[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":408},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:fasolada":3,"recipe:country:greece":192},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"pronunciation":8,"countrySlug":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":51,"faq":52,"equipment":68,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":73,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":77,"diet":80,"mainIngredients":87,"ingredients":92,"instructions":139,"nutrition":167,"images":173,"keywords":183,"publishedAt":190,"updatedAt":190,"authorSlug":191},"fasolada","Fasolada (Greek White Bean Soup)","Φασολάδα","Fasolada","fah-so-LAH-thah","greece","🫘","Dried white beans simmered soft with carrot, celery and tomato, then finished with enough raw olive oil to turn the broth silky — the plainest great soup in Greece.","Fasolada is a pot of dried white beans cooked until creamy with carrot, celery, onion and tomato, seasoned with almost nothing and finished with a hard pour of raw olive oil that thickens the broth as you stir it in. It tastes sweet from the vegetables, faintly sharp from the tomato and deeply savoury from the beans themselves, which release starch into the liquid and do the work a stock would do elsewhere. There is no meat, no butter and no stock cube in the traditional version, and the soup is better for it. Eaten with bread, olives and a slab of feta on the side, it is a whole meal that costs almost nothing and improves overnight.","Fasolada is regularly called the national dish of Greece, and while nobody can point to a decree that made it so, the claim reflects something real: for most of the twentieth century this was what a great many Greek households actually ate, several times a week, in winter. Beans were cheap, stored for a year, and needed nothing but water, a few vegetables and the oil that every family with an olive tree already had. During periods of scarcity — and Greece had several brutal ones — a pot of beans was often the meal rather than a course of it.\n\nIt also belongs to the ladera family: dishes cooked in olive oil with vegetables and no animal products, which matter enormously in a country with an Orthodox calendar full of fasting. Roughly half the days of the year are traditionally meat-free for observant Greeks, and much of Greek vegan cooking exists not as a modern choice but as a religious infrastructure that shaped an entire cuisine. Fasolada is the flagship of that category — a soup that is vegan by inheritance rather than by design, and that never tastes like something with an ingredient missing.\n\nThe beans themselves vary by region and by pride. Small dried white beans, the everyday choice, break down slightly and thicken the broth. Northern Greece grows the famous gigantes, the giant butter beans of Prespa and Kastoria, which are more often baked in tomato sauce than made into soup. Argument in Greek kitchens is less about the bean than about the details: whether celery leaf goes in early or late, whether tomato belongs at all, whether a dried chilli is acceptable. What no one argues about is the finish. The olive oil goes in raw, off the heat or at the table, in a quantity that looks alarming written down, and it is the entire reason the soup tastes rich.",[15,16,17,18],"The beans are par-boiled and drained once, which removes the scum and the worst of the compounds that make bean soup hard to digest.","Salt goes in near the end, after the beans have softened, so the skins never turn tough.","Half the olive oil is stirred in raw off the heat — the traditional finish, and what makes the broth silky rather than watery.","Vegetables are cut chunky and cooked in the same pot, so nothing is wasted and the soup builds its own body without stock.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Use beans from a shop with turnover. Beans more than a year old can simmer for hours and stay chalky no matter what you do.","Soak overnight in plenty of cold water — the beans double in size, so use at least three times their volume of water.","Do not salt until the beans are almost tender. Early salt firms the skins and the cooking time can stretch by an hour.","Add the tomato only once the beans are soft. Acid halts softening dead, and beans that stall in acid never fully recover.","Mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot and stir it back in — the starch thickens the broth without any flour.","Be generous with the raw olive oil at the end; the soup is designed around it, and a cautious drizzle leaves it thin and flat.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Dried white beans","3 x 400 g tins of cannellini beans, drained","A legitimate weeknight shortcut. Simmer the vegetables in 1 litre of water for 20 minutes first, then add the beans and cook 15 minutes more — the broth will be thinner because you lose the starch from long cooking.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Fresh tomatoes","2 tbsp tomato paste, or 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes","Winter tomatoes contribute little, and most Greek cooks use paste from about November onward. Cook paste in the oil for a minute before adding liquid so it loses its tinny edge.