Mbakbaka or imbakbaka is a traditional Libyan dish, a hearty one pot meal with tender meat cubes and mini pasta cooked in a rich tomato sauce- SO good, and such a hit with any family!
I came across this dish when researching recipes to make during Ramadan, and this fits the bill perfectly. It’s so simple to make, feeds a crowd, and is so comforting and filling. My kids absolutely loved this.
If you like this easy macarona recipe , you’ll love this. The addition of melt in your mouth meat cubes brings this to the next level! I’d serve this with a simple and refreshing salad, like this fattouche to really round out the meal.
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Why you’ll love this Libyan Mbakbaka:
- It’s a one pot meal, which means less mess and a super simple process.
- This is so kid friendly, they’ll love the mini pasta and melt in your mouth meat cubes.
- This mbakbaka (Libyan pasta) has authentic flavor, but with simple, everyday pantry ingredients.
- This imbakbaka is easily adaptable to whatever ingredients you have on hand. You can make this vegetarian, substitute with chicken, make it spicier whatever you want!
Ingredients you need:
- Olive Oil– always the base of any good Middle Eastern meal! You’ll brown the beef cubes in this.
- Onion– I use a yellow onion, but you can use any you have on hand.
- Meat Cubes– You can use beef or lamb, whichever you choose should be boneless, lean and cut into small cubes, 1-2 inches big.
- Garlic– give the characteristic flavor to the tomato sauce
- Bell Pepper– a green bell pepper
- Tomato Paste– to enrich the tomato flavor of the sauce
- Salt, pepper and turmeric powder- all the seasoning you need to develop the sauce flavor. Feel free to add anything else you like, like red chili flakes for some heat.
- Tomato Sauce- canned tomato sauce
- Bay leaves- for flavoring the sauce, you can leave these out
- Water- Be flexible with the amount of water, if the pasta is drying out too quickly you can add more
- Chili Peppers– a couple of whole green chili peppers to add just a hint of heat to the sauce, and also gives a really nice visual appeal to the final dish
- Pasta– small tube pasta, I used Ditalini Rigati, in the Middle East you can use Kuwait Flour Macaroni No. 39
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make mbakbaka:
- Step 1: In a large deep pot with a cover, add the olive oil and heat on medium high.
- Step 2: Once very hot, add the beef cubes and brown evenly for a few minutes a side.
- Step 3: Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute.
- Step 4: Add the turmeric and spices and tomato paste.
- Step 5: Stir and saute for a minute.
- Step 6: Add the tomato sauce, 4 cups of water, and bay leaves , then drop in the green chili peppers.
- Step 7: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for 1 hour or until meat is tender and cooked through.
- Step 8: Add the pasta and an additional cup of water.
- Step 9: Stir to combine and cover.
- Step 10: Cook 14-16 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.
Hint: The mbakbaka will still look super saucy once the pasta has cooked through, but it’ll quickly absorb the tomato sauce.
What type of pasta to use in Mbakbaka?
Something small and preferably with a tube to hold all that yummy sauce! Avoid long noodles like spaghetti or linguini. My favorite pasta to use is ditalini.
How to serve:
- Salad – Serve with a refreshing salad, like this fattouche that you can make with any veggies you have on hand.
- Yogurt – This mbakbaka would also be delicious with creamy plain yogurt on the side, or this cucumber yogurt salad.
- Olive Salad – Adding some briny, tangy olive salad to the side would really compliment the rich flavors of this Libyan pasta so well.
Recipe variations:
- Spicy – Add some dried red chili flakes to the tomato sauce, or serve the finished dish with hot sauce.
- Chicken – If you prefer using chicken as your protein, you can use chicken cubes in the sauce instead of meat cubes, they’ll cook through faster.
- Vegetarian– Leave out the meat cubes entirely and have a vegetarian version of this mbakbaka.
Storing Leftovers:
Store leftover mbakbaka in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Frozen mbakbaka can be stored in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
To reheat leftovers: Add a splash of water or broth if the pasta has soaked up all the sauce and reheat on medium low in a saucepan, or gently in the microwave.
Frozen leftovers should be thawed overnight before reheating in the same fashion.
Expert tips and tricks:
- Use short pasta like ditalini, or if you can’t find that small elbow macaroni, small shells or tube pastas. Don’t use long noodles like linguine or spaghetti as they don’t hold the sauce and meat well.
- Don’t worry about the amount of sauce remaining after the pasta just cooks through, it’ll absorb rapidly into the pasta. Don’t overcook the pasta, as it’ll continue to soften slightly in the sauce once you turn off the heat.
- Play around with spices, add more heat with harissa, or red chili flakes, and taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Top Tip
Start the flavoring early, by making sure to sear your beef until browned before adding the sauce ingredients, this will add so much flavor to the final dish. Pat the beef cubes dry before searing, and wait until the oil in the pan is very hot before adding. Don’t overcrowd the meat in the pan, cook in batches if necessary.
Recipe FAQs:
Mbakbaka (or imbakbaka) is a classic Libyan pasta, a one pot meal made by simmering pasta in a spiced tomato-based broth with meat. It’s a comforting thick pasta stew.
Absolutely! Omit the meat and use vegetables like chickpeas or lentils to bulk up the sauce. You can use vegetable broth instead of the water for more flavor.
Once the meat has cooked and you add the pasta, if the tomato sauce doesn’t cover the pasta, add another cup of water so there is enough liquid for it to cook through.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
Mbakbaka
Equipment
- 1 large deep saucepan or pot
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 500 g boneless beef or lamb cubes, cut into small 1-2 inch pieces 1 lb
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cans tomato sauce 400g each (14.5oz)
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cups water, divided
- 2 green chili peppers
- 500 g small tube pasta like Ditalini Rigati, I used Kuwait Flour Macaroni No. 39
Instructions
- In a large deep pot with a cover, add the olive oil and heat on medium high. Once very hot, add the beef cubes and brown evenly for a few minutes a side.
- Add the diced onion and cook for a few minutes until softened, then add the garlic and bell pepper and saute for a few minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, salt, turmeric and black pepper, and saute for a minute.
- Add the tomato sauce, 4 cups of water, and bay leaves , then drop in the green chili peppers. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for 1 hour or until meat is tender and cooked through.
- Once the meat is cooked, add the pasta, an additional cup of water, and stir to combine. Cover, and cook for another 14-16 minutes, or until pasta is cooked through. Even if you have a lot of liquid, it'll absorb into the pasta as it cools.
- Remove the bay leaves and the chili peppers, serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You can use either beef or lamb cubes—choose boneless cuts that become tender when stewed. You can also leave them out and use vegetable stock instead of water for a veggie option.
- For pasta, ditalini is traditional, but any short pasta like elbow or small shells will work.
- Add a pinch of dried red chili flakes to the sauce for extra spice.
- Store leftover mbakbaka in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of water if it has thickened too much.
- Don’t overcook the pasta—it will continue to soften as it sits in the sauce after cooking.
- If there’s excess liquid after cooking, it will be absorbed as the dish cools—don’t worry if it looks slightly soupy at first.
- Searing the meat well at the start builds a richer, deeper flavor.
- You can make this with chicken instead of beef or lamb; just adjust cooking time accordingly.
- If the sauce doesn’t fully cover the pasta when added, pour in a little water to help it cook evenly.
Nutrition
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