Loubieh bi Zeit means green beans in oil and is a Lebanese vegan side dish recipe made with simple ingredients. No kidding... you only need tender green beans, ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a generous pour of good olive oil. Loubieh bi Zeit is great served cold or warm or at room temperature as a side dish with some pita bread for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Fresh or frozen green beans stewed in olive oil with onions, lots of garlic cloves and fresh tomatoes with no added spices or water will blow your socks off. Yes, you read that right, no spices - none! And trust me, you will be surprised by how good this simple dish tastes.
I found this recipe in the cookbook by Mona Hamadeh back in summer of 2014 and have been making this dish since then. In the book, Everyday Lebanese Cooking, the author has titled the recipe as Loubeyeh Bzeit - Green beans with tomatoes. I did try other internet versions but kept coming back to this recipe for its simplicity. Remember my Horaa Osbao? It is the same feeling I get whenever I serve this Lebanese green beans stew with tomatoes. Simple, vegetarian, vegan, surprisingly flavourful and extremely comforting!
Ingredients
- Olive oil: A good quality extra virgin olive oil is a key player in this green bean stew. If you are running low, then feel free to opt for any olive oil variation during the cooking process but use the evoo to drizzle before serving.
- Onion: I have used red onion but yellow onion works well too.
- Garlic: Use the whole bulb of garlic for up to 500gms green beans. Just separate the cloves and peel them before using them. You don't have to chop the garlic cloves.
- Green beans: I have used french green beans but you may use any kind of green beans. Make sure to trim them and remove any fibre from the sides.
- Tomatoes: I have used fresh ripe garden tomatoes. Add tomatoes of the same weight as beans. So if you are using 500gms beans, then use 500gms tomatoes. If using canned tomatoes, then toss them right into the pan along with their juicy goodness.
- Salt goes without saying...
Instructions
The two major tasks you would have to do for this recipe are trimming the beans and peeling garlic. Chopping onions is a given.
Use a heavy-bottomed skillet that you can stir easily. Heat the pan on medium high and add olive oil.
Saute the sliced onions and the whole garlic cloves until lightly browned.
This can take about 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the cut beans.
Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes or until the green beans turn tender.
Don't forget to stir occasionally during this time.
Add the chopped tomatoes along with salt to taste. Cook open on low to medium flame for at least 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have stewed into a thick sauce. Don't have to add any water!
The green beans will become tender but still hold shape and the tomatoes and garlic cloves would have thickened in olive oil making the flavours come through incredibly. Switch off and stir in the remaining olive oil. Let it cool to room temperature before you serve.
As the green beans stew slowly along with garlic cloves (that are added as a whole after peeling) and tomatoes, it becomes a thick sauce that you can scoop with pita bread. Lebanese Green Beans Stew with Tomatoes is ready to serve with some fresh pita bread or any other mezze accompaniments.
Tip
I love the simplicity of this recipe for Loubieh bi Zeit and though you may feel tempted to add some kind of spice powders, don't! You may use canned tomatoes, or frozen green beans but don't use tomato paste. We love it so much that I have made variations of it like a pasta dish, where you can stir in some prepared pasta and kebabs to make it a wholesome meal!
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📖 Recipe Card
Lebanese Green Beans | Loubieh bi Zeit
Equipment
- 1 thick-bottomed heavy skillet, stainless steel (28cm)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 large onion, sliced thinly
- 1 whole bulb of garlic, peeled
- 300 grams french beans, weighed after trimming
- 300 grams tomatoes, chopped into large chunks or roundels
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash, trim and cut the green beans into approximately 2-inch long pieces.
- Heat a thick-bottomed heavy skillet or wok and add olive oil.3 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the sliced onions and garlic cloves (don't have to chop them). Saute for 5 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.1 large onion1 whole bulb of garlic
- Stir in the beans, reduce the flame to low, cover the pot, and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes or until the green beans turn tender. Don't forget to stir occasionally during this time.300 grams french beans
- Add the chopped tomatoes along with salt to taste. Cook open on low to medium flame for at least 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have stewed into a thick sauce.300 grams tomatoessalt to taste
- Switch off and stir in the remaining olive oil. Let it cool to room temperature before serving with some fresh pita bread.
Cynthia Jendrusina says
so far going good. haven't made this dish in years.