Fasolakia, which simply means casserole style green beans with lots of extra virgin olive oil, is a simple one pot vegetarian dish cooked in most Greek homes.

It tastes amazing with Greek feta cheese  and some crusty bread. You can replace or add the potato with carrot, and add zucchini if you like. If you do add zucchini, cut it into even size chunks and be mindful that zucchini will add more liquid to your dish, so you may need to monitor the water content. I also love this dish with lamb cutlets.

I don't need to tell you how nutritious this is and how great it tastes the next day for lunch too, so don't worry about left overs 😉

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 750 g of green beans, ends trimmed, cut in two 
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium size onions, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 medium sized Desiree or Nicola potatoes, quartered
• 2 medium sized zucchinis, thickly sliced (optional)
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 long red chilli, chopped (optional)
•  2 x 400 g tinned tomatoes, or 6 chopped fresh tomatoes 
• 2 tbsp tomato paste 
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup water (monitor this)
• salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat approx 2-3 tbs of the olive oil over a medium-high heat in a large saucepan.
2. Add the onion, garlic and chilli and cook till soft (approx 2-3 mins).
3. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, water, bay leaf and oregano and cook for another 5 mins.
4. Add the potatoes and stir thoroughly to combine. Add the green beans on top of the potatoes.
5. Add the parsley and remaining olive oil. 
6. Allow to cook for 15 mins, stir all the ingredients well, season with salt and pepper and lower the heat to a low setting.
7. Cook for a further 50 mins with the lid on or until the beans and potatoes are tender.
8. Keep a watchful eye to make sure that there is enough liquid and you don’t burn your meal. 
9. Serve with feta cheese and plenty of bread.