A traditional Middle Eastern beef stew recipe with green beans and tomatoes; otherwise known as fasolia. I share both the stove-top and slow-cooked beef stew versions today.
It’s true how our cravings are very much affected by the weather! The last few days here in Atlanta have brought about nonstop rain. The sky seems to have split open releasing all the water it had held in those laden clouds! As if to say: take cover, it’s still February people! And with that, my mind wandered to cozy childhood recipes like fasolia: a Middle Eastern beef stew recipe with green beans.
Today’s beef stew recipe has all the comfort of our Italian or Greek beef stew recipes, but this one comes from my mother’s kitchen. A hearty pot of tender beef stew with earthy Middle Eastern spices like coriander, cinnamon and allspice; made even more wholesome by the addition of Roma tomatoes and French green beans. There is nothing fancy about this meal. And it’s one that will not win any “beauty” contests. But this traditional green been and beef stew will win your heart!
I followed the stove-top version of this recipe, but you can easily do a slow-cooked beef stew (see the recipe notes). Serve it with a simple white rice or your favorite bread or pita. And I highly recommend fattoush salad for a starter.
Here is the recipe for today’s Beef Stew Recipe with Green Beans (scroll down for the step-by-step tutorial with photos).
Middle Eastern Beef Stew Recipe with Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 3 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 heaping tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb frozen cut green beans
- 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- Handful parsley leaves for garnish stems removed
Instructions
- Season the beef with salt and pepper, and coat lightly on all sides with the all-purpose flour.
- In a Dutch oven or heavy cooking pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown the beef on all sides. Remove the beef from the cooking pot and set it aside briefly.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic to the heated pot; toss briefly on medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix in the allspice, paprika, cinnamon, coriander, a dash of salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high for 3 minutes or so.
- Return the beef back to the pot; add the water and bay leaf.
- Bring everything to a boil for 5 minutes, then cover and simmer on low for 1 1/2 hours.
- Uncover and stir in the frozen green beans and add a small dash of salt. If needed, add a little more water (I did not). Stir once and cover to simmer on low for another 45 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and remove the pot from the heat.
- Transfer the beef stew into serving bowls over rice or with your favorite bread. Garnish with the toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Slow-cooked beef stew recipe with green beans: once the beef has been lightly seasoned with salt and pepper then coated with the flour, simply place it in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add the onions, garlic, the remaining ingredients minus the pine nuts and parsley. Slightly less water is fine here. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or so, until the beef is tender. Taste to adjust salt and spices to your liking. Serve in bowls with white rice or pita. Garnish with pine nuts and parsley.
- Recommended for this Recipe: Our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives!)
- Visit the Mediterranean Dish store to purchase our all-natural or organic spices. Create your own 6-pack or 3-pack of your favorites!
Step-by-step for Middle Eastern Beef Stew Recipe with Green Beans:
Season the beef with salt and pepper, and coat lightly on all sides with the all-purpose flour. In a Dutch oven or heavy cooking pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown the beef on all sides. Remove the beef from the cooking pot and set it aside briefly.
Add the chopped onion and garlic to the heated pot; toss briefly on medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix in the allspice, paprika, cinnamon, coriander, a dash of salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high for 3 minutes or so.
Return the beef back to the pot; add the water and bay leaf. Bring everything to a boil for 5 minutes, then cover and simmer on low for 1 1/2 hours.
Uncover and stir in the frozen green beans and add a small dash of salt. If needed, add a little more water (I did not).
Stir once and cover to simmer on low for another 45 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and remove the pot from the heat.
Transfer the beef stew into serving bowls over rice or with your favorite bread. Garnish with the toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Enjoy these delicious Mediterranean recipes:
My Syrian grandma made Lubea, essentially the same recipe with a touch of sumac and a bit more tomato sauce. I tried your recipe last night instead. It was divine! For me, a fresher take on an old favorite. Thanks for your wonderful recipes. They bring back the tastes of my long ago childhood.
Love to hear that! Thanks, Jane!
I’m cooking this right now. It smells amazing. One thing that confuses me though is that I got 5 minutes left and there is still plenty of leftover liquid in the pot (basically all of it), while your pictures suggest that you drained it or it evaporated. The broth tastes great so I’ll keep it, but the rice will probably swim in it.
I have a bunch of fresh French green beans and was thinking I could make this dish. I am wondering why you mention specifically to use frozen beans?
Hi, Ragna! You could totally use fresh green beans here. Using frozen just makes it easier and faster for some.
