Lebanese White Bean Stew: Fasolia That Tastes Like Someone’s Kitchen

⏱ Prep: 15 min 🔥Cook: 45 min 👤Serves: 4–6 🫘Origin: Lebanon, Levant

Lebanese white bean stew, fasolia bi lahme, is one of those dishes that every Lebanese household makes slightly differently and everyone eats without complaint. Beef or lamb browned in olive oil, simmered with cannellini beans in a tomato sauce built on garlic, cumin and fresh cilantro, finished with a squeeze of lemon that cuts through the richness just before serving. This is not a complicated dish. It is a deeply satisfying one, especially served over vermicelli rice with bread on the side to finish the sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 lb beef or lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes, top sirloin, stewing beef, or lamb shoulder all work well. Or skip the meat entirely for fasolia bi zeit, the vegan version.
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can (400g / 14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans (400g each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, or butter beans; both are traditional
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon seven spice (baharat), optional but adds depth
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1–2 cups water or broth, to reach your preferred consistency
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, half added during cooking, half stirred in at the end
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, added at the very end

Step by step

1. Brown the meat. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Pat the meat dry, season with salt and pepper, and sear in batches until browned on all sides, about 6–8 minutes total. Remove and set aside.Browning the meat in batches rather than crowding the pot is what creates real color and flavor on the outside, crowded meat steams instead of sears and the sauce loses depth.
2. Build the base. In the same pot, sauté the onion over medium heat until soft and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and half the cilantro, cooking 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Toast the tomato paste. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly and smells sweet rather than raw.This one step, toasting the tomato paste in the oil before adding any liquid, does more for the richness of the final sauce than almost anything else. Don’t rush past it.
4. Simmer. Add the crushed tomatoes, cumin, coriander, seven spice if using, and the browned meat. Pour in enough water or broth to just cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 25–30 minutes until the meat is tender.
5. Add the beans. Stir in the drained cannellini beans and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick. The beans should stay whole and creamy, stir gently.
6. Finish and serve. Turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining cilantro and lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt. Serve hot over vermicelli rice or with warm bread.

The beans are the point, not the meat

Fasolia is often described as peasant food in the best possible sense, a dish where a small amount of meat stretches across a pot of beans that do all the real work. The meat flavors the sauce and adds protein, but the creamy, tomato-soaked cannellini beans are what the dish is actually about. This is why the beans go in near the end: to absorb the sauce without dissolving into it.

Make it your own

Claire’s note

For the vegan version, fasolia bi zeit, skip the meat entirely and use vegetable broth. It is, genuinely, just as satisfying. A spoonful of tahini stirred in at the end adds richness in place of what the meat would have contributed. Fasolia keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days and actually improves on day two, when the beans have had time to fully absorb the sauce. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.

Serve with

Lebanese white bean stew is traditionally served over Lebanese vermicelli rice, with warm pita bread alongside to scoop up every bit of the sauce. For more from the Lebanese collection the complete Lebanese recipes guide have it all.

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Lebanese White Bean Stew (Fasolia Bi Lahme)

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
• Diet: Optional Vegan

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Description

A comforting Lebanese white bean stew made with beef or lamb, cannellini beans, and a rich tomato sauce flavored with garlic, cumin, and fresh cilantro.

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Ingredients

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• 1 lb beef or lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can (400g / 14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans (400g each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon seven spice (baharat), optional
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1–2 cups water or broth
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

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Instructions

1. Brown the meat. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Pat the meat dry, season with salt and pepper, and sear in batches until browned on all sides, about 6–8 minutes total. Remove and set aside.
2. Build the base. In the same pot, sauté the onion over medium heat until soft and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and half the cilantro, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Toast the tomato paste. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly and smells sweet.
4. Simmer. Add the crushed tomatoes, cumin, coriander, seven spice if using, and the browned meat. Pour in enough water or broth to just cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 25–30 minutes until the meat is tender.
5. Add the beans. Stir in the drained cannellini beans and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.
6. Finish and serve. Turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining cilantro and lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt. Serve hot over vermicelli rice or with warm bread.

Notes

Fasolia bi zeit is a vegan version that skips the meat and uses vegetable broth; a spoonful of tahini adds richness.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Simmering
• Cuisine: Lebanese

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 380
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 500mg
• Fat: 14g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Unsaturated Fat: 8g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 42g
• Fiber: 10g
• Protein: 25g
• Cholesterol: 70mg