Fasolakia lathera is green beans and potatoes simmered slowly in tomato and a great deal of olive oil until everything is soft, silky, and swimming in a thick red sauce. It’s one of the most-cooked dishes in Greece, the kind of thing that appears on the table once a week. If you grew up calling them string beans, these are the same beans, treated very differently.
My mother made this every summer with beans from the farmers market, still warm from the crate, and served it with a wedge of feta and a lot of bread. That’s still how I eat it. It’s vegan as written, better the next day, and one of the cheapest good meals there is.
If you love Fasolakia–Greek green beans, you will also love Arakas-Greek sweet peas, Greek Potato Stew-Patates Yahni, or Gemista – Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers!
What is fasolakia lathera?
Lathera — you’ll also see it written ladera — comes from ladi λάδι , oil. It describes a whole family of Greek vegetable dishes where the olive oil isn’t a cooking medium, it’s the sauce. So when you see the amount in the recipe below, don’t flinch and don’t cut it back. The olive oil, the tomato, and the starch from the potatoes come together into something you’ll want to mop up with bread until the pot is embarrassing.
The other thing to know: these beans are meant to be soft. Not crisp, not bright green, not tender-crisp. Properly cooked fasolakia are olive-drab and yielding, and they’ve given up their structure to the sauce.
If you’ve only ever had green beans as a crisp side dish, give this one the full simmer before you judge it.
What cooks say:
“This is the best recipe I’ve found for Greek Green Beans. The ratio of ingredients is perfect. After reading this recipe the first time, I was skeptical about the amount of liquid needed to cook all the vegetables. I admit it was perfect! I have done this dozens of times. However, I’ve been making mine mostly with dried herbs. Fresh herbs make it fantastic for a celebration dinner or to impress friends… Yummy!!”
LISA
Why you will love fasolakia
Planning meals for Lent? Browse our 17 Greek Recipes for Lent — easy, flavorful dishes the whole family will love, from traditional to flexible options.
Here is what you need
- Green beans. You can use fresh or frozen green beans. To use fresh beans, first wash them in plenty of water and drain them well. Then, trim both ends. The frozen green beans can go right into the pot without thawing.
- Baby potatoes. They are optional. You opt out of using potatoes. Instead of baby ones, you can use regular potatoes, any kind.
- Extra virgin olive oil, onion, and garlic.
- Canned tomatoes. I love using authentic San Marzano tomatoes like Gustarosso.
- Dried oregano, freshly ground pepper, and sea salt. The three staples for Greek seasoning.
- Fresh herbs. Usually, I use whatever is in my fridge or garden. It can be parsley, basil, thyme, or oregano. It’s all good. If am out, I use their dried versions.
Making the most of summer produce? Don’t miss my 21 favorite Greek tomato recipes — salads, toasts, ladera, and one jar of confit for winter.
How to make fasolakia ladera
Step 1: Heat half of the olive oil in a stockpot.
Saute the chopped onion for a few minutes on medium heat until transparent and fragrant. Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute.
Step 2: Add the green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes. Season with sea salt and pepper and a pinch or two of dried oregano. Stir ingredients and mix well.
Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about forty minutes. Then add the remaining olive oil and fresh herbs. Simmer for another five to ten minutes until most of the liquid has reduced.
Variations
Kolokithakia yiahni (with zucchini) — A lovely summer swap, but zucchini is not green beans. It cooks in about half the time and releases a lot of water, so use roughly half the water and start checking at 20 minutes. Leave baby zucchini whole; halve larger ones lengthwise and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks — anything thinner falls apart. Shake the pot instead of stirring, salt at the end rather than the start, and finish with chopped mint or dill. If you want both, add the zucchini to the beans for the last 20 minutes.
Frozen green beans — Work perfectly here, and I use them all winter. Add them straight from the freezer, no thawing, and expect them to be done 10–15 minutes sooner than fresh. Don’t add extra water — frozen beans release plenty.
Slow cooker — Soften the onion and garlic on the stovetop first (you lose real depth if you skip this), then everything goes in the crock: beans, potatoes, hand-crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano. No added water. Cook 7–8 hours on LOW or 4–5 on HIGH. The catch: a slow cooker doesn’t evaporate anything, so for the last 45–60 minutes prop the lid open with a wooden spoon to let the sauce thicken. Stir in the remaining olive oil and fresh herbs at the very end.
With meat — Not traditional for a ladera dish, but common enough in Greek homes. Brown chicken thighs or lamb pieces first, then build the sauce around them and add 20–30 minutes to the cook time.
How to enjoy these beans
- Greek green beans can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature. Greeks mostly enjoy them as a main dish with lots of crusty warm bread and feta cheese. Swap the cheese with baked bouyourdi dip with tomatoes and peppers.
- Serve the beans as a side dish. They go well with anything roasted or grilled like our beef skewers. Add the beans to our lamb burger bowls or part of a family-style dinner, among other side dishes like keftedes-meatballs, fried crispy zucchini and fried eggplant slices, country fries, and dolmadakia-stuffed grape leaves.
Storage and reheating
- Let the green beans cool to room temperature within 2 hours of cooking, place them in an airtight container or resealable bag, and store in the fridge for up to 4–5 days.
- Store in the freezer and use within 2–3 months for optimal taste and texture.
FAQ
More Greek ladera recipes
Once you’ve made fasolakia, you’ve essentially learned the whole lathera method, and there’s a long list of dishes waiting for you.
- Briam is the same idea taken to the oven — zucchini, eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes roasted together until the edges caramelize.
- Gemista puts herby rice inside summer tomatoes and peppers and bakes them over potato wedges that drink up all the sauce.