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Celery stalks","A generous handful of flat-leaf celery leaves, or lovage","Greek recipes often lean on the leaves, which are far more aromatic than the stalk. If your celery came with leaves attached, use them.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Fasolada with chilli","A dried red chilli or a good pinch of flakes dropped in with the vegetables, common in northern villages, giving a low warmth that suits the sweetness of the carrots.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Gigantes plaki","The oven cousin: giant butter beans baked in a shallow tray with tomato, onion and dill until the top caramelises. Same pantry, entirely different texture.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Fasolada with smoked pork","A non-fasting variant found in mountain regions, where a piece of smoked pork or a few slices of cured sausage go in with the beans. Rich and good, but no longer vegan.",[50],"Crusty bread, brined olives, a block of feta, and raw onion or pickled peppers for anyone who wants a sharp bite between spoonfuls.","Fasolada keeps 4 days refrigerated and genuinely tastes better on days two and three, once the beans have absorbed the broth. It thickens considerably as it sits — loosen with a splash of hot water when reheating, and add a fresh drizzle of raw olive oil at the table because the first pour loses its perfume overnight. It freezes well for 3 months; freeze it slightly loose, since the beans keep drinking liquid. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring, so the softened beans do not break up into purée.",[53,56,59,62,65],{"question":54,"answer":55},"Do I have to soak the beans overnight?","It is strongly recommended. Soaking cuts cooking time by roughly half, gives more evenly cooked beans, and washes away some of the sugars that cause bloating. If you forget, use the quick method: cover the beans with water, boil for 2 minutes, take off the heat, cover and leave for 1 hour, then drain and proceed as normal.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"Why are my beans still hard after hours of cooking?","Three usual culprits: old beans, which can be years past harvest and never soften; salt or acid added too early, both of which toughen the skins; or very hard water. Add tomato only after the beans are tender, salt near the end, and if your water is hard try cooking with filtered water or a pinch of bicarbonate of soda.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Is fasolada vegan?","Yes, in its standard form it is entirely plant-based — beans, vegetables, tomato, olive oil and water. This is not a modern adaptation: the soup belongs to the Greek ladera tradition of olive-oil dishes eaten during Orthodox fasting periods, when animal products are avoided. Meat versions with smoked pork exist regionally but are the exception.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"Can I make fasolada in a pressure cooker?","Yes. Soak the beans, then cook them with the vegetables and water at high pressure for about 20 minutes with a natural release. Add the tomato, salt and remaining olive oil afterwards and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes so the flavours settle. The texture is very good, though the broth is slightly less silky than after a long open simmer.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"What kind of beans should I use for fasolada?","Small to medium dried white beans — cannellini, navy beans or Greek fasolia mesaia. They break down just enough to thicken the broth. Giant butter beans (gigantes) are a different dish in Greece and are usually baked in tomato sauce rather than made into soup, because they hold their shape and do not thicken the liquid the same way.",[69,70,71],"Large heavy pot with a lid","Colander","Bowl for soaking",6,20,90,480,"easy",[78,79],"soup","main",[81,82,83,84,85,86],"vegan","vegetarian","dairy-free","gluten-free","nut-free","halal-friendly",[88,89,90,91],"carrot","tomato","onion","olive-oil",[93,98,102,105,107,111,114,117,121,125,129,132,136],{"qty":94,"unit":95,"name":96,"note":97},500,"g","dried white beans (cannellini or navy)","soaked overnight in cold water",{"ref":90,"qty":99,"unit":100,"name":101},1,"piece","large onion, finely chopped",{"ref":88,"qty":103,"unit":100,"name":104},3,"carrots, in thick coins",{"qty":103,"unit":100,"name":106},"celery stalks with leaves, sliced",{"ref":108,"qty":103,"unit":109,"name":110},"garlic","clove","garlic, sliced",{"ref":89,"qty":103,"unit":100,"name":112,"note":113},"ripe tomatoes, grated or chopped","or 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes",{"qty":99,"unit":115,"name":116},"tbsp","tomato paste",{"ref":91,"qty":118,"unit":119,"name":120},150,"ml","extra-virgin olive oil, divided",{"ref":122,"qty":123,"unit":100,"name":124},"bay-leaf",2,"bay leaves",{"ref":126,"qty":127,"unit":115,"name":128},"parsley",4,"flat-leaf parsley, chopped",{"qty":99,"unit":100,"name":130,"optional":131},"dried red chilli",true,{"qty":133,"unit":134,"name":135},null,"to taste","salt and freshly ground black pepper",{"ref":137,"qty":99,"unit":100,"name":138,"optional":131},"lemon","lemon, cut into wedges",[140,144,147,152,157,160,164],{"title":141,"text":142,"timerSeconds":143},"Soak and par-boil","Drain