Kuru Fasulye is a traditional Turkish stew typically prepared with tender white beans, beef chunks and fresh tomatoes.
Our homemade Turkish Beans recipe is quick and easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 2 hours! It’s the perfect hearty beef and bean stew to serve during the colder months of the year in the Fall and Winter.
Serve this comforting Kuru Fasulye recipe with a simple pickled tomato salad and generous dollop of creamy Greek yogurt!
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What Is Kuru Fasulye?
Kuru Fasulye is a popular stewed bean dish in Turkish cuisine. It is made primarily with white beans, onions, tomato and fresh herbs. Sometimes meat is added like chunks of stewing beef or pastirma cured beef.
Turkish Beans are often served with rice, bulgur or slices of crusty bread to round out a main meal. Dubbed one of Turkey’s national dishes, our Kuru Fasulye recipe is best served with a simple pickled tomato salad and dollop of creamy Greek yogurt.
Travel to the Turkey By Making Kuru Fasulye at Home
I love traveling to the Middle East.
As a professional food and travel journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy amazing meals in the Middle East, from authentic markets to award winning restaurants.
For over ten years, I’ve been on the hunt for the best Kuru Fasulye recipe via adventures that had me zig-zagging across Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Dubai.
I spent 2 weeks traveling in Turkey, tasting my way through Goreme, Bodrum, Ephesus and Istanbul. My fondest feast during my culinary tour of Turkey was a tasty culinary walking tour of Istanbul where I tasted authentic Turkish Beans for the first time.
In Turkey, we suggest eating at Esnaf Lokantası, which translates to Tradesman Restaurant. These humble local eateries are usually found in cities where retail shopping and offices are located. Kuru Fasulye is the pillar of these humble restaurants.
Once back home from a Turkish holiday you’ll have a newfound appreciation for the flavours of the Ottoman Empire and can impress friends and family by making our easy Kuru Fasulye recipe!
Where To Eat Traditional Turkish Beans
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Middle Eastern or Turkish restaurant that serves homemade Kuru Fasulye.
Haven’t traveled to Turkey before? It may be helpful to first sample Turkish Beans at a local restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You’ll get an idea for the perfect beef to bean ratio, variety of herbs to flavour the stew and ideal side dishes to accompany the steaming savoury bowls.
In Toronto, popular Middle Eastern restaurants that may serve Turkish Beans include Parallel, Byblos, Tabule, Fat Pasha, Maha’s, Masrawy Kitchen, Paramount Fine Foods, Anatolia, Barans, Meat Point, Sofra Istanbul and Pizza Pide.
My Family Loves Turkish Beans
I love cooking Turkish Beans for my family.
I first made traditional Kuru Fasulye on a chilly Fall day at our cottage in Muskoka. We still had plenty of fresh herbs to pluck from our garden like dill, thyme and parsley. They all made an appearance in this flavourful recipe!
I knew my family would love this healthy Turkish recipe because they enjoy hearty stews, juicy chunks of beef and creamy Greek yogurt.
When cooking Turkish Beans the divine simmering sauce perfumes the kitchen making your guests smile with glee from the comforting aroma.
The protein rich stew is packed full of beef and beans, which swim in a velvety sauce featuring butter, garlic, onion, paprika and tangy pomegranate molasses.
You can serve Turkish Beans all on their own but we like to get fancy when guests come over for dinner. Add a dollop of creamy Greek-style yogurt to each bowl with a few spoonfuls of pickled tomato salad. The bright acidity in the salad contrasts nicely with the hearty stew.
Kuru Fasulye Health Benefits
Our authentic Kuru Fasulye recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Beans are rich in cancer-fighting vitamin C, energy-boosting B vitamins, and gut-healthy fibre.
Beef is a great source of protein and minerals like iron as well as an excellent source of the amino acid L-caine. Beef also features antioxidant glutathione known for its anti-aging benefits.
