Fasolada: Greek white bean soup

By Nikola · Precision Nutrition L1 · Sources checked 2 November 2026

Fasolada is the bean soup of Greek home cooking: white beans, onion, carrot, celery, a little tomato and a generous pour of olive oil, part of it at the start and the rest at the end, which is what turns a plain bean broth into something silky. It costs very little and gets better the next day. One bowl with bread is a full winter meal.

Portion: a large bowl each · Difficulty: Easy · Diet: Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free

Fasolada: Greek white bean soup

Fasolada, the classic Greek white bean soup with onion, carrot, celery, tomato and plenty of olive oil. One pot, vegan, 370 kcal and 19 g fibre per bowl.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Soups

Servings 6 servings

Calories 370 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 400 g dried small white beans or navy beans about 2 cups, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
• 2 medium onions about 200 g, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots about 200 g, sliced into rounds
• 3 celery stalks about 150 g, sliced, plus a few leaves
• 1 ripe tomato about 150 g, grated, skin discarded
• 2 tbsp tomato paste 32 g, no salt added
• 80 ml extra virgin olive oil 72 g, about 5 tbsp: 3 tbsp to start, the rest at the end
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt 8 g, added at the end, or to taste
• Black pepper and a pinch of chilli flakes optional
• To serve: lemon wedges chopped parsley, bread, olives

Instructions

 

• Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Put them in a large pot, cover with fresh cold water by about 5 cm and bring to a full boil. Boil hard for 10 minutes, skim off the foam, then drain.
• Wipe the pot, warm 3 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion for 6-8 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned.
• Add the carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes more. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then add the grated tomato.
• Add the beans, the bay leaves and about 2 litres of hot water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a steady simmer with the lid slightly open.
• Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the beans are completely soft and some have started to break. Stir now and then and top up with hot water if it gets too thick.
• Only now, with the beans soft, add the salt and pepper. Pour in the rest of the olive oil and simmer for 5 more minutes. For a creamier soup, mash a ladle of beans against the side of the pot.
• Take the pot off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Serve with lemon to squeeze over, parsley and bread.

Keyword autumn, bean soup, beans, budget, fasolada, gluten-free, greek food, meal prep, one pot, soup, vegan, white beans, winter

Nutrition per serving

Per serving, 1/6 of the pot, calculated from USDA FoodData Central for each ingredient.

Data: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Beans, small white, mature seeds, raw (FDC 173749); Onions, raw (FDC 170000); Carrots, raw (FDC 170393); Celery, raw (FDC 169988); Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (FDC 170459); Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw (FDC 170457); Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413). Beans are calculated on the dry weight; 80 ml olive oil is counted as 72 g. The salt line counts only the salt you add; the vegetables bring about 0.15 g more per serving. Bay leaves, pepper, bread and toppings are not included. Carbohydrate is USDA “by difference” and includes fibre. Almost all of the fibre comes from the beans.

Swaps and variations

• Canned beans: use about 950 g drained canned white beans (4 cans), rinsed. Skip step 1, simmer everything for 30-40 minutes and use less salt, since canned beans already contain some.
• Less oil: 3 tbsp in total still works. The soup is lighter and less creamy; each tablespoon you leave out takes about 20 kcal off a serving.
• More vegetables: add a diced potato for the last 25 minutes, or a handful of chopped spinach for the last 5.
• Smoky: a teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika with the tomato paste.
• Thicker, stew-style: use 1.5 litres of water and mash a third of the beans at the end.

Storage and reheating

Let it cool, then keep it covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. It thickens as it sits, so loosen it with hot water when you reheat. It freezes well in portions for up to 3 months.

Related

• Recipes: Bob chorba: Bulgarian white bean soup · Red lentil soup with lemon · Chickpea and spinach stew
• Encyclopedia: White beans · Extra virgin olive oil · Tomatoes
• Diet: Mediterranean diet · 7-day Mediterranean meal plan

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