the soaked beans, cover them with fresh cold water in the pot, bring to the boil and cook hard for 10 minutes, skimming off the grey foam that rises. Drain again and rinse — this single step removes the raw taste and most of what makes beans hard on the stomach.",600,{"title":145,"text":146},"Start the pot","Return the beans to the pot with the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, chilli if using and half the olive oil. Pour in enough cold water to cover everything by about 4 cm and bring to a gentle boil.",{"title":148,"text":149,"timerSeconds":150,"tip":151},"Simmer until tender","Lower the heat, half-cover the pot and simmer for 50–70 minutes, until a bean crushes to cream between your fingers with no chalky centre. Top up with hot water if the level drops below the beans, and do not add salt yet.",3600,"Taste three beans, not one. Bean pots cook unevenly and the last stubborn ones set the timing.",{"title":153,"text":154,"timerSeconds":155,"tip":156},"Add tomato and season","Stir in the grated tomatoes and tomato paste now that the beans are soft, then season with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes, until the broth turns brick-coloured and reduces to just above the beans.",1200,"Acid stops beans softening, which is exactly why the tomato waits until this point.",{"title":158,"text":159},"Thicken the broth","Crush a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon and stir the mash back in. The soup should go from watery to velvety within a minute — repeat once if it still looks thin.",{"title":161,"text":162,"tip":163},"Finish with raw oil","Take the pot off the heat and pour in the remaining olive oil along with the parsley, stirring hard for 30 seconds until the surface turns glossy and the broth thickens slightly. Taste and correct the salt now, when the oil is carrying the flavour.","This raw-oil finish is the dish. Adding all the oil at the start gives you a fried, flat-tasting soup instead of a silky one.",{"title":165,"text":166,"timerSeconds":143},"Rest and serve","Let the soup sit 10 minutes off the heat so it settles and thickens further, then ladle into deep bowls. Serve with bread, olives and feta, and put lemon wedges on the table — a squeeze at the last moment lifts the whole bowl.",{"calories":168,"protein":169,"carbs":170,"fat":171,"fiber":172,"estimated":131},430,17,48,19,15,[174,177,179,181],{"src":175,"alt":176},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ffasolada\u002Fhero.jpg","A deep bowl of Greek fasolada, creamy white beans with carrot coins in tomato broth under a slick of olive oil",{"src":178,"alt":176},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ffasolada\u002Fhero-16x9.jpg",{"src":180,"alt":176},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ffasolada\u002Fhero-4x3.jpg",{"src":182,"alt":176},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ffasolada\u002Fhero-1x1.jpg",[4,184,185,186,187,188,189],"greek bean soup","white beans","vegan greek","ladera","winter soup","olive oil","2026-08-19","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":193,"total":405,"page":99,"limit":406,"hasMore":407},[194,201,228,252,275,298,326,347,367,387],{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":73,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":195,"diet":196,"mainIngredients":197,"images":198,"keywords":200,"publishedAt":190,"updatedAt":190,"authorSlug":191},[78,79],[81,82,83,84,85,86],[88,89,90,91],[199],{"src":175,"alt":176},[4,184,185,186,187,188,189],{"slug":202,"title":203,"nativeName":204,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":205,"prepMinutes":206,"cookMinutes":207,"restMinutes":208,"difficulty":209,"course":210,"diet":212,"mainIngredients":213,"images":218,"keywords":222,"publishedAt":190,"updatedAt":190,"authorSlug":191},"galaktoboureko","Galaktoboureko (Greek Semolina Custard Filo Pie)","Γαλακτομπούρεκο",12,35,55,240,"medium",[211],"dessert",[82],[214,215,216,217],"semolina","milk","eggs","phyllo-dough",[219],{"src":220,"alt":221},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fgalaktoboureko\u002Fhero.jpg","Squares of golden filo pie filled with pale semolina custard, syrup pooling around the crisp blistered top",[202,223,224,225,226,227],"greek dessert","semolina custard","filo pie","lemon syrup","milk pie",{"slug":229,"title":230,"nativeName":231,"romanized":232,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":233,"cookMinutes":234,"restMinutes":235,"difficulty":209,"course":236,"diet":237,"mainIngredients":238,"images":242,"keywords":246,"publishedAt":190,"updatedAt":190,"authorSlug":191},"gemista","Gemista (Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers)","Γεμιστά","Gemista",45,80,30,[79],[81,82,83,84,85,86],[89,239,240,241,91],"bell-pepper","rice","potato",[243],{"src":244,"alt":245},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fgemista\u002Fhero.jpg","A roasting tray of Greek gemista, stuffed tomatoes and peppers with blistered tops packed around potato wedges",[229,247,248,249,187,250,251],"stuffed tomatoes","stuffed peppers","greek vegan","rice filling","summer