My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Fasolia Yabsa (Iraqi White Bean Stew)
Fasolia Yabsa is the kind of comfort food every Iraqi grew up eating. Made with tender chunks of lamb or veal, creamy white kidney beans (also known as cannellini beans) and a rich tomato sauce, this hearty stew is simple, satisfying, and deeply flavourful. This recipe is a weekly staple, served over fluffy rice. My version keeps all the traditional flavours but with a few tricks to make it come together quickly as well as tips for using both dry and canned beans.
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5-Star Reader Review
“This was so good! I’m lebanese and it came out just the way my teta cooks it in 1/4th of the time! I began it when I came home from work and it was done in just under an hour. My husband and brother-in-law loved it and ate almost the entire pot!”
—Amy
Fasolia (White Beans) the Iraqi Way
Many may be surprised by the simplicity of this dish. No fancy spices, and a short ingredient list. But it’s one of the most flavourful stews simply because of the meat broth and the umami of the white beans. Instead of masking the flavour with a long spice list, try it this simple way!
It’s made using a similar process as other classic Arabic stews like okra stew, spinach stew, and green bean stew, simply served over vermicelli rice (and with green onions on the side, trust me!). It’s a really simple dish but when the ingredients all simmer together, it’s magical.
Here’s the Step by Step Process:
First, let’s address two ways you can go here: canned beans or dry beans. Dry beans (soaked overnight) have a lot more flavour, but this recipe also works with canned beans. More on that below.
For the meat, you can use lamb, veal, or beef. My favourite is veal or lamb since they are more tender than beef. Beef will generally yield a chewier texture. The meat can be in small cubes or larger pieces, and the amount can be adjusted based on how many people you are serving.
TIP: If I’m using dry beans, I soak them overnight and use my Instant Pot to cut down cooking time, or you can use any pressure cooker. Be warned that cooking soaked dry beans will require 2-3 hours on the stove!
- Start by soaking the dry beans overnight in water (this takes 2 minutes! more on why I use dry beans below)
- Season the meat with salt and pepper and sear on all sides, either in a large soup pot or the pressure cooker.
- Add the diced onions and continue to cook it with the meat for a few minutes. Add tomato paste, salt and pepper and caramelize the tomato paste to give it extra flavour.
- Add the fasolia or white beans along with the water and pressure cook for about 8 minutes if you’re using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Otherwise you can boil the beans and meat for 2-3 hours until tender.
- Check the seasoning and adjust the water level by simmering it for 10-15 minutes. The simmering process is important as it’ll help you either thicken your stew (by adding more tomato paste and/or boiling off some water) or thin it out by adding a bit more water. Taste it until it’s perfect and you’re done!
How to Adjust for Canned Beans
You can use canned beans in this recipe. Simply rinse them out and add them to the pot after you cook the meat until tender. You won’t need to cook them for long – they will need about 30 minutes to simmer. I do this a lot if I’ve forgotten to soak the beans!
How to make this dish vegetarian
Often times, to cut down our meat consumption, I will make Fasolia vegetarian. Simply skip the meat and add another onion to get more flavour into the stew. Also use vegetable broth instead of water to add more layers of flavour. You will have to reduce the amount of salt, because you don’t have meat in there and also depending on the type of broth you’re using.
For More Stews, You’ll Love These:
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Fasolia Yabsa (Iraqi White Bean Stew)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry white beans
- 500 g diced boneless stewing veal, amount per preference, use up to 1 kg, see notes
- 2 onions, roughly 2 cups when diced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
Instructions
- Start by soaking the white beans in a bowl overnight in 5 cups of water. They should roughly double in size the next day and yield close to 4 cups of beans
- Season the meat with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Add the vegetable oil to the instant pot (or a regular pot if you’re using stovetop directions) along with the meat and sear for 5-6 minutes on sauté mode, flipping on all sides until browned
- Meanwhile finely dice the onions, then add them to the pot and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to help the onions cook down
- Add 5 tablespoons of tomato paste and stir with the onions and the meat, allowing it to caramelize for 2-3 minutes
- Add the drained beans along with 5.5 cups of water, 1 and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix everything together
- Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. If you’re using the stovetop, boil everything for 1 to 1.5 hours until meat and beans are tender. You may need to replenish the water as the level goes down, so check on it every 20 minutes or so adjust
- Manually release the pressure and open the lid. Check the stew for seasoning and simmer it for 10-15 minutes on sauté mode. This step will help thicken the stew broth and balance all the flavours
- Serve with white rice, salad, and some yogurt and enjoy
Notes
- Veal is what I commonly use in this stew, however, you can use stewing beef, lamb chops, or even chicken pieces. It’s versatile!
- To make this vegetarian, use an extra onion and replace the meat broth with vegetable broth. You will have to reduce the amount of salt used, so adjust it to your taste.
Another dish that Iraqis make best! By Iraqis, I’m basing it off you haha sooo good!!
My dad use to make this a lot. Its easy to make but I never really got the recipe. This is always a classic. After school staple😊 thank you for all these classic dish recipes.
Can I use canned white beans?
Yes you can! Simply rinse them out and add them to the pot after you have cooked the meat until tender, but you won’t need to cook them for long. They will need about 30 minutes to simmer. Let me know how it goes!
What if I don’t use meat?
If you don’t use meat, then simply saute the onions until softened, then the tomato paste, then you can add the rinsed beans and simmer – you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth to add more flavour. Simmer until the beans are soft and season to taste. Hope that helps!
I love this recipe! Thank you!
I made the vegetarian version using frozen-then-thawed then-seared-with-flavorings tofu. The frozen-then-thawed tofu adds a nice chew. I served with green onion as suggested but also added some cilantro (since I had it on hand and it needed to be eaten, haha!). A squish of lemon or lime adds a nice flavor-splash as well.
But what I love most about this recipe is how simple and quick it is to make – I used a slow cooker since I don’t have a pressure cooker. I can tell that is going to become a regular staple in our vegetarian household. Lovely!
I am so thrilled you loved it! I love the simplicity of this dish too – but still with lots of flavour. Thanks for your review and for sharing your tweaks!
This was so delicious and comforting! I used great northern white beans and beef brisket. I also added some roasted eggplant at the end because I have so much eggplant (such an amazing time of year!).
Great recipe, can’t wait to try! If I was to use Chicken instead of veal, do I change the pressure cooker timing?
Yes – you can probably pressure cooking the chicken for about 15 minutes or so. You can also skip the pressure cooker and just boil the chicken since it won’t take more than an hour (that’s if you’re using canned beans and not dry beans). Good luck!
Excellent recipe! Thank you for the the detailed instructions. This is a major throwback to my childhood. ❤️
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! This is a nostalgic recipe for me too 🙂