Fasolada (Greek Bean Soup) - Holy Cow Vegan

The traditional Greek white bean soup, Fasolada, is as simple to make as it is delicious. The beans are simmered in a tomato-based broth to create a slurpable but hearty soup that’s perfect for a cozy dinner.

Try it, especially if you love robust Mediterranean bean dishes like Greek gigantes plaki and Lebanese chickpea stew.

Fasolada, a traditional Greek bean soup, in bowl with spoon.

Fasolada, often called the national food of Greece, is a simple but delicious soup made by simmering white beans in a broth of tomatoes, olive oil, and vegetables like carrots, celery, bell peppers and onions.

This is one of my favorite soups to curl up with on a cool winter’s day, and it is a great weeknight recipe. It is hearty with the beans and veggies and a complete meal in itself. But if you want to you can serve it with a hunk of crusty Italian bread or French bread for a satisfying, soothing dinner.

Table of Contents

Why you will love this Greek fasolada recipe

Hearty, healthy and delicious soup. Veggies and beans add both key nutrients and protein to this soup recipe, making it the perfect one-dish meal. There are 10 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber in each serving, along with healthy quantities of vitamin A, potassium and calcium.
Uses pantry ingredients. This is also a good recipe for winter because it can be made with pantry ingredients, including canned tomatoes, dried or canned beans, and veggies like carrots and onions.
Easy recipe. Fasolada is a one-pot soup, and this recipe makes a decent-sized batch, so you can eat some now and freeze the rest for later.
Soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free and vegan.

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil. The olive oil is not just a cooking medium here, it helps flavor this soup. You will need a good amount of olive oil in this recipe, but keep in mind that it is a heart-healthy oil and known to lower the risk for several diseases. You can also drizzle some olive oil over the soup before serving for more yum.
White or yellow onions. This along with garlic forms the aromatic base for this minimalist soup.
Herbs: garlic and oregano. Traditional fasolada recipes do not include garlic and oregano, but I add them for more flavor.
Vegetables: celery, carrots and green bell peppers. The vegetables add wonderful texture to the soup as well as flavor and nutrition.
Tomato paste and tomato puree. You can use fresh tomato puree or canned. Using both the puree and tomato paste intensifies the flavor of the soup.
White beans. You can start with dried beans, which you will need to soak overnight and cook until tender. This is the traditional way that fasolada is cooked by Greeks. You can add a couple of bay leaves to the beans when they are cooking for more flavor. But for this weeknight recipe you can also just used canned white beans. Use cannellini beans, navy beans or great northern beans.
Vegetable stock or mushroom stock. You can also just use water.
Red pepper flakes (optional). You can skip these. I like a slight hit of spice.

What to serve with fasolada (Greek white bean soup)

The fasolada is a meal in itself. If you want to, serve it with a fresh, leafy salad or with a chunk of French bread or Italian bread.
This is not necessary but if you want to you can top the fasolada with chopped olives, fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil before serving.

Storage instructions

Refrigerate: Store fasolada in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
Freeze: This soup freezes nicely. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to four months.
Thaw and reheat before serving.

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Greek white bean soup fasolada in a bowl with spoon.

Fasolada (Greek Bean Soup) Recipe

For this traditional Greek white bean soup, Fasolada, recipe, white beans are simmered in a tomato-based broth to create a slurpable but hearty soup that’s perfect for a cozy dinner.

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Greek

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 40

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

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Instructions

Place olive oil in a Dutch oven along with the garlic and chopped onions.
Add salt and ground black pepper and saute over medium heat until the onions begin to soften.
Add the celery, carrots and bell peppers to the pot and saute until they soften a bit.
Stir in the tomato puree and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer.
Add beans along with two cups of vegetable broth or the bean cooking liquid, if you cooked them from scratch. You can always add more stock later if you want a soupier soup.
Stir in the oregano and red pepper flakes, if using. Bring the fasolada to a boil, cover, lower heat and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Recipe notes

Storage instructions

Refrigerate: Store fasolada in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
Freeze: This soup freezes nicely. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to four months.
Thaw and reheat before serving.