Middle Eastern Bowls with Spiced Beef
This recipe for Middle Eastern Bowls with Spiced Beef has all your Middle Eastern favorites like hummus, rice, salad shirazi, and ground beef seasoned with warm Middle Eastern spices all in one delectable bowl.
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Middle Eastern Bowls with Spiced Beef have all your favorites in one bowl – seasoned ground beef, rice, hummus, salad shirazi, feta cheese, pita bread, and pickled turnips!
In the way that my husband likes to turn his meals into a sandwich (bacon & eggs get piled on sourdough, The Best Italian Meatballs go between slices of garlic bread), I like to turn my meals into “bowls”- a bed of rice topped with an assortment of salads, veggies, sauces, and sometimes, meat.
My love of bowls started over 20 years ago when I started getting burrito bowls at Chipotle. After that, I started turning my meals into bowls whenever I could.
There used to be a place in Annandale, Virginia called Duke Kabob, where I would get a plate that came with rice, kabobs, and grilled veggies, and you could buy extras like: cucumber yogurt sauce, salad shirazi, hummus, and their spicy green hot sauce.
I, of course, would buy them all. My husband would give me the arched eyebrows that say, “Do you really need all of those?” Yes. Yes I did.
Anyways, these experiences at restaurants turned into make-your-own bowls at home, which by the way, bowl = party on my plate.
I’ve made Fajita Burrito Bowls with Mexican flavors, and my new bowls, Middle Eastern Bowls with Spiced Beef, are just as amazing.
This recipe starts with long-grain rice (jasmine or basmati are my favorites), hummus – homemade or store-bought, salad shirazi (shown below), spiced ground beef, and whatever other toppings you like.
“Middle Eastern” is a vague description of these bowls, as they have influences from all over, including the Mediterranean.
They are a fantastic way to break out of the rut of traditional ground beef recipes.
What are good toppings for these bowls?
- Feta cheese
- Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips
- Kalamata or green olives
- Pita bread
- Harissa Garlic Hummus
- Tabouli (tabbouleh)
- Toasted Za’atar Pita Chips
- Tzatziki (it’s Greek/Mediterranean, but a wonderful addition)
NOTES:
- If you can’t find Persian cucumbers, use small snacking cucumbers or an English cucumber instead.
- The bright pink sticks shown in the bowl are Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips. They make a great crunchy, tangy addition to the meal.
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Middle Eastern Bowls with Spiced Beef
Equipment
- skillet
- sauce pan with lid
Ingredients
Salad Shirazi
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped Roma tomatoes
- 4 Persian cucumbers chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
- sumac couple of dashes
- 1/2-1 lemon juiced
- salt & pepper to taste
Rice & Spiced Beef
Instructions
- *The Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips need to be made at least a day in advance. The recipe is in the "notes" in the post above.*
- Make the salad shirazi first by combining all of the salad's ingredients and refrigerate. Make the rice by following the directions on package and set aside when done. While rice is simmering, make the spiced beef.
- To make the spiced beef, add the meat, onion, and garlic to a frying pan and season with za'atar, cumin, turmeric, paprika, ground coriander, salt, and pepper. Sauté until the ground beef is fully cooked and the onion has softened.
- Make bowls by topping prepared rice with your desired amount of salad shirazi, spiced beef, hummus, and any other topping you desire. Garnish with some fresh parsley and ground sumac. Enjoy!
- Great toppings for these bowls: pita bread or pita chips, feta cheese, pickled turnips, tzatziki, olives.
I added cinnamon, and also made tzatziki sauce, and the flavor profiles deserve a chefs kiss 🤌🏽.
Thank you for the feedback!
I had some sumac and ground beef and was looking for a recipe that would use both. This fit the bill! I only made the spiced beef part and it was really quick to make. I had to make my own za’atar using a recipe in another site, so my experience may not be the same as everyone else’s, but I had to tweak the recipe a little bit by adding more sumac, garlic powder, and onion powder. The spiced beef is lovely with rice and this will definitely be in my dinner repertoire now!
Restaurant worthy! I made a slight change as I had chuck roast already very thinly sliced and ready to cook so used this instead of ground. I added 1tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 tsp baking soda to tenderize the meat while marinating for a couple of hours. This goes into the rotation! Thank you!
I am so happy to hear your meal was a success and that it worked well with your meat. Thank you for letting me know!