Loubieh bi Zeit (Green Beans in Tomato Sauce)

Levantine loubieh bi zeit is green beans braised in a tomato based sauce with onions, garlic and a generous amount of olive oil until the whole thing turns silky, savoury, and so addictive.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

What is Loubieh bi Zeit?

• Loubieh = refers to the beans
• bi Zeit = in oil (olive oil)

So beans in oil.

Loubieh bi zeit is a Levantine green bean stew/braise: green beans cooked slowly with onions, garlic, tomatoes and olive oil.

Varyingly spelt as loubye bzeit, loubia b’zeit, it is also sometimes called fasolia bi zeit. Fasolia also means beans and usually refers to this dish cooked with white beans. And also with meat. I’ll make that recipe soon!

The Recipe

This Middle Eastern green beans dish is quick and easy. This is what we’ll be doing.

1. sauté the onions and garlic
2. add the beans and all the ingredients
3. simmer for 10 minutes for beans that are well done or 5, for just done
4. Serve, topping with olive oil, just a touch of lemon juice, parsley and optional chilli flakes (I’m using Aleppo pepper)

Easy, right?

Loubieh bi Zeit Ingredients

There really isn’t much difference between a Palestinian loubieh bi zeit and a Lebanese loubieh bi zeit (a very popular question in my classes). The foundation of the recipe is the same throughout the region, with the odd difference as is the case with any much loved, traditional recipe.

Let’s take a look at our main ingredients.

Aromatics & Herbs

We’ve got quite a bit of onion and garlic which creates the first layer of flavour. We then finish the dish with an optional sprinkle of chilli flakes and parsley.

What I sometimes do (skipped it here) is to make a dagga (pounded paste) with more garlic, chilli flakes and some parsley and then finish our braised green beans with it. Kind of like how I finish Sumakiyyah, the Palestinian sumac stew from Gaza.

Green Beans

I’m using regular French beans, and as you can see from the video, the frozen variety. I discovered them a few months ago for a fundraiser I was cooking for. Saved me having to trim 5kg worth, and I’v never looked back! Because I’m lazy like that!

Don’t forget, we’re cooking the beans for at least 5 minutes, so fresh or frozen – it’s all good.

You can use string beans, broad beans, long beans and even winged bean. To me, French beans or the similar looking string beans are the best for this.

Tomato

Tomato is the other star of the show. Traditionally, in the summer, this would be made with juicy fresh tomatoes growing abundantly in the Levantine. They’d be chopped up and added to the pot. Some will skin their tomatoes, others won’t bother.

When making stews, etc, I’ve always preferred canned chopped tomatoes to fresh, for the depth they impart.

One day, I didn’t have any and used passata instead, and what a revelation. And that’s what I always use now when making loubieh bi zeit. On top of that, I’m using sundried tomato paste – y’all know my love of this complex ingredient.

Passata gives you a smooth, cohesive sauce that clings to the beans and gives a glossy, spoonable and very bread-friendly dish. Irresistible!

Spices

I’ve got allspice, an essential Middle Eastern ingredient. On top of that, I’ve got hot smoked paprika – this, to me, is what takes this recipe to the next level. And why you’ll fall in love with my loubieh bi zeit!

Our paprika adds a lovely hint of smokiness and heat, just a hint though, for a bit of excitement without overdoing it.

Olive Oil

This is loubieh bi zeit or fasolia bi zeit. The bi zeit isn’t a suggestion. So traditionally, this would have been made with a generous amount of olive oil, like musakhan and Turkish Zeytinyağlı dishes, like Imam Bayildi.

But I’ve reduced that right down to 3 Tbsp to cook with, and another Tbsp or two to finish.

What does Loubieh bi Zeit taste like?

Soft, tender green beans in a tomato sauce that’s savoury rather than sweet, with onions and garlic doing their usual magic, and olive oil giving it that rich, rounded finish.

It’s not spicy (unless you make it spicy). It’s not sharp as tomato dishes can be. It’s just deeply, quietly satisfying – the kind of dish that makes you reach for bread before you’ve even sat down.

Or in my case, finish a small bowl before serving.

How to serve Loubieh bi Zeit

Serve it with bread for mezze (or a meal), or over rice like dinner – it’s perfect either way.

Mezze

Serve it at room temperature or cold with:

• pita or any flatbread for scooping
• raw onion slices – so good!
• cucumbers and radishes for crunch
• olives, pickles, hummus if you’re building a spread

This is the “put it on the table and let people graze” style, and it suits this dish perfectly.

Main Dish

Serve it warm with:

• rice – plain, mujaddara, biryani, etc
• couscous
• bulgur
• anything that’ll soak up passata-and-olive-oil sauce

How long does it keep?

This is a fantastic leftover dish – and yes, it’s better the next day.

• Fridge: 3 days in an airtight container is the safe, sensible window.
• Freezer: freeze in portions if you won’t finish it in time; best eaten within a month for optimum flavour.

Storage tips:

• cool it quickly before refrigerating
• keep it sealed
• reheat thoroughly if serving warm (stir so it heats evenly)

Or eat it cold, which is entirely normal for this dish and arguably the easiest lunch you’ll have all week.

FAQs: Loubieh bi Zeit / Levantine Vegan Fasolia

And there you go, one of my favourite easy dishes. Not only because it tastes good but it’s so, so easy!

Any questions, just ask. Let me know if you make it. If you’re on Instagram, post a picture and tag me @azlinbloor!

Lin xx