Fasolia Lebanese Lamb and Lima Bean Stew

5 from 6 votes

Lebanese fasolia is a slow-cooked lamb and white bean stew made with dried lima beans, caramelized lamb, tomato paste, and sautéed onions.

Servings:

Soak the dried lima beans the night before or for a minimum of 3 hours.
In a large pot on medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Caramelize the lamb meat on each side. Set aside. Add the chopped onions to the same pan where the meat was cooked. Sauté the onions on medium-high heat until cooked through (about 8 minutes).
Add the soaked lima beans, water, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, caramelized lamb meat, whole peeled garlic, salt, pepper, and allspice. Turn the stove to medium heat and cover. Cook the fasolia for about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until the lamb is tender. Stir every 30 minutes. If the stew is very thick, add some water so the beans don't burn on the bottom.
Cook for another 1 hour on very low heat, covered. The total cooking time is close to 3 hours. Add chopped cilantro (optional). Serve with vermicelli rice.

The nutrition facts do not include rice.
Storage: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store in the freezer in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.
Use a pressure cooker. Cut the cooking time by half by using a pressure cooker.
Add whole garlic cloves. My family adds whole garlic cloves to flavor the stew, however, many other recipes don't use garlic.
Add cilantro at the end.
Substitute beef in lieu of lamb. Use either beef cubes, beef shank, or tender lamb chunks of meat for fasolia, just substitute equal parts. You can also use goat meat, although it's not my preferred meat of choice because it's tougher.
Use meat with bones or without bones. My family prefers to use meat with bones; however, meat without bones is also suitable. For every 1 lb of boneless meat, substitute 2 lbs of meat with bones. For a serving of 8, use 4 lbs meat with bones or 2 lbs boneless meat.