baking",{"slug":253,"title":254,"nativeName":255,"romanized":256,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":257,"prepMinutes":258,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":233,"difficulty":209,"course":259,"diet":260,"mainIngredients":261,"images":264,"keywords":268,"publishedAt":274,"updatedAt":274,"authorSlug":191},"moussaka","Greek Moussaka (Eggplant and Béchamel Bake)","Μουσακάς","Mousakas",8,60,[79],[],[262,263,241,89],"eggplant","ground-beef",[265],{"src":266,"alt":267},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fmoussaka\u002Fhero.jpg","A square of Greek moussaka showing layers of eggplant, meat sauce and golden béchamel",[253,262,269,270,271,272,273],"béchamel","greek","casserole","baked","tselementes","2026-08-18",{"slug":276,"title":277,"nativeName":278,"romanized":279,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":127,"prepMinutes":172,"cookMinutes":280,"difficulty":76,"course":281,"diet":284,"mainIngredients":285,"images":288,"keywords":292,"publishedAt":274,"updatedAt":274,"authorSlug":191},"greek-salad","Horiatiki, the Real Greek Village Salad","Χωριάτικη σαλάτα","Horiatiki salata",0,[282,283],"side","appetizer",[82,84],[89,286,287,91],"cucumber","feta",[289],{"src":290,"alt":291},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fgreek-salad\u002Fhero.jpg","A horiatiki Greek village salad of tomato, cucumber, olives and onion topped with a whole slab of feta",[293,294,287,89,295,296,297],"greek salad","horiatiki","village salad","no lettuce","summer",{"slug":299,"title":300,"nativeName":301,"countrySlug":9,"region":302,"baseServings":257,"prepMinutes":206,"cookMinutes":303,"restMinutes":304,"difficulty":209,"course":305,"diet":309,"mainIngredients":310,"images":315,"keywords":319,"publishedAt":190,"updatedAt":190,"authorSlug":191},"koulouri-thessalonikis","Koulouri Thessalonikis (Sesame-Crusted Bread Ring)","Κουλούρι Θεσσαλονίκης","Thessaloniki, Macedonia",18,120,[306,307,308],"bread","breakfast","street-food",[81,83],[311,312,313,314],"flour","yeast","sesame-seeds","molasses",[316],{"src":317,"alt":318},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkoulouri-thessalonikis\u002Fhero.jpg","Thin bronze bread rings completely covered in toasted sesame seeds, stacked on a street vendor tray",[320,321,322,323,324,325],"koulouri","thessaloniki","sesame bread ring","greek breakfast","petimezi","street food",{"slug":327,"title":328,"nativeName":329,"romanized":330,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":257,"prepMinutes":331,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":235,"difficulty":209,"course":332,"diet":333,"mainIngredients":334,"images":337,"keywords":341,"publishedAt":190,"updatedAt":190,"authorSlug":191},"pastitsio","Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta with Béchamel)","Παστίτσιο","Pastitsio",40,[79],[85],[263,335,215,336,89],"pasta","kefalotyri",[338],{"src":339,"alt":340},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpastitsio\u002Fhero.jpg","A square slice of pastitsio showing pasta tubes, spiced beef sauce and a thick golden bechamel top",[327,342,343,344,345,336,346],"greek baked pasta","bechamel","cinnamon beef","tray bake","sunday lunch",{"slug":348,"title":349,"nativeName":350,"romanized":351,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":127,"prepMinutes":73,"cookMinutes":205,"restMinutes":304,"difficulty":76,"course":352,"diet":353,"mainIngredients":354,"images":357,"keywords":361,"publishedAt":190,"updatedAt":190,"authorSlug":191},"souvlaki","Souvlaki (Greek Grilled Pork Skewers)","Σουβλάκι","Souvlaki",[308,79],[85],[355,137,356,91,108],"pork-shoulder","oregano",[358],{"src":359,"alt":360},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsouvlaki\u002Fhero.jpg","Charred pork souvlaki skewers beside a warm pita filled with tzatziki, tomato and sliced red onion",[348,362,363,364,365,366,356],"greek street food","pork skewers","kalamaki","grilled pork","pita wrap",{"slug":368,"title":369,"nativeName":370,"romanized":371,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":257,"prepMinutes":331,"cookMinutes":372,"restMinutes":73,"difficulty":209,"course":373,"diet":374,"mainIngredients":375,"images":378,"keywords":382,"publishedAt":190,"updatedAt":190,"authorSlug":191},"spanakopita","Spanakopita (Greek Spinach and Feta Filo Pie)","Σπανακόπιτα","Spanakopita",50,[79,283],[82,85],[376,287,91,216,377],"spinach","scallions",[379],{"src":380,"alt":381},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fspanakopita\u002Fhero.jpg","A golden spanakopita cut into squares showing layers of crisp filo over green spinach and feta filling",[368,383,384,287,385,82,386],"spinach pie","filo","greek pie","dill",{"slug":388,"title":389,"nativeName":390,"romanized":391,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":172,"cookMinutes":280,"restMinutes":258,"difficulty":76,"course":392,"diet":394,"mainIngredients":395,"images":397,"keywords":401,"publishedAt":274,"updatedAt":274,"authorSlug":191},"tzatziki","Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt, Cucumber and Garlic Dip)","Τζατζίκι","Tzatziki",[393,283],"sauce",[82,84],[396,286,108],"yogurt",[398],{"src":399,"alt":400},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftzatziki\u002Fhero.jpg","A bowl of thick white tzatziki dip topped with olive oil and dill, with pita bread alongside",[388,396,286,108,402,403,404],"dip","meze","greek sauce",10,24,false,1787360068106]