Greek Green Beans (Fasolakia)! Velvety, tender green beans and potatoes, braised in a tomato and extra virgin olive oil sauce. A simple, flavor-packed, and satisfying entree or side dish. Vegan. Gluten Free.
Fasolakia: Greek Green Beans
Egyptians call it Fasolia. Greeks call it Fasolakia. More accurately, Fasolakia Lathera, or braised green beans. Actually, the word Lathera means, “ones with oil,” and it describes a whole category of Greek dishes where vegetables are meant to literally swim in quality extra virgin olive oil. Nothing better, in my opinion.
These Greek green beans are braised in tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil with onions, garlic and spices. Then, they are finished with lemon juice, fresh herbs, and more extra virgin olive oil.
So, unlike crunchy steamed or sauteed green beans, these Greek green beans are velvety, tender, but certainly not mushy.
There are as many variations of traditional Greek green beans as you can imagine. Every household has it’s twist. In this recipe, I used potatoes to give the beans more substance as a vegan entree.
What to serve with Greek Green Beans
All you really need is some good Greek pita bread or your favorite rustic bread to sop up the sauce. But, to serve these green beans simply as a side, you can add rice and your favorite protein like grilled chicken or lamb. I typically prepare a simple Greek salad or this 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad to start the meal.
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Greek Green Beans (Fasolakia)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 1x
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All-star recipe for Greek Green Beans. Velvety, tender green beans & potatoes, braised in a tomato-olive oil sauce. Flavor-packed, satisfying, vegan, and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 28-oz can peeled whole tomato
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 lb fresh French green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (frozen green beans work wonderfully in this recipe)
- 3 Yokon gold potatoes (about 1 lb), cut into small piece (1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces)
- Salt and black pepper
- lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- In a large Dutch Oven, heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, stirring occasionally (about 5 mins). Then add the garlic, cumin, and oregano. Cook another 2 mins, stirring regularly, until fragrant.
- Add tomatoes, water, bay leaf, beans, and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat and bring to a high simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cover and transfer to the heated oven. Cook until the sauce slightly thickens, and the beans and potatoes can easily be cut with side of your fork; about 35 minutes or so. (It’s a good idea to check once partway through cooking, add a little bit of water if needed.)
- Remove from oven and stir in 2 tbsp lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley. Stir in a generous drizzle of olive oil (at least another 1/4 cup).
- Serve immediately with Greek pita bread or your favorite rustic bread to sop up the sauce!
Notes
- These green beans are also great as a side dish atop Lebanese rice and next to your favorite protein, chicken kabobs, for example. See more suggestions in the post under “what to serve with Greek Green Beans.”
- Recommended for this recipe our Private Reserve or Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil, from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives. And organic ground cumin!
- SAVE! Try our Ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle or create your own 6-pack or 3-pack of our all-natural and organic spices.
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Greek
Keywords: Fasolakia recipe, green beans recipe
More Recipes To Try
Easy Greek White Bean Soup (Fasolada)
Easy Greek Chicken and Potato Dinner
Greek Moussaka: Eggplant Casserole
This was great. Entire family liked it. Would it freeze well?
★★★★★
I’m so glad! Thanks for sharing. I’d store the rest in the fridge; you’ll be good I think for 3 to 4 days or so. As with most vegetable dishes, freezing can sometimes compromise the texture. But I haven’t tried freezing this one personally because we don’t typically have so much leftovers to freeze 🙂
I am going to try this recipe today!! It so like it will be very tasty!
★★★★★
It’s one of our favorites. Enjoy!
what if I dont have a dutch oven? any other substitutes for cooking?
Anthony, any oven-safe pot will work such as cast iron or ceramic. Or, once you’re done with the stove-top portion of the recipe, transfer to an oven-safe dish with a lid.
I want to make this for Easter to go with leg of lamb. I’m wondering if canned artichokes added to this would work. My nephew is a vegetarian, so I’m trying to jazz-up the veggie dishes. In any case, looking forward to making this!
This was a delicious dish! I never used to be fond of tomato based dishes but I seem to be trying more and more. The Peas and Carrots Stew is also a keeper. Thank you so much for your recipes, they are making my Mediterranean dinners extra special.
★★★★★
Cat, this makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing!
I really try to eat a whole food plant based diet. I came across this recipe and it was so flavorful. We ate it for dinner last night and today I had some for a snack. I have eaten wonderful Greek food in restaurants and tried to duplicate green beans and never realized how bad they were. Thank you for creating this recipe and sharing it with us. I will make it on a regular basis without a doubt.
★★★★★
Oh I am so glad you enjoyed this one, Carol! Hope you try more of our recipes here!