Fasolada (Traditional Greek Bean Soup)

Fasolada is one of the most basic dishes of Greek cuisine. To make this soup you’ll need beans, onions, tomato paste, celery, carrots, olive oil, salt and pepper. This means that it is made from materials that you can find everywhere. The preparation method is very easy because all ingredients just need to boil together. Fasolada is one of the foods that none of us appreciated as a child, but growing up we realized its nutritional value and mum was right to insist on finishing our whole plate.

Some combinations that are tasty and healthy follow:
With feta cheese. Apart from the wonderful flavor that feta cheese gives it also supplements the dish with amino acids, known to be the basic protein components.
With olives. They provide mono-unsaturated fats in the body and vitamin E. The ideal way to serve olives is with lemon. Vitamin c that lemons contain enhances significantly the absorption of beans’ iron.
With pickles. Pickles contain fiber, salt and little energy (about 30 calories a portion). Prefer the pickles that are preserved in oil, rather than brine.
With salted fish. Three pieces of salted fish provide 150 calories. Before serving, wash them very well, because they are kept in too much salt.
With raw salad. The salad, because of the fiber that contains, facilitates bowel function, so the beans cause less indigestion.

 

Ingredients (Serves 4)
1 cup of beans (200 gr)
1 tbsp baking soda
olive oil
1 large onion
2 carrots
4 tbsp tomato sauce
1 / 3 tsp black pepper
1 / 2 tsp red pepper
1 bunch celery
1.5 tbsp salt

Optional
1 small chili pepper
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
some lemon
 

How to Make

Soak beans overnight with little baking soda in plenty of water. Next day, put onion and celery in the chopper and chop the vegetables (carrots and peppers optional). At the same time drain and beans. Put olive oil in a pot to cover the bottom well, and turn on the stove. When olive oil gets hot, add onion and celery, after 1-2 minutes carrots and peppers (personally I prefer everything chopped in small cubes) and leave for a while to soften all vegetables. Then add beans, black and red pepper. Then, add the tomato sauce and stir well. Fill the pot with water until it covers completely the beans and let it boil until tender. 

 

In the pressure cooker it takes 25 minutes from the time the valve whistles, and a simple pan around one and a half hour.When beans are ready, add 1.5 tsp salt and a little lemon juice and stir well. 

Find it in Greek here.