Lebanese Lamb & Green Bean Stew

Updated 8/24/2023

Loubieh ruz – Lubia with rice

Loubieh or Lubia (Arabic: لوبية) is a town in southern Lebanon. It’s also the name of a popular middle eastern green bean and tomato dish. This side dish is commonly served in countries of the eastern Mediterranean as a mezze or appetizer. The tradition is similar to Spanish tapas. You can turn this mezze into more of a meal by adding some middle eastern style lemon rice. That’s the ruz in the dish’s name; an Arabic variant for rice. Then make your meal even more hearty by adding some lamb or beef. 

Variations and cooking tips

I was first introduced to Loubieh Ruz from a family whose Syrian ancestors had immigrated to Canada in the early twentieth century. They would normally add some chopped lamb to the green bean stew then serve it on a bed of rice. Clarified butter, was also used, instead of olive oil, to make both the rice and the lamb and green bean stew. This would make a healthy and delicious two pot meal with all the wonderful flavours of their homeland.

Vegetable options

You can enjoy Loubieh Ruz as a vegetarian dish by leaving out the meat and broth. For the beans, make sure to trim the tips, cut them in half, then precook them before adding them to the stew. If you can find some Romano beans use these flat beans for a change from the regular green beans. Runner beans are another flat bean that works well. Just remember to remove the tips and strings from tougher, more mature beans. You can also use frozen or canned green beans. Use either tomato juice or vegetable cocktail juice. I normally chop up a large fresh ripe tomato but stewed diced tomatoes work just fine.

Meat options

For the meat version, lamb is my preference. You can use any lean, tender cut of lamb or beef that’s been cubed into bite-sized pieces or minced. It’s also very convenient to pick up some thin sliced lamb, available at most Asian grocers, then just chop it up. Another option is to used leftover roast lamb.

For a real treat, I like to use lamb chops. Remove the meat from the bone then cut it into roughly half-inch pieces. Add the bones to the pot as well since they will add additional flavour to the stew.

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