Greek Bean stew/ Fasolada Φασολαδα

After the Christmas holidays I am always trying to reduce our meat consumption. I mean lets be honest here! We overindulge over the holidays -and I don’t think it’s only Greeks- Some eat more meat, some more sweets and some more alcohol.

We had a lovely time over Christmas because we traveled to Cyprus and got the chance to spend some well deserved time with my family. The girls were happy every day, got to spend time with papou and yiayia and of course aunties,uncles and cousin Stavro. Saying goodbye was of course heart breaking but I always try and remind them the good times we had together. How do you deal with goodbyes? I would love to hear from you.

Back to fasolada or Greek bean stew. This dish is so feeling and healthy that of course is on the top of my list every January after the holidays and at least two to three times a month. Every country has a similar dish I am sure but here is the Greek version.

Enjoy x

Greek Bean Stew Fasolada

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10min Cooking Time: 60 min 60 min

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 5 voted )

Ingredients

• 500 gr beans dried or from a tin
• 3 carrots
• 1 onion finely cut
• 2 potatoes (optional)
• 2 celery sticks
• 200 gr tomato puree
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

Step 1

If using dried beans, soak them with boiled water for 1 hour. Discard the water and place beans in a pan. Add just enough water to cover the beans and boil until beans are soft to the touch. That can take up to one hour depending on the beans. You will need to top up with boiled water when needed. If using tinned beans skip step one

Step 2

Chop the onion, carrots,potatoes and celery sticks. Add them to the pot along with salt and pepper, tomato puree and tomato paste. Add a bit more water for the ingredients to be covered in water and cook for 20-30 more minutes. Towards the end of the cooking, add the olive oil. The bean stew is ready when the sauce is nice and thick.

Notes

You can easily saute the onion and tomato paste in some olive oil. This gives a nice taste to the food but can be a bit heavier on the stomach. Always add the olive oil at the end of the cooking process. This way the sauce will get thicker and you can keep all the nutrients from the olive oil. Serve with some feta cheese, kalamata olives and some hearty,crusty bread