This Greek White Bean Soup with Feta is a flavorful and hearty dish made with cannellini beans, aromatic vegetables, and a blend of Mediterranean spices. Known in Greece as fasolada, this soup is typically topped with Kalamata olives, crumbled feta cheese, and fresh parsley for the perfect combination of textures and flavors. In fact, it’s considered the national dish of Greece!
If you’ve been here a while, you know that I absolutely adore olives. This is definitely one of those soup recipes that I order any time I see it on a menu. And trust me, it lives up to the hype! Bonus? It’s gluten-free and easily made vegetarian by using vegetable broth.
Be sure to check out all our easy soup recipes, like this Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, Potato Leek Soup, or Cauliflower and White Bean Soup! Long live soup season.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil: For sautéing the vegetables and finishing the white bean soup.
- Red onion, carrots, celery, and garlic provide the aromatic base, bringing depth and flavor to the soup.
- Tomato paste: Adds depth and richness to the broth.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: Forms the soup base. Totally fine to use veggie broth here instead!
- Herbs and spices: You’ll need dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and bay leaves infuse the soup with flavor.
- Canned cannellini beans: Add a creamy texture to the white bean soup. Tips below for using dried beans!
- Red wine vinegar: Adds acidity, balancing the flavors.
- For serving, use Kalamata olives, feta cheese, fresh parsley, and cracked black pepper to add flavor and texture. Serve with crusty bread to make it an even heartier meal.
How To Make Greek White Bean Soup
- Sauté aromatics: Heat olive oil; sauté red onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until fragrant.
- Simmer soup: Add tomato paste, stir, then pour in chicken broth (or vegetable broth). Add oregano, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves, then bring to a boil. Stir in drained cannellini beans and simmer over medium heat until vegetables and beans are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Optional thickening: Mash some soup with a fork or blend for a thicker consistency. Totally optional!
- Finish and serve: Stir in the remaining olive oil and red wine vinegar. Remove bay leaves, then taste and adjust seasoning, adding Kosher salt as needed. That’s it! Ladle into bowls, then top with black olives, feta, and parsley. I love to add lots of freshly cracked black pepper, but this is personal preference. Enjoy with crusty bread!
Expert Tips
- To use dried beans, 1 lb of dried beans should be soaked overnight and then drained. Use 6 cups of broth instead of 4 cups and let them simmer for 1 hour before proceeding with the recipe.
- To thicken the soup, you can mash it briefly using a potato masher, or give it a quick whirl with an immersion blender.
- Alternatively, you can also scoop part of the soup out into a traditional blender and blend before adding it back to the pot. Just be sure to vent the blender to prevent accidents!
- For extra heat, garnish with additional crushed red pepper flakes.
- For a richer flavor, use high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Add a splash of red wine vinegar before serving to enhance the taste.
Make-Ahead, Leftovers, & Storage
- To make-ahead: Fasolada tastes even better the next day, making it an ideal make-ahead meal. Reheat gently on the stove, adjust seasoning, and add fresh toppings right before serving.
- Leftovers and storage: Store any leftover soup in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- To freeze: Cool the white bean soup completely, then transfer it to airtight containers, leaving some space for expansion. Will keep for up to 2-3 months in a freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
To make fasolada in a slow cooker: Follow the same steps, but cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the beans are tender.
How To Serve
When you’re ready to enjoy this classic Greek soup, ladle it into bowls, and don’t forget to add those tasty olives, crumbly feta, and fresh parsley (or other fresh herbs — dill, perhaps?) on top. Grab a piece of crusty bread on the side for a cozy and satisfying meal!
If you want, you can also serve this white bean soup with a Classic Greek Salad! When I’m feeling lazy, I’ll simply toss baby spinach or arugula with my Creamy Garlic Dressing or Greek Yogurt Dressing and throw in a handful of chopped tomatoes. Easy!
Substitutions and Variations
- Add vegetables! I love to add a handful of spinach or kale and fresh diced tomatoes.
- Other varieties of beans: Pinto beans, navy beans, or even chickpeas will work, though the flavor will change slightly.
- To make it extra filling, you could add cooked crumbled Italian sausage or shredded chicken.
Get ready to fall for this recipe—it’s a breeze to whip up, and the kitchen smells amazing while it’s cooking. The mix of beans, veggies, and those yummy toppings brings so much comfort and flavor to your table; it’s a feel-good meal you’ll want again and again!
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Greek White Bean Soup with Feta
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the soup
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil + ⅓ cup
- 1 medium red onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
- 2 celery stalks, cut into ¼-inch dice
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, use vegetable stock to make vegetarian
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 (15oz) cans cannellini beans or butter beans, drained
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
For serving
- Kalamata olives, pitted and halved or roughly chopped
- Feta cheese, crumbled
- Fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- Crusty bread
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 cups diced red onion, diced carrots, and diced celery. Season with 1 tsp Kosher salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4-6 minutes. Add 4 chopped garlic cloves then cook for an additional minute.
- Simmer until tender. Stir in 2 Tbsp tomato paste, then cook for about 2 minutes, breaking up with a spatula. Pour in 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, then stir in 1 tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add 2 (15oz) cans drained cannellini beans. Stir, reduce to a simmer, then cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the veggies and beans are tender.
- Optional: Mash beans to thicken soup. This is completely optional, but if you want a slightly thicker soup, transfer 1-2 cups of the soup to a large bowl, then mash with a fork. Alternatively, you can place in a small blender and purée. Return to the soup, then stir to combine.
- Finish, then serve. Stir in remaining ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil and 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, then discard bay leaves. Taste, adjust seasoning, adding more Kosher salt if needed, then divide between bowls. Top each with a generous spoonful of chopped Kalamata olives, crumbled feta cheese, and chopped parsley. I like to finish with freshly cracked black pepper and serve with crusty bread.
Notes
- To use dried beans: use 1 lb dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight, then drained. These will need to simmer in the broth for 1 hour, or until tender, before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. Instead of 4 cups broth, use 6 cups (the beans will absorb more liquid as they cook). Once tender, add remaining oil, vinegar, and toppings.
- For a little extra heat, garnish with additional crushed red pepper flakes.
- To make-ahead: Fasolada tastes even better the next day, making it an ideal make-ahead meal. Reheat gently on the stove, adjust seasoning, and add fresh toppings right before serving.
- Leftovers and storage: Store any leftover soup in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- To freeze: Cool the white bean soup completely, then transfer it to airtight containers, leaving some space for expansion. Will keep for up to 2-3 months in a freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Photography by: Jo Harding.
The soup was nothing short of amazing. It has all the things I love and you can spice to taste, so I added a little bit of extra red pepper flake. I had never had olives in a soup before and it was fantastic.
On a personal note, all of the well seasoned recipes are totally aligned in my taste wheelhouse, but this is the first one I’ve actually made.
This is absolutely delicious. Already made it twice this week and it was a big hit in my house.
Love to hear this, Erica! I just love the combination of ingredients here! xo, Ari
Amazing!! Even better the next day
TRULY! One of my absolute favorite soups I’ve ever made! xo, Ari
This recipe makes a really wonderful soup that comes together easily. It was perfect for my Sunday lunch, not too heavy but also not too light. As always, with WSS recipes, the directions were great and provided me with a great meal. I also appreciate the substitutions notes as I used pinto beans since I prefer those over cannellini.
We love this one too! The beans make it super filling. We just polished off another batch and can’t wait to make more. Pinto beans sound like a great substitution! Thank you for the kind words, they mean so much. xo, Ari