Hearty, healthy, and bursting with fresh and vibrant colors and flavors. This traditional Greek green beans recipe (Fasolakia giaxni) will certainly amaze you!
Green beans, sweet onions, and fresh, juicy tomatoes cooked the authentic Greek way, creating an all-time favorite vegetarian dish.
One can find many variations of this traditional Greek dish, with the most popular being this classic version and the Greek green beans with potatoes that I am also including in this recipe below!
So go ahead, read along to discover my tips and tricks to help you make it to perfection, how to make Greek Green beans with potatoes, how to prepare it in a slow cooker or instapot if you’re low on time of course, my delicious recipe!
What are Greek Green Beans in tomato sauce?
This is a traditional Greek Green beans in tomato sauce recipe, which in Greek are called Fasolia or Fasolakia.
They are commonly known in English as braised green beans, but, when prepared, you might know also them by their Greek name: Fasolakia Lathera – the latter part meaning “ones with oil”.
These all dishes where vegetables are meant to be prepared only with olive oil, with no addition of other fat. So make sure to use some good quality extra virgin olive oil, which will give its own, unique taste to this dish!
What makes these Greek Green beans unique is that they are cooked in a delicious, thick tomato based sauce, soaked in plenty of olive oil, until they become soft yet still have some firmness to them. No mushy beans here!
How to make Greek Green beans (Fasolakia Giaxni) the traditional way?
Greek green beans (fasolakia) are cooked using a basic Greek cooking technique, called “Giaxni” and pronounced “yahni”, which means “cooked in steam”.
With Giaxni cooking you don’t stew the beans, but rather cook them in the juices already present in the tomato sauce, which turn to steam and get trapped inside when the lid is on!
Greek Green Beans Preparation Tips
To prepare this Greek green beans recipe (fasolakia giaxni), firstly sauté the onions in half the oil, until tender and sweet. Then mix in the garlic, tomatoes and the rest of the olive oil to create the sauce.
I often add a pinch of sugar to offset the tanginess of the tomatoes, particularly if they are out of season. Traditionally, you would use fresh tomatoes here but canned chopped tomatoes or even Passatta would work.
Then add your prepared green beans. Make sure your string beans are coated in the sauce and simmer for about 30 minutes until cooked throughout. You might need to top with a little bit of hot water if the sauce dries out some during cooking.
Just before serving, add salt and pepper and chopped parsley. Or for something a little different, top with Greek Feta cheese and some Kalamata olives.
Do you need to peel (de-string) your green beans?
I fondly remember my grandmother spending her mornings peeling green beans when she was making this recipe for the family. However, in recent times, you would have noticed that, thankfully, green string beans don’t need to be peeled any more!
Due to selective breeding, the green string bean varieties that you get at your local store don’t have that string running down their side any more.
So, these days, the only thing you need to do to prepare your beans is to simply trim off their edges. Also, if you’re using frozen beans, they are already fully prepared for you.
Greek Green Beans and Potatoes
You can also add some potatoes to your Green beans to make this dish even more hearty and filling. To make your Greek Green beans with potatoes, prepare the sauce but don’t add the beans just yet.
Cut your potatoes into medium sized cubes and add them in the sauce together with a glass of water. Boil them on low heat for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just beginning to soften up.
Finally, add the green beans and cook for a further 30 minutes till the beans and potatoes are cooked and most of the sauce has evaporated.
Preparing your Greek Green Beans in a slow cooker
If you want to make your Greek Green beans using your slow cooker, the best way to do it is to cook it is at the highest temperature. Sauté all the vegetables in a pan, add your beans, the tomato and seasoning then transfer over to your slow cooker.
Depending on the model, it could take 3-6 hours so I would check it regularly. You want to catch the beans where they still have some texture and aren’t too mushy. Also, as less water is evaporated when using your slow cooker, you most likely won’t need to add any during cooking.
Preparing your Greek Green Beans with an Instant Pot
To make the recipe with an Instant Pot, start by setting it to sauté to warm up. Add the oil and the chopped onions and sauté till translucent. Then stir in the garlic, tomatoes and a pinch of sugar and stir well. Finally add the prepared green beans. Stir well, till the beans are coated with the sauce.
Cover and secure the lid, set the valve to seal and set the manual or pressure cook timer to 15 minutes. Once the time is up, do a quick release and taste your dish. The beans should be soft but not mushy. Add any additional salt and pepper to taste.
Making ahead of time and storing
You can store the beans in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Allow them to cool completely before putting them in the fridge. To reheat, simply toss them in a hot pan and warm them up till hot throughout.