I absolutely love this recipe! Is there a way you can tell me what you recommend in the instant pot for frozen beef in this recipe? Not sure about time and how to proceed that way
Hi Marie! So glad you enjoyed it. I’m not a big user of Instant Pot so i can’t advise you for sure, but if you have an Instant Pot guide or book that came with it, it might have some direction on working with beef stew, and I would follow that perhaps adding the green beans later?
Made it last night. The house smelled wonderfully while it was cooking. Was a huge hit for my entire family! Delicious and nutritious! Thank you!
So glad you all enjoyed it, Kelly!
Hi Suzy! This looks so good! My husband is vegetarian.. would this taste all right without the meat? Not sure I want to substitute anything instead. I grew up with this dish too… love it.
Hi Marlen. Here’s a meatless green bean stew (Greek-style) that is similar: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/greek-green-beans-fasolakia/
Hello
Would the slow cooker version taste just as good, since you would not be browning meat, onions or spices?
It should! Enjoy!
I’m making this tonight. My house smells wonderful. I know this will taste as good as it smells, will serve this with brown basmati rise.
Wow, Erick! This is one of those oldie-but-goodie recipes. I hope you enjoyed it!
This was SO GOOD! The flavor was fantastic! Confession: I had cooked a huge batch of beef tips for a family gathering and had quite a lot left over, so I was hoping to repurpose them and this worked SO WELL! My only change was, instead of serving over rice, since my beef tips had originally been made with gravy, I cooked diced potato with the green beans in the gravy; just couldn’t justify both starches when my hubby is trying to get to skiing weight! *great* The flavor was phenomenal, and the kitchen smelled amazing for, like, 3 hours afterwards!! Wouldn’t have thought of the paprika with the cinnamon & coriander but the sweet and smoky *so* works!
Chrissie, thanks so much for sharing! I love hearing how you repurposed your leftover cooked beef! Way to go!
I know this is a beef dish, but what are your thoughts if I used chicken thighs? Would all the spices pair with the chicken as well as they go with beef?
I have not tried it with chicken before, Brianna. But there is really no spice here that would not work with chicken. You could do boneless chicken and cut it up in cubes like we have here in the stew. Cook it first, and then add in as the recipe indicates.
Thanks so much for the quick response!
I always make this with boneless skinless thigh. I love it
Awesome, Liz! Thanks for sharing!
I bet it would be AWESOME with chicken!!! Please post if you try it, and let us know how it turned out!!!
well Suzy,
I loved it but my wife was furious it took me so long to make it, first time I had tried it and it took me 4 hours in total. I like to read then prep, I will stick to your quick dishes as this may keep me out of trouble.
Thanks,
Hi Peter! So glad you like this stew. Stews are generally not quick meals to prepare, but it sounds like you have a very thorough process! You could try the slow-cook version (See recipe notes) sometime so that you can just put everything in the pot way ahead of time (and hopefully you won’t get in trouble then) 🙂 But ya, there are so many more quick recipes here. Happy cookin!
Hi Suzy,
Thanks for another wonderful looking recipe! (We make your cilantro chicken thighs all the time!) My husband just hates green beans. (Odd!) Do you think snap peas or some other green vegetable might be successfully substituted? Thank you!
Lisa, thank you so much! I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes here. Yes,you could use frozen peas, if he likes those. Or do something like beef stew with carrots and potatoes for example. The cooking time would vary, I would be sure to dice them small, and add them in the pot for a good hour or until they are cooked through and tender.
What another amazing recipe. I am positive that those spices are what makes it amazingly tasty. Cant’ wait to get home and get this on the menu.
Thank you, friend! I’ll be eager to hear if you try it 🙂
I have wonderful memories of similar dishes from when I studied abroad in Jordan. This is a must-make, even if just for nostalgia’s sake!
You studied in Jordan?!!! How awesome! My husband’s family is from Jordan actually. I’ll be eager to hear how you like this one. Thanks for stopping in!
This receip calls for tomato past, which I assume is paste. But it doesn’t mention it in the list of ingredients.
Oh, thanks for catching that, Rich. It’s 3 tbsp tomato paste. I added that now! Thank you.
My grandfather came over when he was 15 from Persia. He taught my Polish grandmother how to make this. Ours was more tomato based but very similar. Thank you for sharing!
Christine, that is so awesome! Yes, there is a Persian version of this. And yes, more tomato (or tomato sauce) would be great! Thank you so much for sharing.