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Mbakbaka is a North African specialty that is influenced by Italian cuisine. In Libya, people usually make the dish in just one pot, so convenient, right?
Traditionally, the pasta is paired with tomatoes, spices, and chicken. Although sometimes, other types of meat are used for this dish too.
The pasta is a perfect dish to treat your family on winter days. Let’s get to the recipe.
What is Mbakbaka?
Unless you are very familiar with Egyptian or Libyan cuisine, you may not have heard of Mbakbaka before. But don’t be intimidated by the unfamiliar name! It is absolutely delicious.
Sometimes also called Imbakbaka, Mbakbaka is common in Egyptian and Libyan cultures. It is naturally a one-pot pasta dish and is quite similar to the concept of an Italian Minestrone.
In the early to mid-20th century, pasta arrived in Libya, and this specialty was born.
Mbakbaka Recipe
Mbakbaka is essentially a tomato-based noodle recipe that is hearty and flavorful!
Harissa is often a top-chosen sauce to make this Mbakbka tastier. However, if you love a mild taste, you can adjust the number of piquant ingredients.
To make your one-pot pasta, you cook pasta in heavily salted water. The reason you need to salt your pasta water is to make sure that the pasta absorbs some flavor. That is because when you cook pasta, it absorbs all the liquid it is cooking in.
When you cook noodles directly in the sauce, it has a chance to absorb those flavors making them tastier!
Instead of using separate pots to cook your pasta and your sauce, they can all come together in one pot. So not only does our method of pasta making create a more flavorful dish overall, but it also means less time in the kitchen AND less mess. Win-win!
Kind of Pasta to Use
There are loads of pasta that work well for this recipe. While we find that this recipe lends itself better to smaller pasta, also called pastinas, you can use anything!
Here are some of the best pasta to use for this dish:
- Ditalini pasta, which is commonly used for Minestrone Soup, is a natural fit for this dish! Ditalini pasta is just a bunch of small short tubes of pasta.
- Gemelli pasta is another great option for this dish. It is a thicker pasta noodle that is similar to Rotini pasta. Both of these twisted noodle pasta would work well to absorb the flavors of Mbakbaka
- Macaroni elbows are the noodles traditionally used for this recipe in Egypt and Libya. Similar to the Ditalini pasta, the tube shape of the macaroni helps to absorb the flavors of this dish well!
How to Make One Pot Mbakbaka
- Heat the stock and water together in a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, coriander, salt, and olive oil to the pot and mix it all. Follow by stirring in the marinara sauce.
- Bring the seasoned liquid up to a boil. Add in the pasta, chiles, and sugar. Give it another quick mix.
- Allow the pasta to boil on high for about 15 minutes. You want your pasta to cook to al dente!
- Cook pasta until the liquid is absorbed. Serve hot!
Be Sure to Try These Other Libyan Dishes!
Be sure to recreate this incredible delicacy. Enjoy your Libyan Mbakbaka!
Some suggestions for Amazon links to “Barilla Thin Spaghetti Pasta”.
Pasta Stew (Mbakbak)
Ingredients
- 1 lb of penne pasta or snails.
- 1 lb of lamb or beef meat cut into very small cubes or shredded chicken breasts, or minced meat
- 2 medium size potatoes peeled and cut into cubes.
- 1 Large onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic mashed
- 1 Teaspoon of hot red pepper to taste
- 6 cups of water
- 1 ½ cup fresh and filtered tomato juice
- 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon of curry
- ½ teaspoon of ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon of mixed spices
- 1 pinch of salt and 1 pinch of black pepper.
Instructions
- On medium heat, heat the oil and butter together, then add the meat, salt and black pepper, and stir for 5 minutes.
- Add the onions, and stir with the meat until it wilts, then add the garlic and stir
- Add the tomato juice, ginger, curry, spices and sauce, and stir very well.
- Add the water, leave it until the meat is cooked, then add the potatoes, pasta, salt and black pepper, and stir well.
- Cover the pot, and leave it on a low heat until the pasta and potatoes are tender.
- Put the pasta stew or Mbakbka in a serving dish, and garnish with parsley leaves
- Serve and enjoy your dish!