Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- It’s a tasty one-pot meal that’s ready in one hour.
- Moroccan white bean stew uses simple ingredients from your pantry.
- It is a versatile recipe you can eat as a dinner or side dish.
Beans are a staple in Mediterranean and Moroccan cuisine. Fasolia or beans refers to white or green beans in Arabic.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Saute the onions, garlic, and ginger in olive oil.
- Onion: Use white or yellow onion for this bean recipe.
- Garlic: I enjoy lots of garlic, so I use four garlic cloves – but measure with your heart.
- Ginger: Many authentic recipes call for ginger powder, but I love the taste of fresh ginger.
- Tomato Paste: Adding a single spoonful of tomato paste intensifies the flavor.
- Tomatoes: Dice three fresh tomatoes or use a few cans of diced tomatoes for a bit of acidity.
- Spices: Finish the Moroccan bean stew with salt, paprika, ground cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Dried White Beans: Dried white beans like cannellini beans are the main ingredient in loubia. Navy beans, butter beans, and great northern beans work as a replacement, but you can also include chickpeas or black-eyed peas. If using canned white beans, stew the other ingredients to let the flavors combine and stir in the canned beans at the end of the cooking process.
- Chicken Broth: Simmer the ingredients in chicken broth for added flavor, or you can use vegetable broth to make it a vegetarian side dish.
Additions and Substitutions
My vegetarian version of Moroccan stewed white beans is tasty the way it is, but you can add bone-in beef or lamb for extra protein. Similar to my beef and chickpea stew, other popular meat options add a dried meat called queddid. If you decide to include meat in the bean dish, include it along with the onions so they fry and develop even more flavor.
Tools Used to Make this Recipe
You will need something large enough to stew the Moroccan beans and let them expand as they simmer. I use a Dutch oven, but you can also use a large pan like a deep skillet, stockpot, or large saucepan.
How to Make Loubia
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add the dry beans to a mixing bowl and cover them with water. Set them aside to soak overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Step 2: Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they soften and become translucent, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and saute for another minute.
Step 3: Deglaze with fresh tomatoes and stir in the salt, paprika, ground cumin, black pepper, and cayenne.
Step 4: Add the reserved cannellini beans and cover them with broth. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 5: Lower the temperature, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
Step 6: Transfer the bean to a serving dish. Drizzle olive oil over the top and garnish with parsley and cilantro.
Expert Tips
- Soaking the beans overnight or for at least 8 hours helps them cook more evenly and reduces cooking time. Be sure to discard the soaking water.
- Rinse the soaked beans thoroughly before cooking to remove excess starch and prevent a cloudy sauce.
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How To Serve Loubia
Loubia dish is substantial enough to serve as a main dish. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle fresh parsley to garnish the meal. You can also add red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. Enjoy the beans with Moroccan bread khobz or msemen, or sop up the flavorful bean stew with a piece of crusty bread like Dutch oven sourdough.
Pair the beans with a crisp salad like Shirazi salad, sumac cucumbers, or Turkish çoban salatasi for a complete meal that is savory and fresh.
What to Do With the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Store the leftover beans in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
- Freeze – Let the dish cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag for storage. Loubia will freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw – Defrost the beans in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat – Warm the leftovers on the stovetop over low to medium heat until heated. If the mixture has become too thick, add a little water if necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you soak cannellini beans?
Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover them with enough cold water to cover the beans. I use 3-4 cups of water for every cup of dry beans. Cover the beans and let them soak overnight, but at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse the beans before using them in the dish to remove any impurities.
Where is loubia from?
Loubia is a traditional North African dish popular in countries like Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It is a hearty stew made with white beans (or loubia in Arabic) and often includes fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, and warm spices.
How to Make Loubia in the Instant Pot:
Prepare my Moroccan bean recipe in the Instant Pot by following a few simple steps:
1. Add the white dry beans to a mixing bowl and cover them with water. Set them aside to soak overnight or for at least 8 hours.
2. Warm the olive oil in an Instant Pot on saute mode. Add the onions and cook until they soften and become translucent, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and saute for another minute.
3. Deglaze with fresh tomatoes and stir in the salt, paprika, ground cumin, black pepper, and cayenne.
4. Add the reserved cannellini beans and cover them with broth. Bring the mixture to a boil in saute mode. Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 15 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
5. Transfer the bean to a serving dish. Drizzle olive oil over the top and garnish with parsley and cilantro.
More Bean Recipes:
Loubia
- Serving Dish
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ – inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups Cannellini beans, dry, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, curly-leaf, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- Add the dry beans to a mixing bowl and cover them with water. Set them aside to soak overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they soften and become translucent, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and saute for another minute.
- Deglaze with fresh tomatoes and stir in the salt, paprika, ground cumin, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Add the reserved cannellini beans and cover them with broth. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Lower the temperature, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
- Transfer the bean to a serving dish. Drizzle olive oil over the top and garnish with parsley and cilantro.
- Soaking the beans overnight or for at least 8 hours helps them cook more evenly and reduces cooking time. Be sure to discard the soaking water.
- Rinse the soaked beans thoroughly before cooking to remove excess starch and prevent a cloudy sauce.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Melissa Wagner
Wednesday 8th of November 2023
This white bean stew totally hit the spot! The beans were perfectly tender and took on so much flavor from the aromatic spices. It was super hearty and satisfying served over couscous. I can't wait to make this for my family!
Jenna
Thursday 2nd of November 2023
I had so many leftovers, but it was delicious with crusty bread and olive oil.
Tressa Jamil
Thursday 2nd of November 2023
I am happy you enjoyed the loubia recipe; I eat it the same way!