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 1x
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
This was incredible! Didn’t think I could get excited about vegetables, but it was so flavorful. Wish I could eat just this with a loaf of good bread only! Thank you for sharing!
Awesome, Brenda! I am so happy to hear it.
Best veggies ever! So flavorful! Perfect for any protein or by themselves!!
So glad you enjoyed this dish, Maria! Thanks for taking the time to share.
Do you had the tomatos whole?
Yes, these are canned whole tomatoes, they go in as is and then they easily break up as you cook them (a wooden spoon helps.)
correction it is Yukon Gold potato Not Yokon Gold potato.
Thanks for catching that typo!!!
I love this dish, my second time of cooking it today. It’s even better if you have enough leftover the next day. I reheated it with some feta crumbled on top which was absolutely fabulous, so this time I’m going to add the lemon juice and extra olive oil and put it back in the oven for a couple of minutes with the feta on top, then sprinkle on the parsley….can’t wait!
Wonderful! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
First recipe I tried from your website and it was delicious! I didn’t have potatoes (unfortunately) so obviously left them out this time but added some leftover green peas that I had in the fridge. Can’t wait to make it again with potatoes.
Thanks for sharing your recipes! I look forward to trying other ones too.
Welcome to our community, Anais! Thank you for the kind comment. I hope you find more recipes to try!
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!
This is an awesome recipe! Has become a staple for my wife & I, reminds me of how my Yia-Yia used to make it!
Awww, thanks so much Peter! YiaYia’s food is always best. What an honor that this recipe brought memories of your YiaYia’s cooking!
Have you ever tried this in a slow cooker?
Beth, I have not, but I imagine it would work beautifully. I’d do slow-cooker on high for 4 hours and see from there or on low for 6 hours and add time if needed. Enjoy!
First time making these, they were a hit.
My first time doing Mediterranean food
Thanks so much for giving them a try, James! I’m so glad you decided to give Mediterranean food a go 🙂
This is the best green bean recipe! I omit the cumin out of preference and add extra lemon. My kids devour it! And the longer it sits the better it is. Definitely my go to recipe
Awesome, Cindy! Thank you for giving it a try!