Fasolada (Greek Bean Soup)

Fasolada is a delicious Greek bean soup that's naturally vegan and just perfect for a weeknight dinner. To speed it up, make fasolada with canned beans - the flavours are still incredible, and you'll have a cosy bowl of goodness in your hands in just 30 minutes.

Fasolada is just the perfect winter warmer. It's naturally vegan, cosy and delightfully tasty. It's everything you can ever want from a soup and goes down a treat with some crusty bread.

Besides being utterly delicious, fasolada is also very nutritious. It has lots of fiber and protein from the beans, and the addition of extra virgin olive oil packs the soup with additional antioxidants and healthy fats. This soup basically encapsulates most of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in one bowl.

Even though fasolada is traditionally made with dry white beans, you can use canned beans as a shortcut and have it on the table in just 30 minutes.

Ingredients and substitutions

Extra virgin olive oil - Quality extra virgin olive oil is essential for fasolada. Use the best oil you can and don't be scared about the quantities in the recipe card - the soup needs all that oil to truly shine.

Onion, carrot and celery - These veggies are the base of Greek fasolada and sauteeing them in olive oil is the best way to bring out their flavours.

Garlic - Fresh garlic is best here - don't substitute it with garlic in a jar or garlic paste because the flavour won't be the same.

Oregano - It wouldn't be a Greek soup without oregano. A full tablespoon should be enough, but feel free to add more if you like.

Rosemary - Different fasolada recipes call for different herbs. I like to add some fresh rosemary, but you can also use fresh thyme or skip it altogether.

Tomato paste - Just like in the case of the olive oil, try to use some quality tomato paste as it really makes a difference.

Cannellini beans - You can make fasolada soup with any kind of white beans, including cannellini beans or navy beans. The traditional method is to make it with beans cooked from dry, but since you need to soak them for at least 10 hours and parboil them, making fasolada with canned beans is much quicker.

Water - You'll find lots of fasolada recipes that call for broth, but I find that plain water is better because it doesn't distract from the flavours.

How do you make fasolada?

• Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottom pot such as a Dutch oven and saute the onion, carrot and celery for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until they soften a bit.
• Add the garlic, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaf, stir to combine, then continue to cook for another minute.
• Next, stir in the tomato paste and salt, then add the cannellini beans and cover them with water. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, garnish with parsley if you like, and serve with some crusty bread.

What to serve with Greek bean soup?

Serve fasolada with some chunks of crusty, rustic-style bread or with some Kalamata olives. You can also drizzle individual bowls with some extra olive oil.

Recipe notes and tips

• If you'd like your soup to be on the creamier side, you can transfer two or three cups to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and then return to the pot and simmer for a couple more minutes.
• The soup is best served hot, but it will still taste incredible when reheated. It will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You may need to add a bit of water when reheating it if it looks too thick.
• Fasolada also freezes well. Allow the soup to cool well, and then transfer it to the freezer-friendly container. Freeze the soup for up to three months and thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.

If you liked this fasolada recipe, you might also like some of my other easy vegan recipes with beans:

Easy Three Bean Soup

Vegan White Bean Chilli

Adzuki Beans Soup with Pearl Barley and Kale

Vegan Italian White Bean Soup

Cannellini Bean and Cavolo Nero Soup

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