Fassoulada (White Bean Soup)

It's a rainy a.k.a lazy night here in Connecticut, which only means one thing: It's a soopa (soup) kind of night in my kouzina! Most of my favorite soups are hearty yet simple to make, but almost all include meat. Today was one of those rare days where I could not fathom the taste of meat (yeeessss, even I have those days) so I decided to make one of my favorite vegetarian bean soups: Fassoulada (White Bean Soup).

Fassoulada me Tiri

This soup is perfect for someone who is fasting for lent. If you're anything like me, and not fasting - then its still ideal for a winter night, served with a side of fresh warm psomi (bread) and feta cheese (thessalia, of course!). Since I did not plan this recipe out a day in advance, I had to do it the "lazy" way - with canned beans and canned tomato sauce. Had I gone shopping, I would have bought a bag of dried beans, and plenty of tomatoes to make my own sauce (I blame it on the rain)!

There are many different variations of Fassoulada, but here is the recipe for the one most frequently made by Yiayia Kiki and myself:

You Will Need:

2 Cans of Cannellini beans, rinsed and strained (or a 8 oz bag of dried cannellini beans, rinsed and soaked overnight)

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce (or 2 tomatoes diced finely)

1 large onion, chopped finely

2 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped finely

1-2 carrot sticks, sliced finely

4 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 springs of fresh dill, chopped finely (about 1/2 a handful)

3-4 springs of fresh parsley, chopped finely (a handful)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper, Spicy Paprika (or sweet)

STEP 1: In a medium sized soup pot, add EVOO, onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. When tender, add beans and tomato sauce and stir.  

STEP 2: Add enough water to cover the beans and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, stir and turn flame to medium-low. Add more water as necessary.

STEP 3: Add the remaining spices and half of the dill/parsley, and set flame on low. Check the taste of your soup, and add spices to your liking. Once the beans are tender, turn off and add the remainder of the parsley/dill. Mix and let cool off a bit. 

STEP 4: Serve in a bowl, and drizzle some EVOO inside the soup. Best eaten with a side of feta sprinkled with oregano, and fresh bread. If you enjoy some extra spice, sprinkle some crushed red pepper, or cayenne pepper!

Side Note:  If you have a lot left over the next day, or if you've over-salt (we're notorious for this since we don't measure), we like to add a tiny bit of the thinnest cut of pligouri (bulgar wheat) to the soup. This makes it even more thick, so add water if necessary. 

Kali Orexi!

- Sophia Eleni