Fasolada

Description

Fasolada is a Greek white bean soup in which tender white beans are served in a light and flavorful tomato broth.  A generous serving of vegetables brings a hearty note to this dish while the delicate tomato broth brightens every bite.  White beans are the main ingredient in this soup which makes this recipe high in fiber and protein so you will be satisfied and nourished.  Not only is this recipe incredibly healthy, it is very budget friendly.  A pound of dried white beans averages around 2 to 3 dollars, leaving just a few other inexpensive vegetables to make up this soup.  Since you are using dried beans for this recipe, be sure to time this one accordingly, you will have to start soaking your beans the night prior to making this soup for at least 8 hours.  After your beans are soaked, you’ll simmer them along with some aromatics such as onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few hours until they are creamy, yet holding together.  If you are like me and you are constantly on the go, you may not have a few hours to sit around while your beans simmer.  Simmering them a little at a time and then covering them will do the job just fine, all that matters is that they are tender by the time you are ready to make your soup.  Once your beans are ready, it’s time to cook all of your vegetables that go into the soup and then add the beans back for one final simmer and then the soup is done!  Instead of relying on chicken broth to flavor this soup, I rely on the veggies and tomato along with a good glug of red wine vinegar and olive oil at the end to give the soup a final kick of flavor.  This is a commonly requested recipe in my house that goes great with a big slice of crusty bread and a salad for a healthy and filling meal.  This is another recipe I use as a go to for after a vacation when we all may have eaten too much junk food. Nothing feels better after a long trip than digging into a hearty and nutritious bowl of Fasolada to reset your diet.  Speaking of a reset, this soup was especially helpful after our most recent visit to a popular theme park when my kids dared each other to drink the water from one of the rides.  We were at the theme park and were going all day walking from place to place in the hot sun and we all decided that a nice soothing boat ride would be a great respite from the heat and also to ease our aching feet.  It finally came time for us to board our boat that would take us on a journey.  As we all sat down with a sigh of relief, we began to enjoy the peaceful motions and voices that would guide us through the ride.  Unfortunately, our brief moment of peace and quiet didn’t last long when I heard my kids arguing and splashing in the questionable water.  Just when I had turned to tell them to keep their hands inside the boat, I was met with the dreadful sight of them holding their hands up to their mouths in tandem to drink the water from the ride.  As it turned out, they had dared each other to drink the water from the ride. I was shocked and spent the remainder of the ride imagining every scenario that drinking that water could have led to. Immediately after disembarking our ride, we sped them to the nearest first aid station.  We quickly explained to the agent on duty what had happened as my kids' faces were quickly turning green with nausea.  Luckily for us, this is a common problem that they had a quick solution for.  The kids sheepishly grabbed the antidote the judgemental first aid worker offered them and sat down to recover for a short while.  After about 15 minutes, my kids were back to normal and ready to continue our day. I could not have been more thankful that we never fully met the force that the nasty ride water would have delivered had it not been for the remedy at the first aid station, but I can say that we all learned a lesson that day.  The following day, our vacation was over and we went home and made a delicious batch of Fasolada to fully reset our diets.