Greek White Bean and Vegetable Soup (Fasolatha)
Nutritious, savoury and loaded with white beans, carrots, celery, potato and yellow pepper. This soup is one of Greece's traditional dishes, the Fasolatha.
Equipment
- 1 soup pot with lid
- 1 spatula
- 1 garlic press optional
- 1 small food processor
- 1 paring knife
- 1 chopping knife
- 1 chopping board
- 2 medium bowls
- 3 extra small bowls
- 1 can opener
- 1 manual juicer
- 1 measuring spoon set
- 1 kettle to boil water and make broth
- 1 8 cup pyrex measuring cup to measure out and hold the broth
- 1 whisk optional
- 1 vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 2 cans white beans 540 ml or 19 oz. each
- 3 carrots peeled & chopped into smaller pieces
- 3 stalks of celery chopped into smaller pieces
- 1 large yellow onion (or 2 small ones) diced
- 1 medium sized yellow pepper (optional) chopped into smaller bite sized pieces
- 2-3 small potatoes (optional) peeled, halved, then quartered and halved again (small cubes)
- 5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth for vegans or vegetarians use veggie broth
- 4 cloves of garlic minced fine
- ½ juice of 1/2 a lemon fresh squeezed lemon (add more to taste)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil for cooking the onion
- 1 tbsp butter for the onion (optional) omit for vegan diet
- ½ tsp salt for cooking the onion use to cook onion. Plus extra 1/2 tsp or more, as per taste.
- ¼ tsp pepper (to taste) use fresh ground pepper. More if you want.
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp dry parsley add to soup in the last 10 minutes
- ¼ tsp oregano (part of herb blend)
- ⅛ tsp smoked paprika (part of herb blend)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 large tomatoes (optional) or use diced tomatoes or fire roasted diced tomatoes which are very nice in this recipe put through a food processor
- ⅛ tsp chilli powder (part herb/spice blend)
- 1 pinch chili peppers (optional and part of spice blend)
- ¼ tsp dry basil add to soup the last 10 minutes of cooking
Instructions
- Wash vegetables. Put into a bowl.
- Dice the onion and garlic. In a large soup pot, start cooking the onion in the 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for 10 minutes.
- While onion is cooking, prepare the spice and herb blend in a small bowl and begin peeling and cubing the potatoes. Put the potatoes into a bowl of cold water.
- While onion is cooking, also prepare your chicken or vegetable broth and continue with chopping your vegetables.
- After onion has cooked for 10 minutes, add 1 tbsp of butter, melt it and then toss in the herb/spice blend. Toast for 2 minutes
- After herbs/spices have cooked, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the potatoes, stir and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Toss in the carrots and celery and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Throw in the can of beans, stir and sauté for 3 more minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, stir well and toss in the tomatoes. Stir, pour in the broth and the boiling water. Add the bay leaves. Bring soup to a boil.
- As the soup boils skim the froth off the top of the soup. Skim the froth throughout the entire cooking time.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes. Add the pepper and salt (1/2 tsp or more to taste) mid way through the cooking time.
- While soup is simmering, squeeze 1/2 a lemon. After the soup has boiled for 20 minutes, remove about 1 cup from the soup and pour the contents into a small food processor. Add the juice from half a lemon into the food processor as well, and blend. Pour the mixture back into the soup, stir and continue boiling.
- At the 25 minute mark, add the dried parsley and the dried basil to the soup, 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil and stir. Continue boiling for 5 to 10 more minutes till the veggies and beans are done to your liking.
- Continue to remove the froth from the sides of the pot if it builds up. Sometimes it doesn't.
- Top the soup with fresh parsley, serve hot. More lemon can be added to taste.
Notes
- Add 2 cups of diced tomatoes but put through the small food processor first. Fire roasted tomatoes are great in this recipe. You can also choose to omit the tomatoes but I love them.
- If you use dry beans (500 grams), soak for 10 hours in cold water and 1 tsp salt. Drain the beans, add to a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and then turn down heat and par broil for 35 minutes. While they're boiling, prep your veggies.
- Drain the beans after they're done boiling and rinse them with hot water before adding them to the soup pot.
- If you are concerned about fat content, add 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup of olive oil near the end of the soup's cooking time.
- You can add extra lemon juice according to taste.
