Fasolakia

Fasolakia Ladera (Greek Green Beans in Tomato Sauce)

Fasolakia is a classic Greek ladera — a dish of green beans slow-cooked with potatoes, onions, and ripe tomatoes in plenty of good olive oil. Served warm or at room temperature with crusty bread, it is everyday home cooking in Greece.

Prep

15 min

Cook

50 min

Total

65 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) fresh green beans, flat runner beans are most traditional; haricot verts work well too
• •300 g (10½ oz) waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold or Cyprus potatoes, cut into wedges
• •1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• •3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• •400 g (14 oz) ripe tomatoes, fresh, grated on a box grater (skin discarded), or 1 can (400 g) crushed tomatoes
• •120 ml (½ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, divided; Greek extra-virgin preferred
• •10 g (¼ cup loosely packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• •1 tsp dried oregano, Greek oregano if available
• •1 piece bay leaf
• •1 tsp granulated sugar, optional, to balance acidity
• •fine sea salt, to taste
• •freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• •250 ml (1 cup) water, plus more as needed

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the green beans, snap off the stem ends, and pull any strings if present. Leave whole if slender, or break into roughly 6 cm (2½ in) pieces if very long.
2. 2 Peel the potatoes and cut each into 4–6 wedges so they cook at a similar rate to the beans.
3. 3 In a wide, heavy pot or Dutch oven, warm 60 ml (¼ cup) of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt and cook gently for 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent.
4. 4 Add the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
5. 5 Stir in the grated tomatoes (or canned crushed tomatoes), dried oregano, bay leaf, sugar if using, 1 tsp salt, and a generous grind of pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
6. 6 Add the green beans and potato wedges and toss well to coat in the sauce. Pour in the 250 ml (1 cup) water and drizzle over the remaining 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil — the generous oil is traditional and helps the vegetables cook tenderly.
7. 7 Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 35–40 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if the pan looks dry, until the green beans are very soft and the potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a knife.
8. 8 Remove the bay leaf. Stir in most of the chopped parsley, taste, and adjust salt and pepper.
9. 9 Drizzle with a little more olive oil to finish, scatter the remaining parsley over the top, and let the dish rest off the heat for 5–10 minutes.
10. 10 Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread to soak up the sauce, and crumbled feta on the side if you like. Fasolakia keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and the flavor is often better the next day.