Learn how to make Fasolakia with this traditional recipe. Green beans gently simmer with potatoes in a rich olive oil and tomato sauce until they’re silky and bursting with Greek flavor!
In Egypt we call this dish Fasolia. Greeks call it Fasolakia Lathera. The word Lathera means, “ones with oil,” and it describes a whole category of dishes where vegetables are meant to literally swim in quality extra virgin olive oil. Nothing better, in my opinion!
The olive oil gently softens the green beans as they braise, making them velvety-tender but never mushy. It also preserves them in the most delicious way, infusing them with the aromatics and deepening the flavor over time.
Just like with other olive oil-based recipes, from the roasted vegetable dish briam to stewed okra, these Greek green beans taste best at room temperature. They’re the perfect thing to keep on hand for quick dinners and healthy lunches.
Table of Contents
What is in Greek Green Beans? Ingredients and Substitutions
In case it isn’t obvious already, a quality extra virgin olive oil is essential for this fasolakia recipe! Here’s what else you’ll need:
- Green beans: This recipe is very forgiving, use the type of green bean you have on hand. That includes frozen green beans–no need to thaw them first!
- Extra virgin olive oil: Just be sure to use a high quality variety with a pleasant flavor. I recommend a rich and complex Greek olive oil, like our Early Harvest from the Kotsovolos Family Estate in Christianoupolis.
- Yellow onion: Substitute with white onion or a handful of shallots.
- Garlic: Adds sweet and savory depth.
- Spices: Cumin, bay leaf, and oregano bring an aromatic and warming quality. Kosher salt and black pepper wake everything up.
- Canned tomatoes: Look for peeled whole tomatoes, which break down into satisfying hunks.
- Potatoes: Thicken the sauce and make this vegan dish satisfying enough to be the main course. I love buttery Yukon Gold potatoes, but again use what you have.
- Lemon juice: Lime just is your best substitute.
- Parsley: You can substitute other tender green herbs if you don’t like parsley, such as cilantro or basil. It may not be traditional but I always hate to skip the fresh herbs! They bring such a vibrancy to this simple dish.
How to Make Greek Green Beans
For this fasolakia recipe, I start the beans on your stovetop to develop the flavor. Then I gently braise them in the oven so they’re deliciously silky-tender. Here are the steps:
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Finely chop 1 large yellow onion. Mince 5 garlic cloves. Trim and cut 1 1/2 pounds green beans into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Cut 3 Yukon Gold potatoes into small pieces (1/2 to 3/4-inch).
- Simmer the beans. Add 1 (28 ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes, 1 cup water, 1 bay leaf, the green beans beans, and the 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.)
- Season and serve. Remove from oven and stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Fasolakia
Greeks often enjoy Fasolakia as a main course, perhaps with a side of crusty bread for dipping. Because it keeps so well in the fridge, I love to make a big batch to enjoy throughout the week. I’ll eat it on its own for a light lunch. The next night (or three), it becomes a an easy side to simple proteins, like lemon and oregano chicken or roasted branzino.
More Green Bean Recipes
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (28 ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (frozen green beans work wonderfully in this recipe)
- 3 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into small pieces (1/2 to 3/4-inch)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 300°F.
- Soften the onions. In a large Dutch oven, heat half of the olive oil over medium. Add the onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, cumin, and oregano. Cook another 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Simmer the beans. Add tomatoes, water, bay leaf, green beans 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.)
- Season and serve. Remove from oven and stir in the lemon juice, parsley, and remaining olive oil. Enjoy!
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- 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.”
Nutrition
Try Our Authentic Greek Olive Oil
Prized agoureleo from the Kotsovolos Family Estate in Christianoupolis, where it is organically grown and processed from native Koroneiki olives.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
I made this tonight for dinner, frozen green beans and canned San Marzano tomatoes. It was awesome! I could have eaten the entire recipe, but excited to have it tomorrow. I really love your recipes! ❤️
Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kay!
Hi I tried this one yesterday it was so nice my neighbours commented on the aromatic smell coming from my kitchen .
Thank you i loved it it was delicious
So glad you enjoyed it, Mohamed!
