Eggplant has eggplant parmesan. Spinach has spanakopita. Even the humble cabbage has cabbage rolls. But green beans too often get cast in only a supporting  role, shuffled off into perpetual side dish territory. And that’s too bad, since beautiful green beans are pouring in these days, from both our CSA and our own garden.

Luckily, there’s a delicious Lebanese dish that gives green beans their moment in the spotlight. It’s called loubieh b’zeit, and you can find many, many versions of it (and almost as many different spellings) on the ol’ Internet.  I used some combination of them to come up with my own. Most recipes call for Lebanese Seven Spice, but if that seems way too exotic for your neighborhood grocery, you can make a pretty good simulacrum from spices that are probably already in your cupboard: equal parts black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and coriander, all ground up together. (I think the real thing has fenugreek, but this will get you pretty close.)

Another great thing about this dish is that it’s often served cold or room temperature as a mezze, which means it’s practically begging to be a leftover. Stuff some the next day in a pita with some tzatziki sauce and you’ve got yourself a mean sandwich. And you know how I feel about sandwiches.

Loubieh B’Zeit

• 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped very roughly
• 1 lb of green beans, cleaned and snapped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 teaspoons of Lebanese Seven Spice or your own magical concoction (see above)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• A couple tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 medium tomatoes, finely diced
• Some combo of rice, pita and tzatziki sauce for serving (you can buy tzatziki sauce, but it’s so easy to make: just mix up a finely chopped cucumber with a small container of Greek yogurt, a little lemon juice, a little mint and salt and pepper—voila!)

In a large saucepan, cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil over low heat until they begin to caramelize (about 20 minutes or so). Add the green beans, spices and salt and cook for a few minutes, until the beans are bright green. Add the lemon juice and tomatoes, stir and cover. Cook covered for about twenty minutes or until the beans are nice and tender. If it looks too juicy, uncover and cook on higher heat for a few minutes to let some of the liquid boil off. Serve over rice with a side of pita and tzatziki sauce. Go ahead and gild that lily—garnish it with some mint leaves.