Oh boy, it’s been ages since I blogged about a soup!! I’ve been busy trying other recipes outside of soups (like homemade gnocchi, dehydrated snacks and a few different vegetarian pâtés). I have a liking to get back on the soup bandwagon again…we’ll see how that goes though!
Just last Saturday, I was having a girlfriend over for dinner and I decided to make it a Greek night. I made this soup along with homemade spanakopita, ttzatziki (with cashew cream instead of yogurt) and greek salad and it all did not disappoint!
The Verdict of Fassolatha Greek Bean Soup:
At first, I did not have any plans to add in bacon, I had FULL intentions to making this soup vegetarian. But when I was at the boiling stage just before simmering the soup, when I tried a spoonful test, the soup seemed bland to me and at this point I decided to add bacon, lemon juice and lemon zest to my recipe. I think the new ingredients made a huge difference. Also I shouldn’t short change the 1 hour simmering process that lifted the velvety navy beans and the just-right acidic diced tomatoes which were dancing in the pot with screaming delight!
We had this soup as left-overs for the next few days and on the third day I loved it just as much as the first day!
I would make this soup again and perhaps freeze it for an impromptu lunch one day in the near future.
Fassolatha Greek Bean Soup Ingredients:
- 4-5 slices of bacon, chopped small and cooked until crisp
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 celery stocks, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 cans organic navy beans (2 x 14.5 ounces)
- 4 springs thyme (approx 1 tablespoon finely chopped)
- 1 can organic diced roasted tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
- 1/3 cup of chopped parsley
- 5 cups of veggie stock (may add more to your liking)
- salt and pepper to taste
- juice of a lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
Fassolatha Greek Bean Soup Instructions:
- Cook small bacon pieces in fry pan until crisp, transfer to plate over paper towel. Set aside.
- In soup pot, add a little olive oil heat up on medium.
- Sauté chopped onions and garlic, cook until translucent, 5-7min.
- Add carrot and celery, saute for another minute or so.
- Add diced tomatoes and the 5 cups veggie stock.
- Add beans – add more veggie stock or water to cover beans if needed.
- Add thyme, parsley, salt and pepper to your taste.
- Cover and bring to boil.
- Once boiling, add in the bacon.
- Reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 – 60 minutes.
- Serve soup in bowls.
- Garnish with some extra parsley and delightful lemon zest.
The Original Recipe From Here: http://www.lemonandolives.com/fassolatha-greek-bean-soup/
What I Changed From The Original Recipe:
- used canned navy beans instead of great northern dried beans
- did not use a bay leaf
- used organic vegetable stock instead of water
- added about 1/3 cup of cooked bacon pieces
- used my smoking gun to give a tad smoked flavour
- added juice of one lemon at the end of the cooking process before serving
- added lemon zest to each bowl of soup before serving
- used more parsley
- I used roasted canned tomatoes and I did not mash the canned tomatoes, I kept them chopped just like they are.
- I added garlic. What soup is not friendly for it?!!