Fasolakia (Greek green beans braised in tomato)
65 min · 6 g protein · 159 cals / serving
Green beans and a few chunks of potato braised slowly in olive oil, onion, garlic and tomato until meltingly soft and sweet, the way Greek grandmothers make them, then finished with handfuls of dill and parsley. Even better the next day, and lovely at room temperature with a little feta and bread.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed, long ones halved
- 1 medium gold potato, cut into large chunks
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- a handful fresh dill, chopped
- a handful fresh parsley, chopped
To serve
- 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled, to serve (optional)
Steps
- Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion with a pinch of the salt until soft and golden, 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic for the last minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute until it darkens, then add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
- Add the beans, potato, water, salt and pepper and stir so everything is coated. Cover and simmer gently for 35–40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the beans are very soft and olive-green and the sauce has thickened and clings to them. If it gets dry, add a splash of water; if it is thin at the end, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Take off the heat, stir in the dill and parsley and let it sit for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, with feta crumbled over if you like.
Good to know
Aren't the beans overcooked?
On purpose. Fasolakia is a ladera dish, cooked until the beans are silky and soaked in the sauce. Crisp beans would be a different dish.
Frozen beans?
Frozen whole green beans work well; add them straight from frozen and cut the simmering time to about 25 minutes.
Make it a meal?
Serve a big bowl with feta and a piece of crusty bread, the way it is eaten in Greece, or alongside grilled chicken or fish.
Per
- Calories
- 66
- Protein
- (16%)
- 3 g
- Fat
- (31%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (52%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 222 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 953 kcal goes into the pot and 1777 g of ingredients comes out as about 1450 g of food: 66 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.