Fassoulia

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Recipe Information

Total Time: 
1 hour 15 minutes; 30 minutes active
Servings: 
6

Fassoulia (Armenian braised green beans), served with crusty bread or rice, is a warming spring meal.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound ground lamb
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
  • 2 cups canned diced tomatoes with juice
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup broth or water

Preparation

  1. In a large stock pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the ground lamb for several minutes until it begins to brown. Drain the meat and set aside.
  2. In the same pot, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook about 10 minutes until they have softened and are starting to brown. Add meat, minced garlic and spices, and saute for a few more minutes. Add all remaining ingredients, stir well, and cover. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender. Taste for salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Serving Suggestion

Accompanied by slices of crusty bread or served over rice, fassoulia is a warming spring meal. Fassoulia tastes even better the next day, after the flavors have had a chance to intensify. To make this a vegetarian dish, eliminate the meat and reduce the tomatoes by a half cup.

Nutritional Information: 

264 calories, 17 g. fat, 8 mg. cholesterol, 613 mg. sodium, 18 g. carbohydrate, 5 g. fiber, 12 g. protein