Moroccan · Main course
Loubia (Moroccan White Bean Stew)
Loubia is humble Moroccan comfort food — dried white beans stewed slowly in a garlicky tomato sauce with cumin, paprika and olive oil until creamy and thick. Sold from steaming pots at medina stalls for breakfast or lunch, it is cheap, filling and completely satisfying, often enriched with a little khlii or a bone for depth.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 105 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- 300 g dried white haricot beans, soaked overnight
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 ripe tomatoes, grated (or 400 g chopped tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp sweet paprika, pinch of cayenne
- 1 tsp ground ginger (optional)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small bunch coriander and parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper; a little khlii or a marrow bone (optional)
Method
- 1
Soften the beans
Drain the soaked beans, cover with fresh water and simmer 45–60 minutes until nearly tender. (A pressure cooker cuts this to about 20 minutes.) Keep the cooking water.
- 2
Build the sauce
In another pot, soften the onion and garlic in the olive oil, then add the cumin, paprika, cayenne and ginger for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the grated tomatoes and tomato paste and cook down 10 minutes.
- 3
Combine and simmer
Add the beans with enough of their cooking liquid to cover, season, and simmer 25–30 minutes until the beans are creamy and the sauce has thickened around them. Mash a few beans against the pot to thicken it further.
- 4
Finish
Stir in most of the herbs, adjust salt and cumin, and drizzle with a little more olive oil.
- 5
Serve
Serve hot in bowls with the last of the herbs and plenty of khobz bread to scoop it up.
Chef's tips
- Don't salt the beans until they are nearly soft — salting early can toughen the skins.
- Mashing a spoonful of beans into the sauce gives loubia its signature creamy, thick body.
- A little khlii or a bone simmered in makes it richer, but loubia is already excellent fully vegan.
Frequently asked questions
What beans are used for loubia?
Dried white haricot (navy) beans are traditional, giving a creamy texture as they cook down. Cannellini beans work well too. Canned beans can be used in a hurry, but the long simmer of dried beans builds more flavour.
Is loubia eaten as a main or a side?
Both. In Morocco it is often a hearty main for breakfast or lunch, scooped with bread, but it also appears as one dish among several on a shared table.