Slow-simmered white beans with onion and tomato
Fasule, also called grosh, is a simple Albanian bean dish. This version uses dried white beans and a tomato-and-onion base. The source photograph shows a darker-bean serving with rice and bread; those accompaniments are optional and are not included in the recipe yield.
- Prep
- 15 mins
- Cook
- 2 hours 15 mins
- Rest
- 8 hours
- Total
- 10 hours 30 mins
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
The recipe
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Before you start
Soak the beans under refrigeration for 8 hours. Cooking time varies with their age. Use a large pot with space above the water level; the initial boil must not be replaced with a low-temperature slow-cooker setting.
Ingredients
Quantities change with servings; cooking times stay the same.
Equipment
- Large lidded pot paid link
- soaking bowl paid link
- frying pan paid link
- colander paid link
- ladle paid link
- kitchen scale paid link
Method
Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Add the fresh cooking water in a large pot. Bring to a full rolling boil and keep boiling for at least 30 minutes, topping up as needed.
Reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 60–90 minutes, or longer if necessary, until every bean is soft inside. Maintain enough water to cover them.
Meanwhile, soften the onion in olive oil for 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add a ladle of bean liquid to loosen.
Stir this mixture into the tender beans with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Mash a few beans against the pot to thicken, then serve.
Chef’s notes
Test several beans, not just one: they should crush easily with no chalky centre. Stir occasionally and watch the water level during the initial boil.
Tips and variations
This is a stovetop white-bean adaptation. For a thicker dish, uncover near the end rather than adding flour. If serving with rice, prepare it separately and follow the shorter rice storage limit.
Serve with
Ladle into bowls and offer bread and a small plate of pickles. Plain rice is an optional serving variation, as shown in the source photograph.
Storage
Divide into shallow containers, cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. Eat within 48 hours and reheat once until steaming hot. If combined with cooked rice, cool within 1 hour and use within 24 hours instead.
Nutrition per serving (estimated)
Nutrition has not been calculated. Portion size and the brands used will affect the final values.
Allergens
The listed soup ingredients contain no deliberately added wheat, milk, egg, nuts or sesame. Check tomato paste and packaged ingredients. Bread or other accompaniments may introduce allergens.
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Questions
Why are the beans still hard? Older dried beans can take much longer; keep simmering with enough water.
Can I skip the initial boil? No. Soaked dried kidney-type beans, including cannellini, require proper boiling before simmering.
Is the darker colour in the photo expected? The photograph uses a different bean variety; this white-bean version will look lighter.
