Israeli White Bean and Garlic Stew (Loobia)

About This Recipe

This white bean stew draws on the broader Middle Eastern and Mizrahi Jewish tradition of slow-cooked legume dishes, simmering white beans in a tomato-based sauce loaded with garlic and finished with a bright squeeze of lime that cuts through the dish's richness. It's the kind of home-style pot found across Israeli households with Middle Eastern and North African heritage, where simple legumes are transformed into a satisfying, deeply flavored main course through patient simmering and generous seasoning. The technique that matters most is building the garlic flavor in stages — some cooked gently at the start to mellow and sweeten, more added later for a sharper, fresher garlic bite — giving the finished stew real depth rather than a single flat note. The beans need a long, slow simmer to soften fully and absorb the tomato and garlic flavors throughout, while a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice at the very end brightens the whole dish right before serving. Served with rice or flatbread, this stew reflects the comforting, garlic-forward legume cooking found across many Israeli households with roots in Iraq, Morocco and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 gdried white beans(soaked overnight)
• 4 tbspolive oil(divided)
• 1onion(diced)
• 8 clovesgarlic(divided, minced)
• 400 gcrushed tomatoes
• 1 tspground cumin
• 0.5 tsppaprika
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt
• 3 cupswater
• 1lime(juiced)
• 3 tbspfresh cilantro(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the onion and garlic base

   Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, about 6 minutes, then add half the minced garlic and cook 1 minute.

2. 2

   Build the sauce

   Stir in crushed tomatoes, cumin, paprika and salt. Simmer 8 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the beans

   Add drained soaked beans and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.

4. 4

   Simmer until tender

   Partially cover and simmer for 70-80 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender.

5. 5

   Add fresh garlic

   Stir in remaining raw garlic and remaining olive oil in the last 5 minutes of cooking for a sharper, fresher garlic punch.

   Adding fresh garlic near the end, rather than only at the start, gives the stew a layered garlic flavor — mellow and sweet from the early-cooked garlic, sharp and bright from the late addition.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Stir in lime juice and cilantro just before serving, hot with rice or flatbread.

Variations

• •

  Add diced potato for a heartier, more substantial stew.

• •

  Use chickpeas instead of white beans for a different texture and flavor.

• •

  Add a spoonful of harissa for extra heat and North African-style depth.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days; the flavor deepens overnight. Freezes well for up to 3 months — thaw and reheat gently with a splash of water if it has thickened too much.

Frequently Asked Questions