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    Home » Main Dishes

    Lebanese Meat Pies (Sfeeha Recipe)

    June 22, 2020 by Emily Ackerman 22 Comments

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    Lebanese meat pies (sfeeha or fatayer) are a traditional dish fit for the family. It is savory bread dough filled with a ground beef mixture with Mediterranean spices and lemon then baked to perfection.

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    Lebanese Meat Pies (sfiha)

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    What is a sfeeha? Lebanese Meat Pies (aka Fatayer, or sfiha)

    Lebanese meat pies, or sfeeha, are savory bread dough rolls filled with a Lebanese meat filling of either ground beef or ground lamb, onions and Mediterranean spices, as well as pine nuts. These delicious meat pies are a Middle Eastern staple. They are also know as fatayer, but fatayer can also include a different kind of filling with spinach, cheese.

    When I think of Lebanese food and family functions, it cannot be complete without Lebanese meat pies. These are so traditional and a staple in any Lebanese home. Usually it is made with ground lamb, but after my family immigrated to the U.S. they began to use beef instead of lamb.

    If your child is a picky eater, try this recipe. It is delightful and it's rather addicting. A whole recipe makes about 36 meat pies and our family of 6 eats most of them in one sitting.

    Mediterranean stuffed meat pie

    This dish is a little time consuming, so grab your helper, and make sure to make the full recipe! They can always be frozen after baking them. They reheat perfectly in the oven.

    If you are not familiar with Lebanese food, please check out my article "The Ultimate Guide to Lebanese Cuisine"!

    What are the ingredients for sfeeha?

    The ingredients for the most typical meat fatayer, or sfheeha, inlcudes: bread dough, lean ground beef or ground lamb, onions, ground black pepper, salt, pine nuts (or in this recipe celery) and lemon juice.

    How to make Lebanese meat pies

    Start off with one large package of frozen yeast dough balls. I find this at my local grocery store, I buy the store brand. They come with 36 in a package so it is perfect to make with this recipe. Put them in the fridge for several hours to thaw. If you want to make these completely from scratch, then make it with the dough recipe from my Pita Bread recipe.

    But for ease of use, get the frozen store-bought dough rolls!

    frozen dough balls

    In a pan on medium heat, brown the ground beef with the chopped onions, celery (or pine nuts), cinnamon, salt and pepper. THAT SMELL IS AMAZING!!! I'm pretty sure that this ground beef mixture is one of the best aromas on earth.

    meat pie filling for Middle Eastern sfeeha, ground beef mixture

    When the ground beef is browned, drain the grease and squeeze the lemon into the meat mixture and mix well. Let it cool off for 10-15 minutes before filling the bread dough rolls.

    Video of how to fold meat pies

    Check out the video of how to stuff the meat pies!

    Roll out the dough into a thin ⅛ inch circle, using flour if need be. Put 1 Tbls. of the meat mixture into the center. Fold together the top, making a crease down to the middle, then fold the bottom into the middle, making another crease and it becomes a triangle. Follow the steps below.

    how to fold meat pies

    Place each meat pie on a non-stick baking sheet. After they are all assembled, cover the meat pies with a kitchen towel or with plastic wrap and let them rise for 45 minutes.

    Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. These are soooooo delicious! You won't be able to stop eating them! Serve them with some Lebanese Labneh or with this Mint Yogurt Sauce!

    Lebanese Meat pies, beef fatayer, or sfeeha bil lahme

    Are sfeehas freezer friendly?

    YES! This is one thing I LOVE about this Lebanese Sfeeha recipe! Go head and freeze the leftovers after they are already baked! You can freeze them in a plastic zipper bag for up to 3 months.

    How to thaw and reheat frozen meat pies

    Take the meat pies from the freezer and transfer them onto a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven until they are heated through, or for about 10-15 minutes. They should taste just as fresh as when they were prepared.

    Check out these other popular recipes!

