One of the most popular vegetarian summer dishes in Lebanon, loubieh bi zeit is light and delicious. Enjoy a wonderful flavour combining the sweet and juicy Romano beans with sweet sun-ripened tomatoes. The broad, flat green beans are crunchy and perfect for making loubieh bi zeit. I cook them in olive oil with onions and garlic cloves, and season them with cinnamon, black pepper and salt until half-done, then slow-braise them with tomatoes until they soak all the flavours. When I can’t go to the farmer’s market and spot tomatoes at the supermarket that are highly suspicious of tasting bland, I steer my shopping cart to the canned food section and buy sun-ripened plum tomatoes instead.
Although I love eating vegetarian dishes when they are still lukewarm or at room temperature, they still taste best when they are allowed to rest one night in the fridge. Vegetarian dishes, also known as cold Meza dishes, can be planned and prepared ahead of time for lunch, dinner or even a party.
Loubieh bi zeit - Green Beans in Olive Oil
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion 150 g, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moon shapes
- 8 small garlic cloves peeled and halved
- 500 g Romano green beans trimmed on both ends, strings removed if any, and then rinsed and halved
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 500 g ripe tomatoes rinsed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the onions and the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until wilted and slightly brown, stirring all the time. Mix in the green beans, sprinkle with the salt, the cinnamon and black pepper. Reduce heat to moderately low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes, or until beans are tender. Add tomato paste and adjust taste. Continue cooking, uncovered, for about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce a bit.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and eat warm or cold with pita bread.
Great recipe! The bright flavors of the green beans and the tomatoes do not fade with cooking!
Sahtein! Glad you liked it 🙂
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Turned out great, I just used 7 spices and salt of all the spices mentioned.
Glad to hear that! It must tastes great with 7 spices, Sahtein!
I first tried this delicious dish at Ballaboosta in Adelaide, a favourite haunt of ours, but as we live five hours from the city, I wanted to recreate it at home. Thank you for your delicious recipe, Dina, it’s wonderful! I have already sent it to friends after cooking it when they came for lunch. I wish your book was available here in Australia… postage and the exchange rate are awful at the moment!
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback! I am glad you liked the recipe, and yes, it has been difficult to order books in these difficult times. Nevertheless I still hope you will get your hands on my book as it is not only a cookbook 🙂 You will find anecdotes and some history about my family and the region. In the meantime enjoy recipes here as they are super good and way much tested. Stay safe!
Ma sha Allah, it turned out very tasty!
Sahtein! Glad you liked it!
Habibti Dina, just made it for Mark, he always loves your recipe.
Thank you for the lovely feedback! Sahtein 🙂
My recipe is slightly different (based on my Lebanese grandmother).
– Well cook the onions in olive oil till they are almost dark – this is the key to loobyeh, they must be very dark to get the smoky flavor
– Add garlic at the end (it burns easily, late addition is a must for all raw garlic)
– Tip in the tomatoes and cook till moderately reduced
– Add some cinnamon/salt/herbs if you wish
– Add the beans and allow to soften over a low heat (takes a while, and you may need to add some water depending on your reduction as the beans need some water to soften!)
– Let it sit overnight – loobyeh is always much better the next day.
It sounds good! Family recipes are a treasure. And yes, loubieh tastes better the next day 🙂
Hello! Do we add water at some point?
Hello Fadia, in my recipe I don’t add water. I let the beans cook in their own water and later with the tomatoes. Usually there is enough water. If at one point you feel you need more water (if beans are still not done), you can, but not too much. Adjust taste then.
Excellent!; My husband is Lebanese and his mother made this a few times for us. I think she used all spice but I went with cinnamon, I love your recipe; it’s easy and so unbelievably delicious? Thank you!
Hi Lilian, Thank you for the mention!