A nice mix of green beans, onion, and tomatoes simmered until soft and delicious! Just like Yia Yia used to make!

Greek Green Beans

olive oil

onions

garlic,

green beans,

tomatoes,

sugar

salt

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the onions and garlic in the skillet until tender.


Mix the green beans, tomatoes, sugar, and salt into the skillet. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 45 minutes, or until beans are soft.


Good recipe, however, in Greece we tend to sautee the diced onions in oil first and add some crushed parsley. Then add the green beans, and tomato juice with diced tomatoes, for 5 minutes. (salt&amp;pepper) Then add water just enough to cover the green beans and boil for 50 minutes till the sauce is thick. This makes the green beans softer.
Serve with feta cheese and bread for that extra something! Perfect.

This is a GREAT side dish. I used canned tomatoes.  I added more garlic and garlic salt, along with some Oregano.  My husband is Greek and adding the Oregano makes it more like the green beans we have been served at Greek restaurants, weddings etc.

Oh my goodness.  Tastes like home!  I could eat fasolakia (as we call it) every day.  I was tempted to add sliced potatoes, but I will do that next time.  This time I followed to the letter, except I upped the garlic to 5 cloves, used an extra tomato, and added about 1/4 of broth (I would have liked to use white wine, but had none).  I simmered the beans for a solid hour, maybe an hour + 10 min.  Also sprinkled a generous amount of parsley.  What a nectar the sauce became... I could hear my Greek father's voice telling me to soak it all up with bread.  And this dish is not complete with a big chunk of feta cheese on the side.  Delicious!  But for those who omit the sugar, beware--it serves the purpose of balancing the acidity of the tomatoes.  Just a little goes a long way.  I actually cut out 1/2 a tsp from the recipe, and it was just right.  Yaya would be proud!!!

This dish reminds me of my grandma's cooking. It's one of those classic Greek vegetarian dishes that tastes better the next day (after all the flavours have blended). In Greece it would be eaten at room temperature. I love to crumble some Feta on top and eat it as a main course with some crusty bread to sop up the juices. With a glass of dry white wine, what could be better? Yum!

I love the idea of this recipe.  I even use it with a can of green beans.  I use a small amount of evoo and add onions, tomato, and sugar to taste.  I let them soften and add a can of green beans to heat. Taste great!

My sister had some extra green beans that a friend gave her so I made this recipe.  I did add more garlic because I love garlic and I also added some Oregano as another reviewer suggested.  This was very good and I will make it again.  




I have to change my review a bit: I agree with the other reviewer, the onions should sweat a little before cooking the beans.  You should use two small onions, 4 ripe tomatoes, and a whole head of sliced garlice for these beans -- one clove is definitely not enouh.  A note to the other reviewers that do not like this recipe after cutting back on the oil - the name of this recipe in Greek translates to "Oily Beans."  You must add the oil to get the flavor, then do not transfer the oil to the plate when serving.  This dish must also rest for a period of hours to meld the flavors - as with most Greek dishes.  Parsley should be added and the addition of oregano is a big no no.  This is a main course, typically served with feta cheese and bread.

I'm not a big fan of green beans, but I loved these! Used canned beans, a can of tomatoes w/onion &amp; garlic + 2 small onions and garlic. Omitted the salt. Delish!

These were QUITE tasty!  I made it easier on myself, I'll have to confess.  I used two cans of green beans (drained) and two cans of diced tomatoes (partially drained)and followed the recipe from there.  It was excellent.  Yes, that's a lot of olive oil but you can use a slotted spoon to serve.  Will make again and again!

We love this recipe - we do however add diced tomatoes with green chilis - to spice it up and as another person suggested we saute the onions and garlic and spices in olive oil (plus a little butter) before adding to the tomato mixture. Everyone loves it - even our 4 year old son!!

I loved these.  I added about 3/4 cup of chicken broth and only cooked it about half the time and it was perfect.

I watched an authentic Yaya make this once and she put a plate over the beans to squish them all down into the cooking liquid.  At the end, the beans should look extremely soft; no longer any crispness.  Because they are saturated with delicious sauce instead!

This is fantastic! I cut the recipe in half and used 2 small roma tomatoes, other than that, it was not tweaked...thanks!

These are absolutely delicious.  My family has made these all summer.  Any ideas of what to serve w/ them?  (We always just want LOTS of green beans!

