, be sure to check out my recipes for Youvarlakia Avgolemono (Greek Meatball Soup), Greek Lentil Soup, Greek Chickpea Soup (Revithosoupa), and Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono Soup)!
What is Fasolada?
Fasolada is a delicious Greek bean soup featuring white beans simmered alongside vegetables. The dish is naturally vegan and so it is often enjoyed during lent when Greek families are fasting from most animal-based products, though it is popular throughout all of the colder months.
This staple comfort food is made with affordable ingredients that are often already on hand in a Greek home. It can be considered a poor man’s food for this reason.
Fasolada is usually made in a tomato broth. The soup is made with small white beans which can include Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, or white kidney beans. These beans are cooked in a tomato broth with lots of olive oil and vegetables including carrots, celery, and onions.
The soup is healthy, high fiber (thanks to the beans), and loaded with vitamins and minerals.
A shortcut way to make this simple bean soup recipe
The traditional way to make Fasolada is in a large pot on the stove top. The process often starts with soaking the dry beans overnight to quicken the cooking process. If you have ever cooked a dish using dried beans, you likely know already that they can take time to soften.
This step can be skipped if you cook the soup in a pressure cooker. This is the way my mom taught me to make this classic Greek soup. No need to soak the dry white beans and the cooking time is dramatically reduced!
The pressure cooker I use is a stove top version but I imagine you can also use an instant pot as well.
I included instructions on how to make this soup using both the regular stove top method as well as with a pressure cooker.
Ingredients in this Fasolada recipe
- White Beans: Dried white beans such as cannellini beans, white navy beans, or Great Northern beans can be used in fasolada soup.
- Vegetables: Chopped onion, carrots and celery are traditional to this soup. Tomato is also added in the form of tomato paste or a light tomato sauce (we use homemade tomato sauce in our home but store bought sauce can be substituted as well).
- Good quality olive oil: You will want to use a good quality olive oil that will enhance the flavour of the soup. Greek extra virgin olive oil is preferable. My recipe use about 1/2 a cup of olive oil.
- Fresh Herbs: Fresh parsley adds to the flavour of this soup.
- Seasoning: salt and black pepper are added to taste. An optional seasoning is to add dry chili peppers or red chili flakes (boukovo in Greek). This adds a bit of heat to the soup which is nice but if you don’t like heat, you can leave it out.
Note: Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to prepare this Fasolada recipe
As mentioned above, this white bean soup recipe can be prepared both in a large soup pot or in a pressure cooker. I have provided instructions for both methods in the recipe card at the end of this post.
For the purposes of providing a visual of the steps, I have step by step photo instructions for the pressure cooker method. Even if you prefer to cook this vegan white bean soup in a regular soup pot, many of the steps overlap.The photos below may be helpful for both methods.
Pressure cooker instructions:
1. Prep the beans. For the pressure cooker method, add about 5 cups of water to the pressure cooker and bring it to a boil. Add the dry beans and boil for about 4-5 minutes. Then, carefully drain the beans and set them aside. [Note: If you are not cooking in a pressure cooker, you can skip this step. Instead, you will need to soak the beans in a large bowl with enough cold water to cover them overnight. You can then make the soup the next day.]
2. Saute the vegetables. Add olive oil to the pressure cooker along with the chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Saute the vegetables over medium heat until they begin to soften.
3. Add the tomato paste/sauce and remaining ingredients. Next, add the tomato paste or sauce, parsley, salt, chili peppers (if using), and water to the cooking pot. Secure the pressure cooker lid. Once the pressure begins to rise, reduce the stove temperature to the low or medium-low setting. [Note: On my stove, this is the “2” or “3” setting but you will need to adjust it depending on your particular pressure cooker and the heat it requires to maintain a safe level of pressure.]
4. Cook. Cook the soup for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure cooker to naturally depressurize so that it is safe to open. [Note: always consult with your user manual to ensure you are following safety requirements for your pressure cooker.]
5. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If you have added whole dry chili to the soup, you need to carefully remove them to avoid eating a whole pepper. If the soup has thickened too much (we like it thick, personally), you can add more hot water to thin it out.
What to serve with this Fasolada recipe
This nutritious soup is hearty on its own, but we always love to serve it alongside some Kalamata olives and some crusty bread. You may also like it with some crumbled feta on top!
How to store leftover fasolada soup
To store leftovers, you will need to allow the soup to cool completely. Then, you can transfer the soup to an airtight container. You can store this soup in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Fasolada is even better the next day, so we love to use this as a meal prep recipe!
Can you freeze this fasolada soup recipe?
You can also freeze leftover fasolada soup. To do this, transfer the cooled soup to a freezer safe container. You will need to ensure you leave a little space in your container to allow the soup to expand when its frozen. Frozen bean soup freeze well and can keep for months if stored properly. When you wish to enjoy the soup, you can defrost it (I recommend defrosting in the fridge overnight) and then heat it up. You may need to add a little more water when reheating.
I hope you enjoy this great fasolada recipe as much as my family does.
Are you a fan of Greek cuisine? If you are looking for more traditional recipes, be sure to check out:
Spanakorizo Recipe (Greek Spinach and Rice)
Greek Lemon Potatoes (Patates Lemonates Recipe)
Papoutsakia (Greek Stuffed Eggplant)
Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
Taramosalata Recipe
…and many more Greek recipes can under the Greek category tab on my site!
Fasolada (Greek White Bean Soup) Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups dry white beans cannellini, white navy, or Great Northern beans work well with this recipe
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 medium carrots chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce or 1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste + 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt + more to taste if needed
- black pepper to taste
- dry chili peppers optional. Can use whole dry chili peppers or red chili flakes to add some heat
- 8 cups water (If not using a pressure cooker, you will need about 10-12 cups of water as more will evaporate as it boils).
Instructions
Pressure Cooker Instructions:
- Add about 5 cups of water to the pressure cooker and bring it to a boil. Add the dry beans and boil for about 4-5 minutes. Then, carefully drain the beans and set them aside.
- Add olive oil to the pressure cooker along with the chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Saute the vegetables over medium heat until they begin to soften.
- Next, add the tomato paste or sauce, parsley, salt, chili peppers (if using), and water to the cooking pot. Secure the pressure cooker lid. Once the pressure begins to rise, reduce the stove temperature to the low or medium-low setting. [Note: On my stove, this is the "2" or "3" setting but you will need to adjust it depending on your particular pressure cooker and the heat it requires to maintain a safe level of pressure.]
- Cook the soup for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure cooker to naturally depressurize so that it is safe to open. [Note: always consult with your user manual to ensure you are following safety requirements for your pressure cooker.]
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If you have added whole dry chili to the soup, you need to carefully remove it to avoid eating a whole pepper. If the soup has thickened too much (we like it thick, personally), you can add more hot water to thin it out.
Stove top Instructions:
- Soak the beans in a large bowl with enough cold water to cover them overnight. You can drain them and then make the soup the next day.
- Add olive oil to a soup pot along with the chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Saute the vegetables over medium heat until they begin to soften.
- Next, add the tomato paste or sauce, parsley, salt, chili peppers (if using), and water to the cooking pot. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to allow for a gentle simmer.
- Cook the soup for about 50 minutes or more, until the beans are cooked and tender. While the soup simmers, be sure to check on it and stir it occasionally. You may need to add more water if too much evaporated during the cooking process.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If you have added whole dry chili to the soup, you need to carefully remove it to avoid eating a whole pepper. If the soup has thickened too much (we like it thick, personally), you can add more hot water to thin it out.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
