Jani Me Fasule: Albanian White Bean Soup

Jani me Fasule is a hearty Albanian white bean soup full of flavor and easy to prepare. This hearty bean soup is made without meat and is therefore vegetarian or vegan. It is also healthy thanks to the natural plant-based ingredients and is nice, rich and creamy, almost like a stew. Add a piece of good bread and a wonderful dish is ready.

I know Jani me Fasule from a vacation in Albania: I spent two weeks there in 2018, traveling in the mountains, by the sea, and in cities. This delicious soup is a traditional Albanian dish and therefore was a constant companion.

I’m not sure if it was always vegan … even though I always asked. It could be that they use butter (I could clearly taste it in the pasta, for example, despite asking), or perhaps even beef broth, as I can see from some recipes.

Unfortunately, veganism is not (yet) very widespread in Albania. I did get almost exclusively very tasty food, and often hoped that it was plant-based … however: this Jani me Fasule recipe is 100% vegan.

Balkan bean soup

Albanian bean soup, Serbian bean soup, Greek bean soup, Turkish bean soup – what’s the difference? There are a few, but none of them are earth-shattering.

Some recipes contain garlic, Serbian bean soup often contains meat, Turkish bean soup sometimes does. The Albanian version is often vegetarian, while the Greek “fasolada” is always prepared without meat.

The Greek soup also contains no paprika. Serbian and Turkish soups are usually hearty and spicy, while Greek soups taste lighter and fresher. Albanian bean soup is somewhere in between in terms of taste – as well as geographically.

Each of these soups has its own characteristics, but at their core they are quite similar. There is also not the one “original Albanian bean soup”, but many variations. Every Albanian grandma (and mom, or maybe even dad) cooks the soup in their own way – it will never taste exactly the same, even in Albania, but it is essentially the same.

The similarity is even reflected in the names: Fasule (Albania), Pasulj (Serbia), Fasolada (Greece), Fasulye (Turkey).

Ingredients for Albanian bean soup

Jani me Fasule is based on a few simple ingredients, namely:

• White beans (I use dried beans and usually buy them in 1 kg bags in Turkish supermarkets)
• Vegetables: onion, red bell pepper and carrot
• Olive oil for frying the vegetables and for the roux, made with flour
• For seasoning and refining: tomato paste, oregano, paprika powder, bay leaf, salt, pepper, (homemade) vegetable stock;

Other ingredients you could add if you want an even richer meal would be potatoes or tofu (I would use diced smoked tofu). This is no longer a classic Albanian bean soup, but a wonderful vegan stew.

You can also vary the herbs a little: Thyme, savory, lovage and parsley also work well in a bean soup or stew. If you prefer making a spicy white bean soup, simply add some chili.

Preparation

The preparation is as simple as the ingredients, namely:

• Soak the beans the evening before.
• The next day, cook the beans until soft.
• Finely chop the vegetables and sauté.
• Gradually add the flour, spices, herbs, water and cooked beans.
• Cook the bean soup for about 15 to 30 minutes. Purée some of the soup for more creaminess.

Update October 2024: Ever since I got to know and love pasta fagioli – a recipe for which will follow – I have realized that using a hand blender to briefly purée the beans in their sauce produces a wonderfully creamy result.

I have now done the same with this soup and believe that I have come even closer to the “original recipe”. In Albania, I always ate Jani me Fasule with a nice creamy texture and always thought that this could not only be due to the roux. By puréeing it, I was also able to reduce the amount of flour.

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as I do and that I can conjure up a culinary Albanian getaway for you. If you like vegan soups, be sure to check out my other recipes.

There you’ll find delicacies such as an Italian white bean soup, which is very different from this one, and, if you’d like more pulses in liquid and warm form, a creamy Turkish lentil soup.

You might also like to eat …

White Bean Soup Turkish Red Lentil Soup Vegetable Stock Powder Millet Porridge Potato Leek Soup with Beluga Lentils

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Yield: 4-5 plates

Jani Me Fasule: Albanian White Bean Soup (vegan/vegetarian)

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Jani me Fasule is a hearty Albanian bean soup. The recipe for this delicious white bean soup is vegetarian or vegan and easy to prepare.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Additional Time 12 hours

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 250 g (8.8 oz or a bit less than 1,5 cups) dry white beans (small- to medium-sized ones)
• 1 onion
• ½ red bell pepper
• 1 small carrot
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp tomato paste
• 1.5 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp paprika powder
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1.25 l (5 cups) of vegetable stock - or same amount water & 2 tbsp (homemade) vegetable stock powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Soak the beans overnight, rinse them and cook them in unsalted water until soft. This takes more or less than an hour, depending on the beans. 
2. Finely chop the onion, bell pepper, and carrot.
3. Heat olive oil in a pot and sauté the veggies on low to medium heat until they are soft and the onions turned translucent.
4. Then add the tomato paste, oregano, and paprika powder. Stir. 
5. Next add the flour, stir, and cook for only a few seconds while stirring.
6. Now it’s time to add the vegetable stock powder, water, bay leaf as well as salt, and some pepper. Also, add the beans at this point.
7. Cook for about 15 to 30 minutes and at the end of the cooking time, optionally blend a little part of the soup for more creaminess.
8. Maybe season with pepper and some more salt and serve with fresh bread. 

Notes

If you can’t finish the soup all at once: It tastes even better on the next day