The farmers market is literally bursting with fresh local produce these days and there are so many different things that it’s sometimes hard to choose what to get. When I saw some fresh green beans and perfectly field ripened beefsteak tomatoes close together it reminded of a dish for Greek style green beans in a tomato sauce that I had been wanting to try. This dish is called fasolakia and it is pretty simple with the green beans being braised in the tomato sauce until they are soft at which point they become nice and sweet. The recipe that I used here is really just the base and from here you can add what you like. Diced potatoes are a common extra but you could also add some cubed meat and zucchini would be perfect right about now with it also being in season. Of course I could not resist serving the green beans in tomato sauce with a healthy helping of feta and some crusty bread on the side works well to sop up any of the tasty tomato sauce that gets left behind in the bowl.
Greek Green Beans in Tomato Sauce with Feta (Fasolakia)
Green beans braised in a tasty tomato sauce with lots of fresh herbs that goes well when served with feta and some crusty bread.
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes or 4 cups diced fresh tomatoes
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into bit sized pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons dill, chopped
- 1/2 cup feta, crumbled (optional)
directions
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the tomatoes, green beans, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer until the beans are soft, about 40 minutes.
- Remove from heat, mix in the dill and parsley and serve garnished with feta.
Bev Weidner says
August 13, 2011 at 11:51 pmI just passed out. GORGEOUS, Kevin!
polwig says
August 14, 2011 at 12:10 amFeta makes everything amazing, not that tomatoes and green beans are not but it takes away the blandness.. Yummy
Kate says
August 14, 2011 at 1:46 amThis sounds wonderful. I have been getting an abundance of green beans in our weekly vegetable box. I will have to give this a try.
Anonymous says
August 14, 2011 at 7:43 amThis sounds lovely! Awesome recipe.
Anonymous says
August 14, 2011 at 11:27 amThe looks great Kevin. We had a similar dish whwn we were in Greece. I'm looking forward to trying this version out.
Yasmeen says
August 14, 2011 at 11:40 amYum, fasolakia is among my favorite things to eat… it's very similar to the Arab version fasoulia (green beans stewed in tomato sauce with Arabic 7-spice when served hot, or dill and olive oil when served cold).
It's perfect for summer, and yours looks beautiful!
Joanne says
August 14, 2011 at 12:13 pmThis reminds me a LOT of gigantes plaki, which I LOVE, but with green beans thrown in. Great dish!
Peggy says
August 14, 2011 at 3:33 pmThis sounds really interesting! I'm on a green bean streak right now, and this is definitely one of the more unique green bean recipes I've seen =)
MAZES says
August 15, 2011 at 6:36 amsuper .
Rocky Mountain Woman says
August 15, 2011 at 3:40 pmI'm such a sucker for feta….
This looks amazin
respiratory therapist says
August 15, 2011 at 5:04 pmI love green beans slowly cooked with tomatoes. I like that you pointed out the sweet taste of it. It's very distinct with fresh produce isn't it? I haven't tried adding feta but I will the next time I cook beans and tomatoes together. Thank you for this recipe.
Chef Fresco says
August 16, 2011 at 5:28 pmBeautiful summer dish, Kevin!
katerina says
August 16, 2011 at 5:49 pmLovely pictures, I always find it hard to make things look good when something green becomes greenish brown when cooked in an acidic substance like tomatoes. I always wanna scream – "it takes amazing!", but your pictures are already very appetizing.
I love anything with tomatoes and feta.
The Culinary Chase says
August 16, 2011 at 7:51 pmKevin, this looks scrumptious and so easy to prepare! Cheers.
Rob Johnson says
August 18, 2011 at 5:20 pmGood one! Whenever i'm making my own sauce, Textuarants always help out the texture of it so much!
Cara says
August 18, 2011 at 11:50 pmlove it! I always look forward to the green beans at my favorite Greek restaurant.
Food Junkie says
August 22, 2011 at 11:22 pmi made this for supper tonight and it was amazing. While deviating a little from the Greek theme I used canned tomatoes with green chilies for some extra flavour. This is a recipe I will make again. Thanks Kevin
brian says
September 13, 2011 at 10:41 pmhey, i made this using okra for the beans tonight- it was great! by the way- love your blog!
recovering~shopaholic says
October 1, 2011 at 10:00 pmI just found your blog and I'm amazed at the amount of greek recipes you have! I'll definitely be trying some 🙂
Anonymous says
June 15, 2012 at 2:38 amMade this tonight with fresh tomatoes and beans (plus a nice feta) it was fantastic – will definitely make this again – thanks!
Fasolakia me kreas says
September 24, 2014 at 7:06 pmYour greek green beans recipe it's delicious. Also with meat it would be great. Thanks for posting this 🙂