Fasolakia Ladera (Greek Braised Green Beans and Potatoes in Tomato)

There is a particular smell that fills a Greek kitchen in August: tomatoes, olive oil, and green beans that have been quietly stewing for an hour. A Greek friend of mine, who grew up in Thessaloniki, taught me to make fasolakia, and I realized I had been cooking green beans wrong my entire life. Crisp-tender beans are lovely, but these are something else: silky, sweet, soaked in tomato and so much olive oil that the dish has its own category, ladera, the Greek word for vegetables braised in oil.

The beans cook gently with onion, potatoes, garlic, and tomato until they are meltingly soft and the sauce turns into a rich, glossy coating. It is the kind of dish that makes my Portuguese heart nod in recognition, since we also love vegetables braised slowly in olive oil, the way I do with Feijão Verde in the family stew (recipe on the site). If you like Gigantes Plaki (recipe on the site) or Gemista (recipe on the site), this belongs on your table.

Serve it warm or at room temperature with crusty bread and a slab of feta. It tastes even better the next day, which makes it the ultimate make-ahead side. Sofia scoops the sauce with bread and refuses to share. Max has never been invited to the table for this one, because green beans are the one thing he politely declines.

Fasolakia Ladera Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 50 minutes · Total: 1 hour 5 minutes · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~260 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900 g) green beans, trimmed (flat Romano beans are the most traditional)
• ½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb (450 g) waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes, or 3 large ripe tomatoes, grated
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 cup (240 ml) hot water
• 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Feta cheese and crusty bread, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 minutes until soft and golden at the edges. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.
2. Add the green beans and potatoes and toss to coat in the oil for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, half the parsley, salt, pepper, and the hot water. Bring to a simmer.
4. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes, until the beans are very tender and the potatoes are soft. Add a splash of hot water if the pot looks dry.
5. Uncover, add the remaining olive oil and parsley, and simmer 5 more minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
6. Rest for 10 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature with feta and bread.

Recipe Notes

• Yes, that is a lot of olive oil. It is the point of the dish and the reason the sauce is silky. You can reduce it to ½ cup total, but don’t go much lower.
• Flat Romano beans are sold in Greek and Italian markets and in many farmers markets in summer. Regular green beans work just fine; haricots verts will be too thin and fall apart.
• If using frozen green beans, add them straight from the freezer and reduce the added water to ¾ cup.
• Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge and make an excellent room-temperature lunch.