FASOLADA
(WHITE BEAN SOUP)
Fasolada is a classic Greek white bean soup, warming, humble and proper hearty. Made from dried white beans (usually cannellini or gigante), tomatoes or tomato paste, olive oil, onions, carrots and celery, it simmers slowly until the beans are meltingly soft and the broth is rich and slightly silky. Sometimes herbs like bay leaf and parsley or a squeeze of lemon finish the pot, other times smoky sausage or cured pork appears in regional variations, but the soul of fasolada is its simple, peasant rooted ingredients made magnificent by time and good oil.
The dish originates from the Eastern Mediterranean and has deep roots in Greek rural cuisine. It’s been a staple for centuries, eaten by farmers, sailors and families across the mainland and islands. Fasolada’s ancestry ties into the legume rich diets of the region where beans were a cheap, filling source of protein and energy. Perfect for long days of work and for stretching a little meat further on leaner tables.
There’s a comforting nostalgia around fasolada that runs deeper than flavour. It smells like childhood kitchens, worn wooden spoons and the kind of slow cooked patience only grandparents and rainy afternoons seem to possess. Many of us grimaced at the bowl as kids, preferring louder, sweeter treats, but as adults we recognise something honest in that thick, warm bowl of goodness.
FASOLADA
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FASOLADA 〰️
Time: 1 hour + 30 minutes (+ overnight to soak the white beans)
Serves: 6
375gm dried white beans*
1 onion
4 garlic cloves
3 celery stalks, reserve leaves
3 carrots, peeled
1 table spoon dried oregano
1/2 table spoon white pepper
140gm tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 litres vegetable stock
3 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves
Olive oil
Salt, to taste
To serve: crusty bread, chilli flakes
*if not soaking overnight, grab a couple tins of the largest white beans you can access and cook with those instead.
Start the night before cooking fasolada by adding dried white beans into a big bowl and cover completely with water, at least a hand worth of water above the beans. Allow to soak overnight or for 12 hours. Once soaked, drain the beans and leave to the side.
Roughly dice the brown onion and garlic cloves, before placing large pot on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Once the pot has come up to hot, add the onion and garlic and stir through with a pinch of salt for two minutes. Whilst it sautés, chop the celery and carrot into small pieces and add in. Mix and sauté through for 3 minutes with a pinch of salt.
Add in oregano, white pepper, tomato pasta and soaked white beans and mix through for a minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock and bay leaves, mix through and bring up to a simmer. Season with salt and then lower heat to a gentle bubble and cover with lid. Allow to simmer away covered for 60-70 minutes or until the beans are soft to the bite. Whilst it cook, roughly chop the celery leaves and parsley leaves and once finished cooking, stir through the leaves.
Season with salt to taste, before serving with a drizzle of olive oil and some chilli flakes for heat if you like, and enjoy with crusty bread.