Fasolia (Syrian Green Beans with Beef and Tomato)
Fasolia, Fosolia, or Fasoliya is a classic Syrian or Lebanese green bean stew with lamb or beef cubes, tomatoes, garlic, and warm spices like allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and cloves. It’s a one-pot dish that’s nutritious and is the ultimate comfort food. It's my favorite of the Middle Eastern stews and always reminds me of home. I absolutely love mine served with vermicelli rice or white rice and a shepherd’s salad. Check out fasolia bi zeit (also called loubieh bi zeit) for a vegetarian side dish.
What is Fasolia?
Fasolia is the Arabic word for "beans," and it can be referred to either green beans or white beans (which is a dish for another day). The building blocks of any traditional dish is in-season vegetable, cooked in a way to draw out it’s natural flavors plus meat. You’ll see this with Bamiyeh (Okra Stew), Riz ou Ful (Fava Beans and Rice), Mnazelet Betinjan (Eggplant and Tomato Casserole). Today we’re focusing on green beans. You'll also see this dish referred to as Fasolia bi Lahme.
Why You’ll Love Fasolia
It’s a one-pot meal, which makes it adaptable for a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or Instant Pot, just be sure not to overcook it.
Since green beans are the focal point, it’s healthy and nutritious.
It makes delicious leftovers. Since it’s a stew, it tastes just as good, if not, even better the next day!
It uses simple ingredients that you probably already have yet tastes unique. The blend of Arabic 7 Spices (allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper), green beans, garlic, beef or lamb cubes, and tomatoes, is unlike anything you’ve tasted.
Ingredients
Green Beans — Fresh green beans are the main ingredient. To prepare them, snap off the ends and cut into 2-3 pieces, transferring them to a large bowl. You can use frozen if you prefer.
Lamb or Beef Cubes — You can use any favorite meat, either beef shank cut into large chunks or lamb.
Garlic — 1 whole head of peeled garlic is cooked with the green beans and meat. Cooking garlic over low heat for a longer time makes it much less pungent, and it really draws out its natural sweetness and creaminess.
Tomatoes — What makes this different than any other Syrian or Lebanese Fasolia recipe is that I use fresh tomatoes. Many other versions of this dish might use tomato paste or canned chopped tomatoes. I find that using less whole chopped tomatoes keeps the green beans the star and makes it much more balanced.
Spices — This stew uses classic Syrian spices. If you have Arabic 7 spices mixed already, you can use that. Or, you can use a combination of allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper. If you don’t have allspice or cloves, you can leave them out, the stew will still be delicious.
Method
Making Fasolia is honestly so simple. In a large pot, add ghee or some sort of neutral oil with the beef cubes and seasoning over medium-high heat. Cook until well browned.
Add the green beans, garlic, and salt, and toss for a couple of minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the green beans wilt and release moisture. Keep cooking, checking on the pot every once in awhile, stirring, and adding water as needed to prevent burning.
Once the meat is cooked through and the green beans are soft, add the chopped tomatoes, cover, and continue cooking for about another 30 minutes. Take off the heat and serve.
Can I Cook From Frozen Green Beans?
I personally have not tried it, however many in our Instagram community have. I asked for tips on cooking from frozen green beans without it turning mushy. They suggested cooking meat all the way through first by boiling with onion and spices. Then strain, reserving the liquid, so you can control how much you’re going to add. Combine tomatoes, frozen green beans, meat, and a bit of the broth, just enough so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. And, like any traditional Middle Eastern recipe (because it is sometimes super hard to get the timing right), some suggested to embrace the mush!
Tips
Cook until the green beans are tender and soft, but not mushy. The cooking time will vary a lot based on where you live, the moisture contents of the green beans, etc. Start checking at about 1 hour, but it can take up to 2-3.
Add water only as needed. You don’t want the green beans to be soupy, but a bit of water left at the end is fine. If you have too much, boil on high uncovered until the moisture evaporates.
Serve with white rice and a shepherd’s salad, which is basically chopped tomatoes and cucumbers with lemon, olive oil, dried mint, and a pinch of salt.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, do so over low in a pot on the stove for about 15-20 minutes. You may need to add a bit of water.
This one-pot meal would be great in an Instant Pot, slow cooker, or pressure cooker. I haven’t tried it, so I can’t offer instructions, but if you do, please comment and let people know if it works for you!
I can't wait for you to try this tasty stew! If you do, don’t forget to put it in the comments so everyone knows how it worked out. I also love to see your creations! You can tag me on social media at #omayahcooks, @omayah.atassi on Instagram, @omayahcooks on Pinterest, and @omayahatassiphoto on Facebook.
I know you get bogged down with what to feed your family every week because believe it or not, I do too. That’s why I created my monthly meal prep guide. I map out the month with a calendar, recipes, and weekly grocery lists to make cooking super streamlined for you. Be sure to sign up to get the next one to your inbox.
*This post was originally posted on October 12, 2019. The photos, description, and recipe have since been updated.
Fasolia (Syrian Braised Green Beans with Beef and Tomato)
Ingredients
- 1/4 c ghee or neutral oil (like sunflower, avocado, rapeseed, etc.)
- 500 g/1 lb lamb or beef cubes
- 2 kg/4 lbs green beans, cleaned, trimmed and snapped in half
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt, more to taste
- 1 head garlic (about 15 cloves), minced
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- Rice for serving
Instructions
- Preheat ghee or neutral oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the meat, spices, and salt. Fry, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
- Add the green beans and garlic. Cover, reduce to low, and cook until the green beans are wilted and releasing moisture.
- Continue cooking, stirring and checking every once in awhile if there's moisture on the bottom of the pot, adding water as needed to prevent it from burning. When it's finished, the green beans should be tender and soft, and the meat will be easily pierced with a fork. Your teeth should easily sink through them, but they can still hold their shape. This will take anywhere from 1-2.5 hours.
- Once the green beans are soft, add the tomatoes, cover, and simmer until tomatoes have released their juices, about 30 minutes.
- Taste and adjust salt to make sure all the flavors come through.
- Serve with rice and a lemony salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and dried mint.
- Fasolia can be made up to a day ahead of time. Reheat gently on the stove with a bit of water before serving.