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Greek White Bean Soup (Fasolada)
Carrots lend sweetness to this soup that’s balanced by briny olives and salty feta cheese. Half are added at the start and the rest at the end to preserve their taste and texture. Dried cannellini beans that are soaked before cooking yield a full-flavored soup. To soak the beans, in a large bowl, stir together 2 quarts water and 1½ teaspoons kosher salt. Add the beans, soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours, then drain well. Canned beans work in a pinch; see instructions below. We use extra-virgin olive oil to give the soup a little body and fruity, peppery richness throughout, as we were shown by Argiro Barbarigou, one of Greece's leading voices on classic cooking. We vigorously whisk in a few tablespoons just before serving. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days; reheat in a saucepan over low, adding water as needed to thin the consistency.
6
Servings
Tip
Don't skip the step of mashing 1 cup of the cooked beans to stir back into the soup. The mashed beans give the soup a creamy, lightly thickened consistency.
1 hour 30 minutes
plus soaking time for beans
Ingredients
-
6
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more to serve
-
1
large red onion, chopped
Directions
-
01In a large pot over medium, heat 3 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onion, celery, half the carrots and ¼ teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, then cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the beans and the broth, then bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cover partially, reduce to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
Reviews
February 7, 2026
5 stars with asterisk - choose your beans wisely
I've made this a few times, and it's one of my favorite white bean soups, because the feta and olives transform it from another porridgy dish to something fresh and bright. I have used dried northern and gigante beans and I like them both, but slightly prefer the smaller ones in a soup. also, make sure they are fresh and fully cooked. I didn't have any trouble cooking the pre-soaked northern all the way through in an hour, but the gigante beans took a lot more time, and in the end i put the whole soup into the instant pot for 25 minutes on high pressure which did the job. Would love to see a fast and slow version of this one!
January 21, 2026
Delicious with gigante beans!
I made gigantes which I had soaked for nearly 24 hours. They were still tough after the 1 hour simmer but 20 minutes of pressure cooking brought the soup to perfection. I used lemon juice instead of vinegar.
October 23, 2025
Wonderful soup
My family loved this soup! I used small whiter Alubia Blanca beans from Rancho Gordo because that is what I had and they were perfect. The vinegar is important and the toppings are a perfect touch.
October 12, 2025
Saving recipe to Pinterest
The soup reads delicious but I want to save the recipe to Pinterest but I get an error message.
May 21, 2024
Greek White Bean Soup
I've had this soup both ways: once with canned beans and the other with dried beans. I prefer this soup using the dried beans that have to be soaked overnight. It is really delicious with the black olives and Feta cheese added to the top of the soup bowl.
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Hi Milk Street.
Chris, glad you started MS!
I just cooked the Greek White Bean Soup and it was perfect. Each ingredient gives the right flavor note. Mashing the beans is an important step and should not be missed. My husband requested it be added to the menu rotation. Can't wait to try another MS recipe.
Sherry