Lubia is a Lebanese dish that consists of green beans in tomato sauce. It’s a very simple yet delicious one-pot recipe that makes the perfect comfort food during any season. Let me show you how to prepare Lubia the Lebanese way.
Contents
About Lebanese Lubia
Lubia, also known as Loubia or Lubya, is a Middle Eastern bean stew. In Lebanon and neighboring Levantine countries, Lubia traditionally consists of green beans in tomato sauce. It’s commonly served with rice as a side.
The green beans are initially sautéd in olive oil which makes them release their full flavor. That’s the reason Lubia is also known as Lubia bil Zeit (trans. Lubia with oil) in Arabic.
In addition to the Lebanese version, there are several other ways to make Lubia. In fact, every region has their own variety and the further you travel, the more different it gets. In some regions, Lubia is made with rice and meat (in one pot instead of having rice as a side) or kidney or white beans instead of green beans.
I’m going to show you how to make Lebanese Lubia, which is by far the most popular variant in the Levant.
Ingredients
- Green beans: There are various types of green beans available year-round. For Lebanese Lubia, Romano green beans (long flat green beans, also known as Italian green beans) are the most commonly used. However, you can also use French green beans (Haricots verts), string beans or even snap peas (sugar snaps).
- Tomatoes: Tomatoes are the base for your sauce. You can use either fresh tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes or tomato purée. I usually go for canned tomatoes (purée or chopped), either storebought or homemade, which make this recipe a little faster and easier. Fresh tomatoes are a good alternative when they are in season (fully ripe and fresh), but they do take longer.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste is commonly added in addition to the tomatoes, to intensify the color and flavor.
- Onions: Onions are the base of most soups and stews. Yellow onions are the preferred choice.
- Garlic: Garlic cloves are an important ingredient for Lebanese Lubia that enhance the flavor of your dish.
- Seasonings: To season, you’ll need salt, pepper, Seven Spice (a Middle Eastern spice blend, also known as Baharat), and a pinch of cinnamon. You could also add turmeric and coriander powder, but these aren’t part of the authentic recipe.
- Olive oil: For Lubia, you need a quality olive oil. This is very important for Lebanese Lubia. The onions and beans are initially sautéd in the oil which greatly adds to the flavor. The dish partly owes its name to the olive oil.
- Water: The amount of water depends on how thick you’d like your sauce to be.
Note: The exact quantities (according to the amount of servings) can be found in the recipe card at the end of this recipe.
How to Make Lubia
Ready to get cooking? Let’s get started! You’ll find the detailed step-by-step instructions below. For a shorter version (to print out), simply scroll down to the recipe card.
Step 1: Prepare the beans
Let’s start by preparing the beans. After giving them a good rinse, place the beans on a cutting board and trim off the ends of. Chop the beans into small pieces. They can be bite-size or a bit longer than that, about 3-4 cm (1-1.5 in) is a good indication. To speed up the process, you can chop 3-4 beans at a time (grab beans that have about the same length). Set aside the chopped beans.
Step 2: Prepare garlic and onion
Peel and crush the garlic cloves. Peel and roughly chop the onion.
Step 3: Fry garlic, onion and tomato paste
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add the crushed garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to release the aroma. Then add the chopped onion and sauté for about 3-4 minutes until the onion is translucent. Last but not least, add the tomato paste (we’ll use tomato paste in addition to the tomatoes, to enhance the overall flavour). Stir well and fry for another 30 seconds.
Step 4: Add beans
Add the chopped green beans to the saucepan. Stir well to combine. All beans should be coated with oil.
Step 5: Sauté
Sauté the beans for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t add any tomatoes or water just yet. The beans are traditionally sautéd in oil before cooking in the sauce. Remember, olive oil is a key ingredient in the Lebanese version of this dish. It owes its name to the oil, so don’t skip it.
During this step, the beans will become slightly tender, but not fully cooked.
Step 6: Add tomatoes, water and seasonings
Add the canned diced tomatoes (or tomato purée) and water. Season with salt, pepper, Seven Spice and cinnamon. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
The amount of water is a preference, depending on how much sauce you want to have. Traditionally, Lubia doesn’t have a lot of sauce. You just need to make sure that the beans are fully covered in liquids at this point so that they can evenly cook. If this is your first time making Lebanese Lubia, start by adding the tomatoes and a bit of water. You can always add more water later on.
Step 7: Boil
Bring to a boil on medium-high. Once the sauce is bubbling, reduce the heat to low-medium, add the lid to the saucepan, and simmer for 30 minutes (40 minutes if you prefer more tender beans).
Step 8: Serve
Serve warm or at room temperature. While the beans are boiling, you have enough time to prepare butter rice which makes a great side dish to Lubia.
Serving Suggestions
Lubia is the perfect comfort food for busy weekdays. It’s commonly served with rice, preferably Lebanese butter rice. Plain white rice or yellow rice (turmeric rice) also go well with Lubia. You could also serve it with bread.
Make Ahead & Storage
Lubia can be perfectly made ahead of time. In fact, it’s one of those dishes that taste even better the next day. If you have a large saucepan, you can easily fit 1.5 kgs (3.5 lbs) of beans to serve over several days.
To store, allow to cool completely after cooking (lid closed). Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
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Lebanese Lubia (Green Beans in Tomato Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) Romano green beans Italian green beans
- 2 cans diced tomatoes or tomato purée
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 onion yellow, medium
- 2 garlic cloves
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp Seven Spice Baharat see notes
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Start by preparing the beans: Trim off the ends and dispose of them. Chop the beans into small pieces, 3-4 cm (1-1.5 in) in length. Set aside.
- Crush the garlic cloves and roughly chop the onion.
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan or frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add the crushed garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to release the aroma. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Then add the tomato paste, stir well and fry for another 30 seconds.
- Add the green beans to the saucepan. Stir well to combine (all beans should be coated in oil).
- Sauté for another 8-10 minutes (don’t add any tomatoes or water yet!). Stir occasionally.
- The beans should now be slightly tender, but not fully cooked yet. Add the canned diced tomatoes and water. Season with salt, pepper, Seven Spice and cinnamon. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
- Bring to a boil on medium-high. Once the sauce is bubbling, reduce the heat to low-medium, add the lid to the saucepan, and simmer for 30 minutes (40 minutes if you prefer more tender beans).
- Meanwhile, prepare any side dishes of your choice, such as Lebanese butter rice, plain rice or yellow rice.
Video
Notes
- Butter rice makes the perfect side dish. You can cook the rice while your Lubia simmers.
- Romano green beans (also known as Italian green beans) are most commonly used. They are long flat beans that you can find year-round. However, you can also use a different type of bean, such as French green beans (known as Haricots verts) or string beans. Even snap peas (sugar snaps) work well.
- Fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes? Using canned diced tomatoes or tomato purée makes this recipe particularly quick and easy. Canned tomatoes are very affordable and usually don’t contain any unwanted ingredients. If you prefer to use fresh tomatoes, you’ll need to peel and purée them before (then proceed as per the recipe).
- Seven Spice: Seven Spice (also known as Baharat) is a Middle Eastern spice blend. You can easily make your own spice blend with my Seven Spice recipe. Alternatively, you’ll find the ready-made blend at any Middle Eastern grocery store. No Baharat and no time to make your own? Substitute with ground cinnamon, coriander and cumin (⅓ tsp of each for 1 tsp Seven Spice). Those are the three most important spices in Seven Spice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is only a rough estimate and may vary depending on factors such as the cooking method, exact weight, type, and brand of ingredients used.
I made this dish yesterday and we all loved it!!
I’m glad you enjoyed!