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. You can find similar olive oil-heavy dishes in other parts of the Mediterranean as well. For example, in Turkey, they have zeytinyağlı yemekler, which means “olive oil dishes”(like these braised leeks with garlic).
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–like my version of sautéed green beans, which were inspired by this recipe. Here, 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.
More Recipes To Try
Easy Greek White Bean Soup (Fasolada)
Easy Greek Chicken and Potato Dinner
Greek Moussaka: Eggplant Casserole
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Greek Green Beans (Fasolakia)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6
Description
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
- Greek extra virgin olive oil (I used 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 Yukon 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.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Greek
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!