    • Instant pot shredded Mexican beef
    • Lambert's Fried Potatoes and onions
    • Lebanese Cabbage Rolls
    • Stove Top Stuffing Meatloaf
    • Shish Tawook (Lebanese Chicken Kebabs)
    • Kafta- Lebanese Beef Kafta Kebabs
    Lebanese Meat Pies

    Lebanese Meat Pies

    4.75 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Servings 8

    Ingredients
      

    • 1½ lb. lean ground beef
    • 1 large onion chopped
    • 2 stalks celery chopped
    • 2 teas salt
    • ½ teas pepper heaping
    • ½ teas cinnamon heaping
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or the juice of one lemon
    • 1 package frozen yeast dough balls (about 36)

    Instructions
     

    • Thaw the frozen bread dough
    • Brown and drain ground beef, celery, onions, salt, pepper and cinnamon together
    • Add lemon juice and stir, let it cool for 10-15 minutes before stuffing the dough balls
    • Roll the dough ball to about ⅛ " circle using flour if it sticks
    • place 1 tablespoon of meat mixture in the middle
    • fold into a triangle using these steps
      How to fold a meat pie pic
    • place assembled meat pies on a non-stick cookie sheet
    • cover with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes
    • bake at 350° for about 25 minutes or until golden brown

    Freezer Instructions

    • Follow all of these steps but only bake it bout 15 minutes. Pull it out before it's all the way done and let it cool
    • Freeze in a freezer bag

    Thawing Instructions

    • Pull out of the freezer and place on a baking sheet for about 45 minutes
    • Bake in the oven at 350° for about 15 minutes or until golden brown
    Lebanese meat pies are a traditional savory pastry filled with ground beef (or lamb), onions, celery, Mediterranean spices and lemon and baked until golden brown. It is perfect doughy bread with amazing ground beef filling shaped like a triangle and served as a main dish or as an appetizer. -APinchOfAdventure
    Lebanese meat pies are a traditional savory pastry filled with ground beef (or lamb), onions, celery, Mediterranean spices and lemon and baked until golden brown. It is perfect doughy bread with amazing ground beef filling shaped like a triangle and served as a main dish or as an appetizer. -APinchOfAdventure
    Lebanese meat pies are a traditional savory pastry filled with ground beef (or lamb), onions, celery, Mediterranean spices and lemon and baked until golden brown. It is perfect doughy bread with amazing ground beef filling shaped like a triangle and served as a main dish or as an appetizer. -APinchOfAdventure
    Lebanese meat pies are a traditional savory pastry filled with ground beef (or lamb), onions, celery, Mediterranean spices and lemon and baked until golden brown. It is perfect doughy bread with amazing ground beef filling shaped like a triangle and served as a main dish or as an appetizer. -APinchOfAdventure
    Lebanese meat pies are a traditional savory pastry filled with ground beef (or lamb), onions, celery, Mediterranean spices and lemon and baked until golden brown. It is perfect doughy bread with amazing ground beef filling shaped like a triangle and served as a main dish or as an appetizer. -APinchOfAdventure
    Lebanese meat pies are a traditional savory pastry filled with ground beef (or lamb), onions, celery, Mediterranean spices and lemon and baked until golden brown. It is perfect doughy bread with amazing ground beef filling shaped like a triangle and served as a main dish or as an appetizer. -APinchOfAdventure

    More Main Dish Recipes

    • Shish Tawook (Lebanese Chicken Kebabs)
    • Kafta- Lebanese Beef Kafta Kebabs
    • Freekeh with Chicken
    • Kibbeh Balls

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Roselyn Franke

      June 22, 2020 at 11:06 pm

      Sounds great but does look a little labor intense; however, thanks for sharing. If I wanted to use lamb, could you provide the spices to use please?

      Reply
      • Emily A

        June 23, 2020 at 2:05 pm

        Hi Roselyn, If you were to use lamb the recipe would stay the same, cinnamon, salt, pepper and lemon, and of course the onions and celery as well

        Reply
      • judean

        June 23, 2020 at 9:54 pm

        I have never tried a meat pie! I love bread and ground meat so I think this would be delish!