Follow the advice of Pureshores and add a lot of fresh parsley about 1/2 cup or a smaller amount of dried parsley when adding the tomatoes.  Cut the the sugar to 1/2 tsp or possibly 3/4tsp.  You can use a small can of diced tomatoes if you do not have any fresh tomatoes.  You may need to add a little water because typically the beans will not be soft in 45 mins.  It depends on the beans but a few times I had to cook them for 1 1/2 hrs to get them as soft as they are typically served in Greece.  You can use frozen beans too.  You will need about 1/2 -1 can of water to cook until soft.  Serve with a slab of feta and some crusty artesan bread and you have a typical Greek peasant meal.

I loved this!  the only changes I made were to use a 16 oz can of stewed tomatoes with juices that I chopped. (good fresh tomatoes were not in season)  I also added a little chicken stock to add a little more moisture since it had to cook for so long.

very tasty. I used a little less olive oil and no sugar, plus I used canned diced tomatoes and only cooked it for about 20 minutes.

I will definately make it again.

Used canned tomatoes and frozen green beans. Cooked in crockpot for 3 hrs.

The only thing that makes this recipe even better is a little Feta cheese sprinkled on at the end. Delicious!

These are my new favorite way to have green beans.  I didn't have fresh green beans so I used a can of organic french cut style green beans.  I didn't add salt or sugar.  Just seems odd to have sugar on green beans.  I did sprinkle on some organic garlic powder.  I cooked in the onions in the olive oil first, then added in the tomatoes as I diced them.  I diced the tomato into small and medium sized pieces.  After all the tomatoes were in, I added in the can of organic green beans.  I drained all the water in the can before adding them in.  Only took about five minutes after that and it was done.  They turned out delicious.  I'll definitely be making this recipe again.

I didn't measure anything, but using the ingredients these greens beans taste similar to the kind i've had at greek restaurants.  The trick is to cook the beans all the way down until tender.  I added a little less than 1 tsp vinegar.  I also sauteed the onions in oil before adding them to the already boiling green beans.  I think the only thing that could improve these beans is cooking them in a little chicken broth.  Otherwise, very good.  Also, I was concerned about the sugar but it added something very subtle and good to the dish.  Enjoy!

Perhaps it's because I have never had this while dining out or anywhere else for that matter, but it was lacking for me.  It was ok, but not sensational.

This was pretty good. I've had a potato dish that was very similar, but this was a different way to cook green beans. As suggested, I added oregano. I halved the recipe, but did 3 cloves of garlic and used one 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes. Because of that, I didn't add any sugar and went light on the additional salt since canned tomatoes have plenty of both. Cooked for around 30 minutes (my beans were frozen), and that seemed fine.

I have three words to say, yum, yum, yum! My whole family really enjoyed this recipe. I will definitely make these again.

What an easy and tasty recipe.  I could eat these as a meal all alone.  As it was, had them with marinated portabello and quinoa.  Picky meat-eating son even said they were "really good".  I left off the sugar and used a mix of fresh/canned tomatoes.

This was a real hit at our house.  I did add a little more garlic and onions to suit our particular tastes.

I doubled the amount of garlic, added oregano and let it cook about ten minutes longer (I tend to like my beans on the softer side). Better than my Nouna's.

green beans and tomatoes: the essence of summer, served over a bed of wild rice

I first made this dish several years ago, and I have made it more times than I can count since then.  It's a favorite of mine, and I never tire of it.  I still add more garlic (usually about 3 cloves), and I always use either fresh (my own Romano ones are best) or frozen if it's winter.  Please, I beg you...don't use canned--it is NOT the same flavor. You want those beans to cook until they soften, and they become so sweet and meltingly tender you won't believe it.  This is not the time to go crisp-tender.  I always use sweet onion, and I don't add the sugar, and unless it's the height of summer, and my tomatoes are in, I usually use  high quality, fire roasted whole ones that I crush by hand.  Sometimes, I add a touch of bacon grease if I have it on hand, and I don't usually use the whole amount of olive oil.  But I DO recommend you be generous with it...it really does make a difference.  Smoked paprika is also great in these.  Bottom line, this is one of the best vegetable dishes ever, so grab some beans and a pot, and get cooking!  This tastes best slightly warm or room temp to me. A loaf of crusty bread to soak up those lovely juices and a hunk of salty cheese, and I've got the perfect meal.

This is yummy. However, I did substitute garlic for galic powder because I didnt have any galic- still it tasted great.