This is amazing! Sop up the juice with bread.
Awesome, Chris! Thanks for sharing
Would love to make this but I don’t currently own a dutch oven. What would you recommend to use instead?
Hi Aliza, if you have an oven-safe pot you can use it. Otherwise, you can transfer the fasolakia to an oven-safe baking dish with a cover after step #3
Oh wow – I made this for dinner tonight. It is outstanding! This recipe is a keeper and I will make it again. Easy with frozen green beans.
Thanks so much!
Can leftovers be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze leftovers for later use. Thaw over night in the fridge and warm over medium heat with a little bit of added liquid if needed.
Suzy, can I make this a few hours ahead and warm it up later?
Sure! That should be fine, Michele
I’ve been searching for main dishes that are so stunning that no one would consider adding meat, and this is definitely one of those. The search was in response to a question from a cooking group on Facebook from someone looking for meat-free meals. I’m not a vegetarian but I love vegetables more than I love meat, plus respect the lives of animals, so intend to steer myself in that direction. Thanks for this lovely meal, and the others.
So glad this recipe worked out for what you needed, Jean! Thank you!
Can this dish be cooked on the stove, rather than finished in the oven? If so, for how long and at what level of heat? Thank you.
You can finish it on the stove Andria. As far as how long, you would just need to watch for the potatoes and the green beans to get quite tender. I would also cover it partway, stir occassionally, and keep and eye on the liquid.
This turned out so so well! Very comforting, and perfect for when I don’t feel like eating meat but want something cozy and filling! I 100% reccomend thinly slicing the garlic instead of mincing if you love getting bites of deliciously braised garlic~ perfect with some naan or pita bread!
Wonderful, Tiffany! Thank you
The whole of this dish is much greater than the individual parts. I altered the recipe by adding more onions and garlic. I also used one can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes with oregano garlic and basil added, and one can with fire roasted garlic added. These took the place of the 28oz can you recommended. In addition, I also used the spices in the recipe
along with frozen green beans and 3 russet potatoes instead of the yukon. My husband had a small piece of barbecued chicken breast with the meal but I had mine without. Hard crunchy bread was a tasty accompaniment for the sauce. A bottle of Barolo wine added the final touch!
This was an absolutely DELICIOUS meal and my husband and I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for another dinner later this week.
Thank you so much for this mouth-watering review :). Sounds like a FABULOUS meal!
I’ve rated this before, and it’s 5 stars all the way! My only addition (per The Parthenon, in Chicago) is that they serve it with a sprinkle of crumbled feta when it’s brought table-side, so that’s the way I do it. That’s how it was introduced to me, but your recipe is spot-on in taste to theirs!!! Total fave~ love it with Egyptian “goulash” or, honestly, as a side to pretty much anything. It’s always in the rotation.
You must thank your mom, yia-yia or grandmother (whatever your preferred nominative!), or auntie, etc., for being so willing to share their recipes with you, and kudos to you for your healthy tweaks, switching/substituting for an American market, etc. That can’t be an un-time-consuming task! 😉
We followers are all grateful for your efforts!
thank you so much for sharing, Chrissie! So glad to hear it. Yes, a little feta would be heavenly, of course. I just kept it vegan 🙂
Made this last night and it was absolutely DELICIOUS! The only thing I did was add fresh mushrooms because both my daughter and I LOVE mushrooms and my daughter was practically wanting to drink the delicious broth! The house also smelled heavenly while in the oven. Thank you!
Mushrooms sound great! Thanks for sharing, Susana!
Heaven on earth!
Thanks so much, Brenda!!
Made this with cilantro lime chicken last night and making a 1/2 batch to have with salmon. Love this recipe.
Sounds like some great pairings! So glad you like the recipe, Joe!
These beans were delicious. Super easy (I used froz n beans). I shared with a vegan coworker and he loved them too.
So glad you liked the Fasolakia, Kay! Thanks for sharing your shortcut :).
Prepared exactly according to recipe…until I realized I didn’t have any potatoes. But…the beans were absolutely delicious and I will make again and again. Next time with potatoes. Really good.
Wonderful, Becky!