Loubia bil Zeit (Long bean and tomato stew)
Last Updated on March 12, 2023 by Jacqueline Rafidi
Loubia bil Zeit is a popular weeknight meal for Arabs. Its quick, filling, hearty and its also popular with kids! I tend to prefer loubia (Arabic for ‘long beans’) over fasoulia (Arabic for ‘beans’ but mainly known as ‘green bean stew’) because I love the texture. The long beans, even after being cooked down, still maintain a bit of a bite to them without getting mushy. They also don’t have a stringiness to them like green beans sometimes can.
My family has always preferred to eat these stews in its vegetarian form which is what I’m sharing in this recipe, but many times families will include ground meat, chunks of meat and other additions to the stew.
Here are some popular additions to this loubia bil zeit
Adding chicken breast or thighs
Adding chunks of beef or lamb
Adding chickpeas
This meal is also very similar to basella, a braised pea and tomato stew which was also a very common weeknight meal for us growing up. Once you make these meals, they’ll become so comforting and “homey” to you that you’ll be making them on repeat all year long! It’s also a one pot meal (if you don’t count cooking the rice), what’s not to love about that?
Loubia bil zeit is the perfect meal for your family and works great for leftovers as lunch or dinner the following day. With 8 servings, there’s plenty to go around!
How to serve loubia bil zeit
I love serving this with my Arabic rice pilaf which we call ruz bil shariyeh, but you could also enjoy this with pita bread or completely on its own. It would also go great with a simple salad.
When you make this, leave a comment below and rate this recipe to let me know your thoughts! Also, please share a picture with me or tag me on Instagram @thebitewithjackie, I love to see your remakes!
Loubia bil Zeit (Long bean/green bean and tomato stew)
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4-5 clove garlic minced
- 1 large bunch of fresh long beans cut into about 2 inch pieces (about 6-8 cups) *See Notes
- 2-3 to matoes chopped, if you have some tomatoes that have softened, those work great here
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ – 1 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
To serve:
- Vermicelli rice pilaf
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Add in the onions and cook them down till soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant for about 30 seconds before adding in all of the cut long beans and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the long beans down and coat them in the oil until they begin to soften.
- Once they’re softened, add in your chopped tomatoes, give it a stir and cook down for another 1-2 minutes until the tomatoes begin to release their water. Add in the tomato sauce, the allspice and nutmeg and stir before adding in the water – add enough to your liking, remember that it will cook down and thicken up a bit.
- Cover the pot halfway and let it simmer for about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have cooked down and the long beans have softened but still have a little bite to them. Serve with rice, pita bread as a side dish or completely on its own. Enjoy!