This recipe has enough potential that I'll probably make it again, but it needs changes. I love olive oil, but it calls for WAY too much. Next time I'll probably saute in 1 tablespoon oil, then add one more with the beans (maybe a little more if the tomatoes aren't very juicy). Also, they weren't even close to done after 45 minutes. I ended up covering them and letting them cook another 30 minutes. Next time I'll try cooking with the lid on from the start. On a positive note, my husband and I agreed the flavor was very good!

This was an interesting way to snaz up the frozen green beans I had in my freezer.  I used diced tomatoes (15 oz can) instead of fresh, and omitted the salt and sugar.  Tasted great with the gyro burgers.

simple, quick and yummy. What more can I say? This is a very nice recipe for a fast, healthy dinner over rice. The only change I made was to add a can of diced tomatoes, since I had no fresh ones.

I used only enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and diced, canned tomatoes.  Everyone loved them.  I will definatley make these again.

Another bean favourite in our house. I don't use that much oil and I peel the tomatoes before dicing.  Canned tomatoes work well too.  I add fresh parsley, oregano and a sprinkle of hot chili flakes.  And of course the feta and crusty bread is a must!

This was amazing! So very tasty and perfect. I substituted the tomato for a can of petite diced tomatoes in garlic &amp; olive oil and added a few more fresh chopped garlic cloves.  Perfect veggie dish!

Good, but a little too much olive oil for me.

This is a keeper! I cheated too as I used canned tomatoes but it turned out so good. Next time I will cut back on the oil though.

Good.  Perfect for using up green beans and tomatos from our garden.

Tasted like this needed something.  It was just okay.  Everyone finished it but felt like it was just meh. I've made these again with a few changes and upped the stars.  First, I completely cheated.  I didn't have fresh green beans so used a can of French cut green beans and used red onions.  I also sprinkled in a little Mediterranean Basil (dried).  My husband's eyes rolled in the back of his head with the first bite.  This will now go in the rotation more frequently.  I think the BIG difference were the onions not the canned beans. lol

Amazing recipe. Cook beans until soft, the longer the better. I cook for up to 1 1/2 hrs! DELISH!!!!

Love it.  I did add oregano, parsley and liquid just to cover the beans as other reviewers suggested. (im not sure how they can cook so long with no liquid but the original recipe doesnt include any  ??)  This was very yummy.

I normally fall in love with every Greek recipe I try, this one was just okay. I basically followed the ingredients as states except I added 1/4 cup of oil rather then  the 3/4 cup called for. No way was I adding that much oil. I added some oregano to give it more of a kick. Tasted good with pita and tzatziki though, just no real wow factor. 

Excellent, just like my  Lebanese friend serves at her restaurant.

Good, but WAY too much olive oil. Next time I'll just boil the green beans a little first and maybe just coat them in olive oil. Otherwise, delicious.

Excellent.
3-18-13:  Ann says she likes it this time, but not the last.

Easy and very tasty-- perfect side dish to any Mediterranean main course.

This is very much like one of my favorite recipes (just like Mom's). I use much less oil, and saute onions (1 small, chopped) and garlic (2 or 3 cloves). Then I add salt, pepper, and a ton of oregano, and when the onions are soft and clear, I add the green beans. Once they're soft-ish, I add 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes and let it cook. Then add a handful of sugar. After awhile, take the lid off to allow the sauce to condense. And that's about it. My favorite side ever!

This is an easy and excellent recipe.  After reading it, I thought it would be bland but the flavors were just awesome.  Made this recipe for a holiday and had to give several people the recipe after they tried it.

These were perfect, and very easy! I've pestered my Greek in-laws for years for their recipe but they don't have one written down and I never seem to be able to watch them cook these beans! Anyway, the flavor was just like we're used to from Greek family &amp; restaurants. I used a 15oz can of whole tomatoes that I diced, instead of fresh. Worked great! This is a keeper.

Great flavor just the way it was in the recipe without the sugar and added 2 more cloves of garlic.

Made this a few nights ago exactly as written.  It was really delicious.  Thankfully there was some left over for lunch the next day.

Perfect as is. I'm Mediterranean and this was and is one of our staples during late spring,  summers and early fall. Always served with poached fish and poached lamb or mutton. Thank you for sharing.

