Lebanese Kibbeh (Kibbeh Bil Sanieh)
This Lebanese Kibbeh recipe is a wonderful meat dish that is stuffed with delicious toasted pine nuts and full of Middle Eastern flavor. Baked kibbeh can be likened to an Arabic meatloaf.
Ingredients
For the kibbeh meat mixture
- 1 lb lean ground beef ground round steak or ground sirloin, trimmed of all fat. See note in blog post
- 1 yellow onion
- ⅔ cup Yellow Bulgar #1 (fine cracked wheat)
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon heaping
- ½ teaspoon basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried mint leaf or 20 fresh mint leaves
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
For the Hashweh Filling
- ½ lb lean ground beef or ground round
- ¼ cups toasted pine nuts
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Hashweh Filling
- In a skillet over medium heat, add ½ pound of lean ground beef, diced onion, butter, pine nuts and spices. Brown together, breaking apart the meat as it cooks. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the Kibbeh.
For the Beef Kibbeh Mixture
- Preheat the oven to 400° F
- Soak the finely cracked bulgur wheat in about ½ cup of water. I measure out ⅔ of a cup of the bulgur then fill water up to the one cup line on the measuring cup. Let it soak for 30 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Place the onion in the food processor and process until finely ground, nearly liquid. If using fresh mint leaves, grind it with the onions as well.
- Add the 1 pound of lean ground beef to the food processor and pulse until just combined. Do not over work and don't let it get warm. *see note on the kind of beef
- Place the meat mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the soaked cracked wheat along with the salt, pepper, cinnamon, basil, and dried mint leaf.
- Dip your hands into ice cold water and mix the ingredients by hand until combined. Don't let it get warm. Dip your hands into cold water again if you have to. Cover and place in the fridge.
- In a buttered or greased 8 x 8 baking dish (9 x 11 if you want it thinner), Evenly layer ½ of the kibbeh meat mixture to the bottom of the pan, making sure it is smoothed out.
- Add the prepared hashweh filling over the first layer of kibbeh meat
- Take the rest of the kibbeh mixture and carefully layer the top layer. I usually flatten some of the kibbeh meat in my hands and place it on top.
- BEFORE baking the kibbeh, cut it into diamonds and add several pats of butter on top.
- Cover with foil and place in the preheat oven on 400° F for 25 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 300° F, remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes until it begins to brown around the edges. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Whether you are making beef kibbeh or lamb kibbeh, the meat needs to be VERY lean. I usually have a butcher trim and prepare ground round steak to order. Some people use a mixture of ground beef and ground lamb, some use all lamb, our family uses all beef.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!