Onions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Rich in energy-boosting manganese and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, thyme may help keep your blood and immune system healthy.
Paprika is rich in vitamin A, capsaicin, and carotenoid antioxidants. These substances may help prevent inflammation and improve your cholesterol, eye health and blood sugar levels.
Rich in a group of phytochemicals called carotenoids, tomatoes may help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and provide protection against cancer. Tomatoes are also a good source of immune-boosting vitamin C.
An excellent source of vitamin K, as well as vitamin C, folate, and iron, parsley helps keep your bones and blood healthy, and protects your skin from damage by free radicals.
Dill is packed with micronutrients such as Vitamin A and C, responsible for healthy vision, skin and immune function.
Pomegranate has anti-oxidant, and anti-viral properties and is said to be a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E, as well as folic acid.
Packed with calcium and friendly probiotic bacteria, sour cream and yogurt help keep your bones strong and your gut healthy. Yogurt may also help reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and some types of cancer.
Turkish Beans Recipe Cooking Tips
This delicious Kuru Fasulye recipe is quick and easy to make at home. Here are a few helpful tips and tricks:
- We suggest preparing Turkish Beans in a large pot or Dutch Oven with a firm lid.
- We suggest using canned Cannellini Beans to save time but you can always soak dried beans in water the night before.
- Stewing beef uses a more affordable cut of meat. It’s tough so requires a longer cooking time to tenderize the meat. Visit your butcher to purchase beef chuck, brisket or short rib.
- You can substitute stewing beef for lamb if you prefer.
- You can make vegetarian Turkish Beans by omitting the beef.
- You can make vegan Turkish Beans by substituting butter for olive oil and omitting the yogurt garnish.
What To Serve With Turkish Kuru Fasulye
There’s nothing more comforting than cozying up to a warm bowl of Turkish Beans on a cold winter day.
Kuru Fasulye in Turkey is typically served with rice, bulgur, noodles or crusty bread. Local restaurants in Turkey will often serve the stew with homemade fermented vegetables. Creamy yogurt and pickled tomato salad offer the perfect garnish.
If you’re hosting a Turkish-themed dinner party you might want to serve Kuru Fasulye with these other popular dishes:
- BBQ Tavuk Sis Turkish Chicken Kebab
- Mihlama Kuymak Turkish Melted Cheese and Cornmeal
- Vegan Spicy Turkish Salsa Ezme Salata Salad
- Kisir Turkish Bulgur Salad
- Peynirli Pide Cheesy Chorizo Turkish Pizza
- Kiymali Pide Spiced Minced Meat Turkish Pizza
- Turkish Mint Yogurt Corbasi Soup
- Turkish Pogaca Feta and Dill Bread Rolls
- Mucver Tarif Vegetarian Turkish Zucchini Fritters
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How To Make Kuru Fasulye Turkish Beans Recipe
Kuru Fasulye Turkish Beans
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- French knife
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
Turkish Beans
- 5 1/2 cups Water
- 6 cups Canned Cannellini Beans
- 16 oz Stewing Beef 2 inch chunks
- 1 Large Spanish Onion chopped
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 8 Garlic Cloves peeled and smashed
- 4 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 14 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes
- Kosher Salt
- 1/2 cup Fresh Parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp Fresh Dill chopped
- 2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses
- Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
Pickled Tomatoes
- 3 Plum Tomatoes cored, seeded, diced
- 3 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Fresh Dill chopped
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp White Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
Turkish Beans
- In a large Dutch Oven, combine the water, beef, beans, onion, butter, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over the stove then cover and simmer over medium heat for 90 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and 2 teaspoons salt. Simmer over the stove, uncovered until liquid is slightly thickened.
- Remove the beef chunks and set aside. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Once cooled, finely chop the beef and stir into the pot. Add the parsley, dill and molasses. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with yogurt and pickled tomatoes.
Pickled Tomatoes
- In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Nutrition
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