Libyan pasta cooked in a sauce of tomato, meat, turmeric, and hot chili, a filling family dish
We cook Mbakbaka the way it is cooked in Libyan homes, where the pasta is boiled inside the hot tomato sauce rather than in separate water, so it soaks up its color and flavor and, while it boils, gives off the bubbling sound from which it takes its name.
We add the turmeric and hot chili so it gains its golden color and its bite, and we serve it as a single warm dish that brings the meat and pasta together on the family table.
Heat the olive oil in a wide pot and sauté the onion until it wilts, then add the beef cubes and garlic and stir until the meat's color changes.
Add the tomato paste, turmeric, and black pepper and stir for two minutes until the paste loses its acidity, then add the grated tomato.
Cover the meat with the hot water and add the hot green chili, cover the pot, and leave it over medium heat until the meat turns tender and the sauce thickens.
Season with the salt and add the pasta to the sauce with a little hot water, lower the heat, and stir from time to time until the pasta is cooked and absorbs the flavor.
Let the Mbakbaka rest for five minutes until its texture firms up, and serve it hot in deep bowls.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Libyan Mbakbaka (Spiced Tomato Pasta with Beef), and how to fix them:
Stir from time to time and keep the heat low, and add the hot water gradually so the sauce does not dry out.
Add hot water little by little while the pasta cooks, for it drinks up a lot of liquid.
Cook the meat in the sauce until it turns tender before adding the pasta, for the meat needs more time than the pasta.
Keep it in an airtight container for up to two days, and reheat it with a splash of hot water because the pasta absorbs the sauce after cooling.
It is best to freeze the meat with the sauce on its own for up to a month, then cook the pasta fresh at serving so its texture stays good.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| beef | lamb or chicken | same weight, 400 g | Chicken cooks faster and lamb is closer to traditional Libyan cooking |
| small pasta | whole wheat pasta | same weight, 200 g | It raises the fiber and lowers the glycemic load a little |
| grated tomato | canned crushed tomato | same amount, 400 g | Practical out of season, with attention to its salt |
| hot green chili | sweet paprika | as desired | It gives color and flavor without heat |
| Ingredient | Half amount | Base amount (base) | Double |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef | 200 g | 400 g | 800 g |
| Pasta | 100 g | 200 g | 400 g |
| Onion | 75 g | 150 g | 300 g |
| Tomato paste | 22 g | 45 g | 90 g |
| Grated tomatoes | 200 g | 400 g | 800 g |
| Salt | 1.5 g | 3 g | 6 g |
Cook the pasta directly in the sauce while adding the hot water gradually, for this is the secret to Mbakbaka's flavor, and stir from time to time so it does not stick to the bottom.
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