Loubieh bi-Zeit
Also: Lubya bil Zeit, Green Beans in Olive Oil, Loubia bzeit
A Levantine dish of green beans slow-braised in olive oil with tomato, onion, and garlic until meltingly tender, eaten warm or at room temperature.
Identity criteria
- 1Green beans are the sole vegetable star, cooked until soft rather than crisp-tender
- 2Olive oil is the cooking medium and a defining flavor, used generously
- 3Tomato and garlic form the braising base
- 4Served warm or, characteristically, at room temperature as part of the 'bi-zeit' (in oil) mezze family
- 5No meat — it is a vegan dish in its canonical form
Components
green beans (flat or round)essentialCooked down until tender, not blanched-crisp
onion and garlicessential
extra-virgin olive oilessentialGenerous; both cooking medium and flavor
fresh or canned tomatoessentialProvides braising liquid and acidity
salt and pepperessential
fresh tomato or lemonoptional
Technique
- Slow braising in oil
- Softens the beans fully and lets them absorb the oil and tomato, the hallmark texture
- Sweating aromatics
- Builds the sweet onion-garlic base before the tomato goes in
Form & serving
- Served
- In a shallow dish, often with the oil pooled around it
- Temperature
- Warm or room temperature
- Portion
- Shared mezze portion or individual main
- Pairs with
- pita bread · rice · labneh · olives
Character
Flavour
Texture
Soft, tender beans in a silky oil-tomato sauce
Eaten
A mezze spread or light vegan main, eaten with bread; commonly made ahead since it improves at room temperature.
When
summer
Variations & related
Regional variations
- With chickpeas · Levant
Some cooks add chickpeas for heft
- Spiced version · Lebanon
A pinch of allspice or cinnamon in some households
Related dishes
- sibling Bamia bi-Zeit
Okra given the same olive-oil braise
- pairs-with Pita
Used to scoop the beans and oil
Substitutions
green beans → black-eyed peas (pods)admissible
Different bean but same bi-zeit treatment
olive oil → seed oilinadmissible
Loses the defining olive-oil character that names the dish
tomato → no tomatoinadmissible
Removes the braising base and acidity central to the dish
Common mistakes
- Cooking the beans only until crisp-tender — they should be fully soft
- Skimping on olive oil, which defines the dish
- Serving piping hot when it is best warm or at room temperature
Provenance
A staple of Lebanese and broader Levantine home cooking, part of the 'bi-zeit' family of vegetables stewed in olive oil eaten cold.
References
- 1.Levantine home-cooking tradition
Confidence: high