        Reply
    2. Sabrina DeWalt

      June 22, 2020 at 11:09 pm

      My husband loves Jamaican Meat Pies. I bet he would really enjoy these as well.

      Reply
    3. Beth

      June 22, 2020 at 11:25 pm

      5 stars
      These look just delicious and I'm so impressed at how clear you were able to make the process in a 25-second video!! I'm definitely checking out other recipes.

      Reply
      • Emily A

        June 23, 2020 at 2:04 pm

        Thank you Beth!

        Reply
    4. Alexis Farmer

      June 23, 2020 at 6:46 am

      I’ve never had these but will definitely be making them because they look so yummy!

      Reply
    5. Barbara

      June 23, 2020 at 7:22 am

      Looks great!

      Reply
    6. Eva

      June 23, 2020 at 7:41 am

      5 stars
      These look delicious! I love bread, especially warm and stuffed bread! There was a Lebanese restaurant across the street from my high school and I used to take friends there all the time to work on projects or homework since all the other students would go to the McDonalds next door.

      Reply
      • Emily A

        June 23, 2020 at 2:03 pm

        I would DEF go to the Lebanese restaurant. haha

        Reply
    7. Sarah Camp

      June 23, 2020 at 8:31 am

      Oh my goodness - I am so making this! I love cuisine from around the world but usually the recipes look complicated (to me - as I have hardly any skills in the kitchen haha). This looks like one I could do! Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Emily A

        June 23, 2020 at 2:03 pm

        It is sooooo yummy! and no strange ingredients either

        Reply
    8. Myrka

      June 23, 2020 at 10:05 pm

      5 stars
      These remind me of empanadas with bocadillo. I have never tried Lebanese dishes and I love trying food from all over the world. I am terrible at cooking but great at eating! lol. I will try to make these. If you open up a restaurant, please let me know and I will go eat!

      Reply
      • Emily A

        June 24, 2020 at 2:53 pm

        HA! I don't think I'm cut out for restaurant life however I'll keep making it look good online. Thanks!

        Reply
    9. Angela

      June 25, 2020 at 10:06 pm

      4 stars
      A great comfort food meat pie!

      Reply
    10. Carrie Beaton

      June 27, 2020 at 9:34 am

      These look delicious. They remind me of Beerrocks. I will definitely want to try these to see how they compare!

      Reply
    11. Cindy Mailhot

      June 27, 2020 at 1:04 pm

      We have had these when traveling and loved them! Looks easy enough to make at home...may give that a try!

      Reply
    12. Annette

      June 28, 2020 at 6:02 pm

      These are soo cute!!! Perfect for little hands, too.

      Reply
      • Emily A

        June 29, 2020 at 1:46 pm

        They are! I make them with my kids all the time!

        Reply
    13. Tara

      June 30, 2020 at 2:09 pm

      Ohhh! These look really good and quite simple! I'll have to try them out!

      Reply
    14. Katherine Scheri

      November 21, 2021 at 12:00 pm

      My grandmother would not cook the meat prior to filling The dough. That way you get a little bit of caramelization on the bottom of the Dough.
      She also exclusively use Lamb and she would add yogurt to the lamb along with the pinenuts cinnamon salt pepper garlic and onions. It gave the Meat a little twang And really enhance the flavor. She also paired it with spinach pies which was just a little bit of yogurt spinach and onions. She would use fresh spinach and she would sauté that slightly so they would wilt and she would drain it very well. To that she would add yogurt onions and pinenuts lemon juice cinnamon

      She would serve it with a cucumber yogurt salad where the cucumbers were shredded with garlic and lemon juice. Absolutely the most fond memory that I have a family meals on Sunday

      Reply
      • Emily Ackerman

        November 22, 2021 at 11:05 am

        I love how everyone's family does it slightly different. Some of my relatives would make it with yogurt as well, or even open face meat pies. YUM!

        Reply

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