Chef Dimitra
Aegean Island Kakavia (Κακαβιά)
Aegean kakavia is the fisherman’s soup named for the pot itself: small rockfish, potato, onion, lemon, and enough olive oil to turn a poor catch rich.
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Mainland Greek Fasolada (Φασολάδα)
Created by
Fasolada is the mainland bean soup of the Greek weekday table: white beans, vegetables, tomato, and the olive oil stirred in raw at the end.
Soups & Stews
Greek
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
Comfort Food
20 min
Active Time
1 hr 45 min cook•2 hr 5 min total
Yield6 servings
Fasolada is the mainland Greek bean pot, plain in the best way: white beans, carrot, celery, onion, tomato, and olive oil. It belongs to the weekday table and to the fasting table, nistisimi, with no apology and no decoration. The beans should be soft but whole, the broth red-gold and loose enough to spoon, not thick like paste.
The one method that decides it is the first boil. Soak the beans overnight, cover them with fresh water, boil them for ten minutes, then drain that water before the real pot begins. It gives you a cleaner broth and beans that cook evenly, without the muddy heaviness that makes people say they don't like fasolada. Usually they only met a rushed one.
After that, the work is patience. Simmer low with the vegetables until the beans yield, then stir in the olive oil off the heat so it stays green, peppery, and alive. My mother Sofia would put the pot on before the day took hold, and by lunch the house smelled of celery leaf and tomato. A recipe written down is a recipe saved, even for a dish everyone thinks they already know.
Fasolada became known in the 20th century as Greece's everyday national dish, but its roots are older than the modern state: beans and pulse soups fed rural households through fasts, poor harvests, and winters. The tomato-red version now common on the mainland became possible only after tomatoes entered Greek cooking widely in the 19th century. In Lenten households it remains one of the clearest examples of nistisima cooking, filling, vegan by tradition, and built from the store cupboard.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried medium white beans
Quantity
500g
soaked overnight
water
Quantity
2.2 liters
divided, plus more as needed
yellow onion
Quantity
1 large
finely chopped
carrots
Quantity
2 medium
sliced into thin rounds
celery stalks with leaves
Quantity
2
finely sliced
garlic cloves
Quantity
3
thinly sliced
ripe tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes
Quantity
250g fresh or 240g canned
fresh tomatoes grated
tomato paste
Quantity
2 tablespoons
dried bay leaf
Quantity
1
sweet paprika
Quantity
1 teaspoon
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
90ml
divided
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons
plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
red wine vinegar (optional)
Quantity
to serve
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried medium white beanssoaked overnight | 500g |
| waterdivided, plus more as needed | 2.2 liters |
| yellow onionfinely chopped | 1 large |
| carrotssliced into thin rounds | 2 medium |
| celery stalks with leavesfinely sliced | 2 |
| garlic clovesthinly sliced | 3 |
| ripe tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoesfresh tomatoes grated | 250g fresh or 240g canned |
| tomato paste | 2 tablespoons |
| dried bay leaf | 1 |
| sweet paprika | 1 teaspoon |
| extra virgin olive oildivided | 90ml |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 1 1/2 teaspoons |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped | 2 tablespoons |
| red wine vinegar (optional) | to serve |
Equipment Needed
- •heavy 5 liter soup pot
- •box grater for fresh tomatoes
- •wide ladle
Instructions
- 1
Soak the Beans
Put the beans in a large bowl and cover them with plenty of cold water. Leave them overnight, 10 to 12 hours. They should look swollen and their skins should feel smooth, not wrinkled.
- 2
First Boil
Drain the soaked beans, put them in a heavy pot, and cover with 1.2 liters fresh water. Bring to a boil and cook hard for 10 minutes, skimming any foam. Drain and rinse the beans. This first boil is the small kindness that gives fasolada a clean broth and helps the beans cook evenly.
If your beans are very old, they may never soften properly. Buy from a shop with turnover. Liga kai kala, a few good things. - 3
Start the Pot
Wipe the pot, add 45ml olive oil, and set it over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook 8 minutes, stirring often, until the onion softens and the celery smells sweet.
- 4
Build the Broth
Stir in the tomato paste and paprika for 1 minute, just until the paste darkens a shade. Add the grated tomatoes, bay leaf, drained beans, and 1 liter water. The liquid should cover the beans by about 3cm. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer.
- 5
Simmer Slowly
Simmer partly covered for 60 to 80 minutes, stirring now and then. Add hot water in small splashes if the pot looks dry. Salt after the beans have started to soften, about halfway through, then continue until the beans are tender but still whole and the broth is glossy.
- 6
Finish with Oil
Take the pot off the heat. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the remaining 45ml olive oil, the black pepper, and the parsley. Taste for salt. Let the fasolada rest 15 minutes before serving, because the broth settles and the oil rounds the edges.
- 7
Serve the Pot
Serve warm in deep bowls, with country bread and a little red wine vinegar at the table if you like the sharpness. Olives on the side are proper. Feta is for non-fasting days, not part of the soup itself.
Chef Tips
- •Use medium white beans, not giant beans. Gigantes have their own dish and their own dignity. Fasolada wants beans that soften into the broth without becoming heavy.
- •Don't pour all the olive oil in at the start. Some goes in for the vegetables, but the rest belongs off the heat at the end, where it keeps its green bite and gives the soup its proper gloss.
- •Fasolada is better after a rest. Make it in the morning for evening, or eat it the next day with bread, olives, and something sharp like pickled peppers or vinegar.
Advance Preparation
- •Soak the beans 10 to 12 hours ahead; the dish depends on it.
- •The soup can be cooked 1 day ahead and reheated gently with a splash of water.
- •Chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic can be prepared the night before and kept covered in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 520g)
Calories
440 calories
Total Fat
15 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
13 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
650 mg
Total Carbohydrates
59 g
Dietary Fiber
15 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
20 g
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