Loubieh bi Zeit — Print Recipe

Tender green beans braised slowly with tomatoes, onions, and garlic in generous olive oil until silky and deeply flavored. This quintessential Lebanese vegetable dish proves that patience and good oil are all you need.

Ingredients

500g green beans, trimmed and halved
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
400g canned diced tomatoes
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup water

Instructions

1 Trim the ends of the green beans and cut them into 5cm pieces. Dice the onion and slice the garlic cloves thinly.
2 Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onion for 5 minutes until translucent and beginning to soften.
3 Add sliced garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Stir in allspice and cinnamon, letting the spices bloom in the oil.
4 Add green beans, diced tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine everything evenly in the aromatic tomato sauce.
5 Cover and simmer on low heat for 30-35 minutes until the beans are very tender and the sauce has thickened and reduced significantly.
6 Let cool to room temperature before serving, as this dish is traditionally enjoyed warm or at room temperature with rice and bread.

Did You Know?

Lebanese grandmothers insist that loubieh must be cooked "until the beans surrender" — any hint of crunch means it is not ready yet.