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These Lebanese Vegetables are slow simmered vegetables with cinnamon and cumin create a flavorful side dish that the whole family will love. This dish simmers on the stove while you make your meal and is great as leftovers.
I grew up eating a lot of Lebanese flavors in my house, and warm spiced vegetables were always on the table. Today’s Lebanese Vegetables is inspired by loubieh bi zeit, or Lebanese Green Beans, a traditional Lebanese dish that’s usually built around green beans alone. My version expands that base into a fuller vegetable medley with zucchini, carrots, celery, and green beans, all simmered slowly with cumin and cinnamon until deeply flavorful. It can be served warm right off the stove, or at room temperature the traditional way, and leftovers taste even better the next day.
I remember this smell coming from my grandmother’s kitchen growing up, and these Lebanese Vegetables use those same warm spices in a dish that’s easy to customize. If you don’t like zucchini, swap in cauliflower or yellow squash instead. If you are looking for another Mediterranean style side dish try my Mediterranean Vegetables. I especially love pairing these Lebanese Vegetables with Shish Tawook or paired with this Hummus with Spiced Beef and Toasted Pine Nuts.
Why This Recipe Works
Sautéing the onion, carrot, and celery before adding the garlic and tomatoes builds a sweeter, deeper base flavor than adding everything at once. The garlic goes in last and only cooks briefly, which keeps its flavor sharp instead of turning bitter from overcooking.
The long, low simmer is what allows the cumin and cinnamon to fully infuse the vegetables and tomato sauce, a technique rooted in traditional Lebanese bi zeit cooking where slow simmering, rather than quick sautéing, is what builds real depth of flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the simple ingredients we’re using. Jump to the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and printable instructions.
- Vegetables: This side dish mixes together celery, carrots, onion, zucchini and frozen green beans. The combination works great together with the warm spices.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic works best if you can get ahold of it. If not you can use garlic powder or skip it all together.
- Tomatoes: The tomatoes in this dish are diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. You can also use fire roasted diced tomatoes for a more smoky flavor.
- Spices: The warm spices are my favorite in this dish. It mixes together cumin, cinnamon, thyme and oregano.
Recipe Modifications
- Vegetables: You can add a variety of other vegetables. I like eggplant, bell peppers, peas or squash.
- Spices: If you want to add other spices I also like paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder or Italian seasoning.
- Beans: This dish would be great with the addition of beans for protein. Try adding white beans, chickpeas or black beans.
- Other Ingredients: Some other ingredients that would be nice in this dish are mushrooms, pickled red onions, spinach, swiss chard or kale.
How to Make Lebanese Vegetables
Step 1: Sauté Vegetables: In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until soft. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for two minutes.
Step 2: Add Tomatoes and Spices: Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Step 3: Simmer: Simmer the vegeatbles on low for 40 minutes with the lid on the pot but slightly tilted so that air can still escape stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm as a side dish or over rice.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding the garlic too early. Garlic cooks quickly and can turn bitter if it goes in with the onion. Add it after the other vegetables have softened.
- Simmering with the lid fully sealed. Keep the lid slightly tilted so steam can escape, which helps the sauce thicken properly instead of staying too thin.
- Cutting the vegetables in uneven sizes. Larger pieces of carrot or celery will stay firm while smaller ones turn mushy. Keep the pieces roughly the same size for even cooking.
- Skipping the salt and pepper until the end. Tasting and adjusting seasoning after the simmer, rather than only at the start, gives you a better sense of how the flavors have developed.
- Serving it straight from the fridge without warming slightly. While this dish is great cold, letting it come closer to room temperature brings out more of the spice flavor than serving it ice cold.
Storage Tips
Let roasted vegetables cool to room temperature (but no longer than 2 hours) before transferring to storage containers. This helps prevent condensation, which can lead to sogginess.
Recipe FAQ
Yes you can! You can use any fresh tomatoes you have on hand. It is a great way to use up garden or farmers market tomatoes.
Usually it’s served at room temperature or cold as part of a mezze spread. However, it can also be served warm as a side dish. I like it all these ways depending on what I am serving it with!
Yes you can! While the classic version is a vegan dish you can add ground beef or ground lamb for a protein packed version.
More Lebanese Recipes
Vegetarian
Instant Pot Lebanese Green Beans
Mediterranean
Lebanese Lentil Soup
Mediterranean
Easy Lebanese Salad
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Lebanese Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large celery stalks, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 sweet onion, chopped into medium slices
- 1 large zucchini, cut in slices
- 1 10.8 ounce bag of frozen green beans, you can use fresh if you want
- 1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until soft. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for two minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes with the lid on the pot but slightly tilted so that air can still escape stirring occasionally.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm as a side dish or over rice.
Notes
- Add the garlic after the onion, carrot, and celery have softened rather than at the start, so it doesn’t turn bitter from overcooking.
- Keep the lid slightly tilted while simmering so steam can escape and the sauce thickens properly instead of staying thin.
- Cut the vegetables into roughly even sizes so everything cooks through at the same rate.
- You can add whatever vegetables you like to this dish. Other good options include yellow squash, cauliflower, broccoli, or turnips.
- For a heartier, main dish version, brown ground beef or lamb with the onion at the start.
- This dish can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold, and goes well over rice, as a side dish, or paired with turkey.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are simple to make and full of flavor
The aromatic blend of spices in your Lebanese Vegetables recipe is enticing! It’s a versatile dish, perfect for families seeking nutritious yet flavorful meals. Thanks for sharing this delightful recipe and inspiring us to explore new culinary horizons with vegetables.
Glad you liked it!