I cannot believe how good &amp; simple recipe is. Thank you for sharing it. I have made this twice. The first time, I made it as written, except, (as some reviewers suggested) I added more garlic (about ten cloves) and some chopped, fresh, Italian flat leaf parsley, (a handfull, approx. 1/4 C)). I used a can of organic tomatoes, as the tomatoes in our grocery store in the winter are not ripe, and I added enough water to the tomatoes to fully cover the beans. The second time, I did the same,  but I didn't have the full two pounds of green beans, so I added some potato &amp; mini-portobella mushrooms to what I had. Both times I simmered for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Both times delicious! I served this as a side dish, but it could easily be a main. Next, I will try it as several people have suggested and serve it  with bread and feta.

Delicious with super fresh tomatoes from the local farmers market -- zestastic!!

I made this tonight using canned green beans and it was excellent.  I can't wait to try it with fresh green beans when they are in season.  While I didn't use all the olive oil in the recipe, since I was using canned beans, what I did put in really did make a delicious 'sauce' once everything was assembled.  Too bad I won't have any left to see what it tastes like the next day!

I love beans, and this is a fantastic way to eat them.  Thanks for submitting

Absolutely love this recipe. Only thing I changed was omitting the tomatoes. I'll use this recipe every time I make green beans.

Best. Beans. Ever. Never been a fan of beans, but these were amazing! I halved the recipe and used 2 cans of cut green beans and a can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano. Based on other comments, I cut the olive oil by 1/3 and doubled the garlic. And instead of the salt, I used 1 tsp. of the spice mixture left over from the Roasted Greek Chicken from this site (equal parts of dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper). I think this will be my go-to dish for my next pot luck!

Make sure you have a big skillet, didn't have a big enough one, had to cook longer and stir often to cook evenly,  flavors were good though and will probably cut recipe in half next time

Yum!  Who thought green beans could be so delish!  Nice served w/potatoes.

Really good and I love two things about it: made from pantry ingredients and gets better overnight. I made it by sautéing the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft and translucent.  Then I added 29 oz canned green beens and 29 oz diced canned tomatoes.  Plus a healthy dose of oregano.  +S&amp;P to taste. simmered 3 hours+.

I simply had to reduce the oil in this recipe, but kept the rest pretty much the same.  Very good.

Another delicious dish. I made this and took the tip from the previous comment to add parley and it was fabulous. My family loved it and will definitely make this again. I made this with the Greek Chicken and white rice which I commented a few minutes again. Thank you for these delicious recipes.

This was a nice way to use frozen green beans from the garden.  My husband said he would like to try this recipe again with green beans straight from the garden, not frozen.  We used petite diced canned tomatoes for convenience...no fresh tomatoes on hand.

Great dish! I was lookig for a vegan dish for a school event, when I came across this one. After reading the reviews and comments, I decided to try it.
I know that, as an authentic Greek dish, the beans are supposed to "float" in olive oil, but I still decided to cut the oil down to 2 tablespoons. I added some parsley to the onions, and a tablespoon of tomato paste for color. Last, I added about one tablespoon of lime juice to the beans before I added them to the dish, to maintain the nice green color (I used frozen green beans), and some black pepper to taste. Came out just wonderful, thanks for the recipe!

I will make this more often, perhaps adding diced egg plant, potatoes, or sliced mushrooms for variations.

This was good. Nothing amazing, but the tomatoes did add something a little different and good to the green beans.

Delicious...
Added oregano, but otherwise made it as suggested. 
My boyfriend hates green beans normally, but liked these. Hurrah!

Great flavor, simple to make. My 10 yr. old Great Granddaughter loved this recipe.

Substituted canned tomatoes. Added garlic salt to taste. The sauce was slightly sweet but a wonderful, savory substitute when craving pasta.

This is a great recipe that is a very different way to cook green beans.  I had a huge batch of fresh green beans and this was a great way to use them up.  I have tried a few green bean recipes, and this one's a keeper!

I gave this one four stars, because my husband and kids didn't really care for this recipe.  I enjoyed it, and I ate them three days in a row!  I did add the oregano as others suggested.

I loved this recipe; wonderfully simple and so very tasty. I also added oregano like another reviewer stated and used canned tomatoes. Make sure to have some crusty bread on hand to soak up the sauce. 

Excellent as a side dish to the Prune and Olive Chicken dinner (be sure to check that one out). It added color and variety to the table, and, more importantly, my guests all raved. Thanks for a WAY better than average way to serve the common green bean!

Not too bad.  Leftovers tasted great 2 days later.

This recipe uses way too much olive oil. It ends up making the green beans taste greasy. If you use fresh green beans you will have to add more water and more seasoning also. I recommend cutting the amount of olive oil and serving this with the Rachel Ray Cheesy Orzo recipe. It tasted great topped on that.