- Patates yahni is potatoes alone, braised in red sauce until they’re falling apart at the edges.
- Gigantes plaki does it with giant beans and a thick, jammy tomato sauce.
- And spanakorizo cooks spinach down in olive oil with rice, dill and a lot of lemon until it’s soft and green and comforting.
Authentic Greek recipes
Cooked it? Rate it!
If you tried this recipe, I’d love to know how you liked it — drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram @thegreekfoodie__.
Fasolakia Lathera-Greek Green Beans In Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh green beans, rinsed, drained and trimmed
- ⅔ lb baby potatoes, cut in half
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes , like Gustarosso
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, like parsley, basil, or oregano chopped
- dried oregano
- freshly ground pepper
- sea salt
Instructions
- Heat half of the olive oil in a stockpot. Saute the chopped onion for a few minutes on medium heat until transparent and fragrant. Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add the green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes. Season with sea salt and pepper and a pinch or two of dried oregano. Stir ingredients and mix well.Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for forty minutes. After forty minutes, add the remaining olive oil and fresh herbs.Simmer for another five to ten minutes until most of the liquid has reduced.
- Serve with crusty warm bread and feta cheese.
Notes
- Feel free to use fresh or frozen beans depending on your preferences and time. With fresh beans, you must first wash them in plenty of water and drain them well. Trim both ends.
- Avoid adding water to the pot. Let beans simmer in their liquid and the tomato juice.
- Always check how much liquid is in the pot during cooking. If needed add a little (like 1/4 cup) warm water or broth.
- If using dried herbs, try these quantities from our reader Lisa: 3 teaspoons oregano, 2 teaspoons parsley, and 1 teaspoon basil, which go into the pot with everything before the 40-minute cook time.
Nutrition
So good. Easy and everyone liked it. I added a little chipotle to mine for some spice.
Though you said this was a popular summer dish, we really enjoyed it on the first day of winter. The green beans and tomato flavor went exceptionally well together.
Ooh, interesting! I’ve never combined green beans with tomato sauce. I’m intrigued and will be trying this tomorrow. Thanks!
Love how Greek and Italian cuisines are similar! These green beans in tomato sauce are simple yet packed with flavor just how we like them!
These green beans are so good. Fresh and simple but fancy at the same time. Thanks for this recipe!
My new favorite way to make green beans! Love the tomato flavors in this. Yum!
I have never had green beans served this way before. I always plant green beans in my garden, so this would be a great recipe to use.
Well, my goodness this recipe was so good, rich and savory flavors. I could eat this as a side or a main dish quite often.
Oh my, this dish looks absolutely delicious and yummy! The color combination it gives makes this so enticing and tempting! Totally love it!
An easy and delicious dish to make. One of the perfect dishes to make in this cold weather.
Seriously easy and delicious. We made this as a side dish to our frittata and it was the perfect choice. Thanks a lot for such a yummy recipe!
This was one of my favourite dish whilst I was on my Greece, so similar to Indian curry. So easy and delicious!!
This is the best recipe I’ve found for Greek Green Beans. The ratio of ingredients is perfect. After reading this recipe the first time, I was skeptical about the amount of liquid needed to cook all the vegetables. I admit it was perfect! I have made this dozens of times. However, I’ve been making mine mostly with dried herbs. Fresh herbs makes it fantastic for a celebration dinner or to impress friends, but can get pricey if you don’t have an herb garden.
My combo of dried herbs is 3 tsp oregano, 2 tsp parsley, and 1 tsp basil that go into the pot with everything before the 40 minutes cook time. That long cooking time allows the dried herbs to bloom and mingle with everything, then I finish with the last 1/3 cup EVOO. Yummy!!
Wow Lisa! Thank you so much! I love the tips for the dried herbs, will add them to the recipe notes. x Jenny
I was looking for this recipe for a while because I ate this dish many times in Greece when I worked there in the staff canteen, but didn’t know the name. I was happy to find it and when I prepared the taste was exactly the same. Thank you Jenny!
That’s music to my ears Orsolya! Thank you so much! x Jenny
I can’t believe how good this is x
I know, right? So simple, yet so delicious. Thank you so much Jeanette! x Jenny
Can you do the simmering part of the recipe in a slow cooker?
Hi there, and thank you for the lovely question! Yes, you can absolutely do the simmering in a slow cooker, and since fasolakia is meant to go soft and silky, it actually suits the method.
Just two things to know. First, I’d still sauté the onion and garlic on the stovetop in half the olive oil — it builds so much more flavor than tossing them in raw. Then everything goes in the crock: beans, halved potatoes, and the crushed tomatoes. Add very little water. The beans and tomatoes give off plenty on their own (even more so in a slow cooker).
Cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or HIGH for 4–5, until a bean and a potato are completely tender. The one trick: a slow cooker won’t reduce the sauce, so for the last 45–60 minutes set the lid ajar (prop it with a wooden spoon) to let it thicken. If it’s still loose, just tip it into a wide pan on the stove for a few minutes. Stir in the remaining olive oil and the fresh herbs right at the end.
Hope you love it — come back and let me know how it turns out! x Jenny
Could you make this with zucchini?
Hi Barb,
Yes! It’s basically kolokithakia yiahni and it’s lovely. Two things to keep in mind: zucchini cooks much faster than green beans and releases a lot of water, so avoid adding any and start checking at 20 minutes, you want them tender but still holding their shape.
For size, leave baby zucchini whole. Larger ones, halve lengthwise and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks, or thick rounds, anything thinner falls apart. A handful of chopped mint or dill at the end is beautiful with zucchini.
x Jenny