Fasolada
Fasolada is a traditional Greek soup that is a staple comfort food for many. The recipe consists of beans, crushed tomatoes, carrots, celery, and onion making it a nutrient powerhouse and also incredibly easy to make. It’s often flavored with bay leaves, parsley, and thyme.
Fasolada is sometimes referred to as ‘Greece’s National Dish,’ as it is served year round. It makes for an excellent starter to any meal, or a big bowl with crusty bread makes for a hearty, healthy winter meal.
Traditional Greek Bean Soup/Fasolada
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 10 oz dried navy or white kidney beans or cannellini beans
- 6 cups dresh water
- 1 small red onion
- 1 medium celery stalks
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 medium cloves of garlic
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- 2 large cay Leaves
- 1 ½ cup tomato passata
- tbsp tomato paste
- 1 medium yukon gold potato
- ½ tsp dried Greek oregano
- ¾ – 1 tsp sea Salt
- freshly ground pepper
- red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup extra virgin Greek olive oil
Instructions
How to make Fasolada:
- Pick over and rinse the beans, discard malformed or stone-like ones. Soak the beans for at least 8 hours or overnight .
- The next morning, drain and rinse the beans. Rinse very, very well with cold fresh water. This step is pivotal in removing the enzymes that cause the gaseous side effects.
- Place the beans back in the pot with the six cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- While the beans cook, prep the vegetables.
- Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, ⅓ cup of olive oil and bay leaves to the pot. Simmer, partially covered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, potato and the seasoning. Cover the pot partially and continue simmering for about 30 minutes more, or, until the beans are very tender and the soup is thick and creamy. Check to see if a little more liquid is needed, and if it does add a little warm water. The consistency of the soup should be thick.
- Just before removing from the heat, discard the bay leaves and stir in the vinegar and the remaining ⅓ cup of olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve hot with some hearty bread, seasoned olives and Greek Feta cheese.
Notes
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