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.
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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 have made many of your recipes all of which were delicious. I made the Fasolakia at the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it, my husband too. I did add 1/2 tsp of red chilli flakes to spice it up and it was perfect. As there are only two of us I had quite a lot left, so this evening I put the leftovers in my Vitamix and made a delicious hearty soup. Thank you for a great recipe 😋
Ooo! Love that you turned the leftovers into a soup! What a great idea!
When I was a kid my mother made these green beans all the time and I loved it but when I left home I, unfortunately, did not learn the secret to making them. Now that I am 87 and found your recipe I will be able to enjoy them again. I can say the same about eggplant (made anyway) which I love. I will make this recipe once I get some fresh green beans. As an aside, my father was Palestinian and my mother Polish.
Wonderful, Larry! Thank for taking the time to comment and review. Much appreciated!
Great recipe but made it lower carb by taking out the potatoes and using courgette instead just as delicious but much less carb heavy …
Love that idea! Thanks for sharing, Kenrick!
I’ve made this before with fresh green beans (and it’s incredible!!), but I have lots of frozen I would love to use up. If using frozen, is there anything that needs to be changed? Do you let them thaw? Can you use them straight from frozen?
Hi, Jane. You can totally use frozen green beans here. No need to thaw them first :).
Hi Suzy,
I had a recipe years ago that I can’t find now. It was almost the same but it called for a small amount of cinnamon, maybe 1 teaspoon. That seemed to be the “secret ingredient” that was important for the flavor. What do you think of adding some?
Hi, Rose. In our research, we have come across some other fasolakia recipe which include cinnamon, so it may be worth a try. It’s just not something we’ve tested with this particular recipe, though.
See Persian green beans aka loobia sabz. Cinnamon is used in many of the recipes.
This was great! The only changes I made was I cooked a 1/2lb lamb steak and cut it into tiny pieces and added it back with the tomatoes.
I used beef broth instead of water and only cooked the entire dish for 35 minutes total on the stove with medium to low heat.
DELICIOUS!
This recipe looks great, but I don’t have a pot that can go in the oven so can I transfer it from the pot to a baking dish?
Absolutely, Sandi. That’ll work!
I cooked it entirely on the stovetop in a large skillet with lid. Worked perfectly. The only changes I made were to halve the green beans and the tomatoes. Everything else I left the same. I wasn’t sure it would all fit since the tomato mixture and diced potatoes filled the bottom of the skillet. I cooked that for about 5-10 minutes before adding the green beans to the skillet. They kind of sat on top and steamed, but after cooking for about ten minutes I was able to stir the entire mixture together without anything spilling out and it cooked down well.
Really tasty recipe. I meal prepped with this and instead of a main I made it a large side dish. I served this with lemon garlic chicken and Mahatma yellow rice. Even reducing the green beans to about a pound I probably got close 8-10 cups out of this, or about 8 servings.
This is a delicious stew. Made it with Tomatoes and green beans from our veggie garden. Did not have a Dutch Oven and used a Paella pan with lid. Worked great.
Served it over rice. Delicious!
Thanks for sharing, Jan!
Suzy does it again with this recipe. Just switched to plant based diet and this will be a dish I will make often. Outstanding!
Yay! Thanks, Sherry!
Loved this dish. Have made other versions but your spices are spot on!
Thank you so much, Christie!
This is sooooooo good! I had the leftovers as dinner over pasta.
Great idea!
Can you do this in a slow cooker?
Sure! I’d put slow-cooker on high for 4 hours and see from there or on low for 6 hours and add time if needed. Enjoy!
I love this recipe and have made it many times. I’m thinking of adding kielbasa madillions at the end of the process. I would fry them first. What do you think ?
Sounds delish!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! It’s one of my favorites. I’ve adapted it for the Instant Pot and it turns out great every time! It’s now my go-to potluck dish and it gets devoured!!!
Awesome! Would love to hear your tips for using the Instant Pot!
Jackie,
Could you please share your adaptation for the Instant Pot?
Getting ready to make this just wondering if we could use whole green beans instead of the French?
Yes, Sabrina. I have tried this with regular whole green beans before and it turned out just fine.
Hi, I’m planning to try this recipe. Is this dish suitable for either preparation in advance or as leftovers? If yes, how do you recommend storing, under each scenario?
Hi, Fleurette. When made in advance, this Fasolakia will store well in the fridge, tightly covered, for 3-4 days. You can try to 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. Just be aware that, as with most vegetable dishes, freezing can sometimes compromise the texture.