Fasolakia - Greek Green Beans And Potatoes

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

You will love this Greek green bean and potato side dish because:

• This simple recipe for Greek-style green beans is gluten-free and suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets.
• This recipe is budget-friendly. 
• Fasolakia can be made with either fresh green beans or frozen.
• Fasolakia can be eaten hot or cold, so it is suitable for any time of the year.
• It can be enjoyed as a simple healthy meal on its own.
• Serve it as a side dish to just about any meal or on occasions like Thanksgiving and Easter.
• Great for taking to summer barbeques or picnics because it can be made ahead and served cold.
• It can be made up to three days in advance and reheated if required.

What is Fasolakia

Fasolakia or Fasolakia Lathera is a Greek dish of braised green beans in tomato sauce.

There are many variations of this dish, but most will always use a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, potatoes, and sometimes zucchini.

Unlike other recipes that can use up to half a cup of olive oil, our recipe uses only two tablespoons, making it lighter and healthier.

However, if you like olive oil, you can increase the amount to ¼ cup or more.

Traditionally the potatoes and beans are cooked together, which can lead to overcooked, mushy beans because they cook quicker than potatoes.

Mushy beans are not a favorite thing in our house - so, in our version, we partially cook the potatoes to almost done and then add the beans and cook until tender.

Ingredients In This Recipe

The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.

Extra virgin olive oil is a traditional ingredient in a Mediterranean diet with many health benefits. 

It is one of the healthiest oils you can cook with, has a good source of polyphenols with antioxidant properties, and has healthy fats, which may help reduce diabetes and could help with weight loss.

Onion – adds flavor to the recipe.

Garlic – use fresh garlic cloves if you can. If you can not get fresh garlic, use 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of garlic paste.

Tomato paste - will help intensify the tomato flavor in this dish.

Diced tomato - we used a can of diced tomatoes, but you could also use 3-4 medium ripe fresh tomatoes finely chopped or pureed.

Flavorings - cumin powder, dried oregano, bay leaf, and sugar.

Potatoes make the dish more filling. They can be peeled or unpeeled. If using them with the peel on, give them a good scrub and cut out any blemishes before cutting them into pieces.

Green beans - Use fresh or frozen. If using fresh green beans, trim them and wash them well before using them.

Parsley - chopped fresh parsley works well in this recipe and adds a lovely peppery and earthiness to the dish.

Lemon juice as well as salt and pepper for adding flavor. 

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1 - Add olive oil to a pan and saute the onion over low/medium heat until soft, then add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.

Step 2 - Add the tomato paste, stir and cook for about 1 minute. Doing this will enhance the tomato flavor in this dish and help to create a thick and rich tomato sauce.

Step 3 - Add the canned tomato, potatoes, sugar, cumin powder, oregano, bay leaf, and ½ cup water.

Push the potatoes into the liquid, turn up the heat, bring to a boil, cover, turn down the heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until almost done - about 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

Stir the mixture from time to time to prevent sticking, and if it looks like it is becoming too dry, add a little more water.

Step 4 - When the potatoes are more than half-cooked, add the green beans arranging them in an even layer over the top of the potatoes, but don't stir them in just yet.

Pour in about 1 cup of water (or more), so the water sits just below the top of the beans, then stir the mixture.

Cover the pot with the lid and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Or until the beans and potatoes are tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce.

Step 5 - Remove from the heat, mix in half of the parsley, season with salt and pepper, and add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. 

Serve warm or at room temperature with crumbled feta cheese, chopped parsley, and crusty bread.

Recipe Tips

For quicker cooking

If you have big chunky potato pieces, they will take longer to cook than smaller pieces.

So cut the potatoes into even-sized cubes about 1 cm - 2.5 cm ( ½ - 1 inch) thick to shorten the cooking time.

Potatoe skin on or off?

The potatoes can be peeled or have the skin left on. If using unpeeled, give the potatoes a good scrub under cold tap water before cutting them into small pieces.

Trim fresh beans

Top and tail the fresh beans - use a small sharp knife to cut the top and bottom ends from the beans and wash well in cool tap water.

Frozen beans

If using frozen green beans for this recipe, cook the potatoes a little longer until they are almost tender before adding the beans.

This is because frozen beans are already partially cooked due to blanching and require a shorter cooking time.

Watery sauce

If at the end of cooking time the sauce has not thickened. Cook uncovered over medium heat for a few minutes to allow the liquid to evaporate and become thick.

Serving Size

This recipe serves 4 as a main meal or 6-8 as a side dish.

Calories Per Serve

The calories for this recipe based on four servings is 194 calories per serve and does not include feta cheese garnish.

Serving Suggestions

Fasolakia is a great stand-alone dish that can be enjoyed on its own or with feta cheese and a slice of fresh bread or good pita bread.

If you wanted to, you could serve it as a side to roasted, pan-fried, or barbequed meats.

Storage

Refrigeration - Leftovers should be cooled and stored in a well-sealed airtight container. It will keep for about 4-5 days in the fridge.

Freezing – This dish is not suitable for freezing.

Reheating

Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave oven.

More Veggie Recipes

• Zucchini and carrot slice
• Vegetable pie with shortcrust pastry
• Quick carrot pickle
• Pickled pink onions
• Sauteed Brussel sprouts with cheese
• Green bean salad with basil and parmesan