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Lebanese Braised Green Beans

Lebanese Braised Green Beans

By Courtney HillOctober 16, 2019

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    40 minutes
  • Rating

The Lebanese dish called loubieh bil zeit, or green beans in olive oil, typically is prepared with flat, sturdy runner beans. The beans are braised until tender in a tomato sauce that’s sometimes seasoned with a mix of spices but always enriched with a glug of olive oil. For our version, we opted for easier-to-find standard green beans, and made a seasoning blend with a few common spices. We got the most flavor out of canned whole tomatoes by crushing and cooking them until thick and jammy, and using some of their juices as the cooking liquid for the beans.

Tip

Don’t forget to reserve the tomatoes and 1 cup of their juices separately because they are added at different times during cooking.

Ingredients
  • 1

    teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1

    teaspoon ground coriander

  • ½

    teaspoon grated nutmeg

  • ¼

    teaspoon ground cardamom

  • ¼

    teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • ¼

    cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2

    medium shallots, halved and thinly sliced

  • 1½

    pounds green beans, trimmed

  • 28

    ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, 1 cup juices reserved, tomatoes crushed by hand and reserved separately

Step 1

In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Step 2

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beans and spice mixture, then stir to coat.

Stir in the tomatoes (not the reserved juices) and 3/4 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

Step 3

Add the reserved juices, cover and reduce to medium-low. Cook until the beans are tender, 15 to 18 minutes, stirring only once or twice. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a serving bowl.

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