Loubieh bil Zayt (لوبية بالزيت)

Loubieh bil zayt is a cornerstone of Lebanese home cooking — flat runner beans slow-braised in a vivid tomato sauce fragrant with cinnamon and allspice until deeply savoury and silky. Served at room temperature as part of a mezze or as a light main with bread, it exemplifies the Lebanese philosophy that simple olive-oil cookery can be more satisfying than anything elaborate.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 500g (1.1 lb) flat runner beans or green beans, trimmed and halved
• 4 tbsp (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 400g (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp (3g) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp (1.5g) ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp (1.5g) sugar
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve
• Warm bread or rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Fry onion 10–12 minutes until soft and golden. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Add crushed tomatoes, cinnamon, allspice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add the green beans and stir to coat in the sauce. Add a splash of water (about 60ml) if the sauce looks thick. Cover and cook over low heat 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender and the sauce has deepened.
4. Remove the lid for the final 5 minutes to reduce the sauce to a rich coating consistency.
5. Drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, scatter parsley on top, and serve at room temperature.

Cook's Notes: This dish is even better the next day — the flavours meld beautifully overnight. Using flat runner beans (loubieh) gives the most traditional result; regular green beans work but cook faster. Serve alongside labneh and olives for a full mezze spread.