Serving suggestions
Whether you are serving these green beans as an appetizer or side dish, they are always delicious! If I am cooking for myself and want something light, yet filling, then all it takes is some pita bread dipped into the flavorful sauce.
If I’m looking to make it into the main course, then I serve them together with some grilled chicken or lamb which will make sure everyone gets their fill at mealtime!
Love vegetables?
If you love vegetable stews as much as I do these recipes are made for you!
This traditional Greek green beans recipe (Fasolakia giaxni) will amaze you! Prepare these green beans the authentic Greek way with some sweet onions and fresh, juicy tomatoes, creating an all time favorite vegetarian dish.
Ingredients
Scale
1250g green beans, trimmed (45 oz.). You can use fresh or frozen.
To prepare this traditional Greek green beans recipe, start by washing the green beans thoroughly. Drain them in a colander and set aside.
Heat half the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until transculent and tender. Stir in the garlic, the grated tomatoes, the rest of the olive oil and a pinch of sugar and bring to the boil. The traditional recipe for Greek green beans calls for fresh ripe tomatoes, but if you like you can substitute with canned chopped tomatoes, or Passata tomato juice.
Add the green beans and blend well, so that the green beans are coated with the olive oil and the tomatoes. Turn the heat down, cover with the lid and simmer for around 30 minutes, until the beans are soft and most the juices have evaporated. During cooking, check out if the pan appears to be getting dry and add a little bit hot water if needed.
Towards the end of cooking time season with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped parsley.
Serve the Greek green beans (fasolakia giaxni) warm or at room temperature with salty crumbled feta cheese and lots of Kalamata olives. Enjoy!
This was AMAZING – thank you for sharing! I had some garden tomatoes, frozen whole during the summer when I had too many to keep up with canning, and was able to grate them directly (frozen!) into this dish. What a treat during Lent, when the flavor of fresh tomatoes is but a distant memory. It was the main dish of our meal, and all my kids gobbled it up.
Absolutely delicious, I’ll definitely making again. I was making it as a side dish for 4 and used a lot fewer beans and adjusted the other ingredients accordingly. I also finely chopped the tomatoes as grating them sounds very messy!
Absolutely delicious! Love this recipe in restaurants and think this recipe is better than any I have had before. I also cut tomatoes in fine little pieces which worked well and I added a 1/4 cup of tomato paste. Sauce was very light and the paste did not over power the taste of the green beans.
I am going to send the recipe to friends and family! Thanks for the post.
This was delicious! I made it as written and used canned San Marzano tomatoes, which I grated on the large holes of my box grater. We couldn’t stop eating it.
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(651 votes, average: 4.68 out of 5)
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This dish is delicious, I can’t wait to have some fasolakia for dinner with olive oil and fresh tomatoes 😛
Ah thank you! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it!
Love
Eli
Delicious recipe- ευχαριστώ!
This was AMAZING – thank you for sharing! I had some garden tomatoes, frozen whole during the summer when I had too many to keep up with canning, and was able to grate them directly (frozen!) into this dish. What a treat during Lent, when the flavor of fresh tomatoes is but a distant memory. It was the main dish of our meal, and all my kids gobbled it up.
Exact same recipe i was given in Naxos last year, makingbthis now to go with Stifado!
Really impressed with this site, thank you.
This is exactly how my Mom and Yiayia taught me to make them. ???
Can I use runner beans?
Love makin fasolaki I like puttin chicken thighs my kids love it , crusty bread to mop up the sauce, ha ha reminds me of Yaya …richie.
Absolutely delicious, I’ll definitely making again. I was making it as a side dish for 4 and used a lot fewer beans and adjusted the other ingredients accordingly. I also finely chopped the tomatoes as grating them sounds very messy!
First time I tried to make these after eating Yia Yia and Papou’s for years. Fantastic!
Efharisto,
Michael
Absolutely delicious! Love this recipe in restaurants and think this recipe is better than any I have had before. I also cut tomatoes in fine little pieces which worked well and I added a 1/4 cup of tomato paste. Sauce was very light and the paste did not over power the taste of the green beans.
I am going to send the recipe to friends and family! Thanks for the post.
How is fasolakia made with carrots added??
Oxi !
No fresh lemon squeezed in or the tomatoes probably add the zing.l love getting these at Greek fest!
I love this recipe. Can I use some yellow beans along side of the green ones?
This was delicious! I made it as written and used canned San Marzano tomatoes, which I grated on the large holes of my box grater. We couldn’t stop eating it.