These are the best Greek Green Beans (Fasolakia).  The secret is to give them plenty of time to simmer to really fuse the flavors.  I cook them for at least 60 minutes.  I used i large onion (diced), a bit more garlic (3 cloves, diced) and 1 can of diced tomatoes with garlic and basil.  A good tip is to add a good glug (maybe 1/3 cup or so) of red wine the last 20 minutes of simmering.  I serve them with roasted lamb from the grill and crispy oven roasted potato wedges.

Absolutely delicious!  However, I did decrease the oil to 1/4 cup as it seemed excessive to me.  Although this dish tasted great, I was a little disappointed with the appearance - after cooking for so long both the green beans and the tomatoes lost too much color for me.  I added about a tbsp. of tomato paste to boost the tomato flavor.  Next time I will cook the "sauce" for a while and toss in some steamed green beans to see if they retain their bright green color.  Appearance was the only thing holding me back from giving this one 5 stars.

Made exactly as this recipe directed--very yummy. Served with Greek lemon potatoes, also from allrecipes.com, and chicken souvlaki kebabs. My family loves this Greek dinner!

Delicious! Made this recipe as a side dish for Christmas dinner and it was a hit. A nice alternative to the traditional creamy green bean dish most serve. 
A great addition would be toasted slivered almonds on top after serving.
I would make this again.

Didn't think this was that great. Not much flavour. Maybe I was expecting too much as had this dish in turkey and is was so good!  Will keep on looking.

Delicious. I made this according to the recipe directions, but I would probably add oregano as others have suggested.

   I've cooked green beans this way many times but haven't had it in ages - thanks for rreminding me of this great dish.

Made this as a side dish for Traditional Gyro Meat (meatloaf) and it ROCKED! Even the kids liked it. Added a sliced red bell pepper because I saw it in another recipe and I happened to have one. Was skeptical that the beans would be total mush if I cooked for 45 minutes as recommended but I'm happy to say I was wr-r-r. They were perfect. Having the leftovers tonight. Might top with some Feta, but then again why mess with a good thing??

had to make two days in a row it was so good!

got raves for this one!  a keeper for sure.

Yuck, I won't be making these again! For all the time and preparation involved the end result was not worth it! These were too oily (had to drain them before serving!), didn't have enough flavor (in spite of the extra garlic and black pepper I put in) and 45 minutes wasn't long enough to make the beans tender enough for my taste. 

These green beans were very good.  Would definately make it again.

Loved this - it made ordinary beans special -thnx

I had 2 cups chopped leeks left over from my leek/potato soup, and a half an onion, in they went. Ditto 2 sweet banana peppers from my garden, so all sautéed together. Even, at the very end and after tasting, plopped a tablespoon of balsamic into the dish. Did follow recommendations of parsley - have so much - and chicken stock (for sure). In no way was this "oily". Very important to cook the beans thoroughly. Yay, the next day.

I was looking for a health way to eat green beans and found this recipe.  I made a couple of adjustments to the recipe.  I used only 1 tsp of Olive oil and added fennel seed, ground mustard and crusted red pepper.  It was very tasty and something that I will make again.  

Good. Even my teen liked, and he's not a green been fan. Skipped the sugar, didn't miss it.

My husband called this dish "outstanding".  I used home canned green beans and tomatoes and used vegetable broth instead of olive oil as we are on strict plant based diet that does not include oil of any type.  I also added oregano suggested in another review.

Way too much olive oil so I reduced the amount. Easy to prepare, used a package of haricourt verts from Sams Club. Reduced the onion and used frozen, diced onion as a timesaver. Used canned diced tomato and eyeballed everything. Went nicely with the Baked Chicken and Stuffing recipe from this site.

Green beans simmer with tomatoes and onions until tender and yummy.

greek green beans

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total: 1 hours, 15 minutes

Servings: 8

Author : COLEE576

Ingredients

Instructions

Top Similar Recipes from Across the Web

Greek Green Beans (Fasolakia)

Greek Green Beans-Fasolakia Lathera

Fasolakia Giaxni / Lathera (Greek S...

Traditional Greek Green Beans recip...

Green Beans

Lemony green beans

Green Beans Amandine

Sautéed Green Beans

Green Beans Gremolata

Green Beans Almondine

Smoked Green Beans

Yummy Green Beans

Seasoned Green Beans

Chinese Green Beans

Garlic Green Beans

Green Beans Provencal

Green Beans Almondine

Southern Green Beans

Roasted Green Beans