Fasolada (Greek White Bean Soup) Recipe
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.
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
Calories: 486kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 25gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 708mgPotassium: 2090mgFiber: 17gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 4276IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 276mgIron: 11mg
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.
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