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Baked Kibbeh Recipe

Name: Baked Kibbeh
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 15
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat (fine ground (not coarse)); 3 cups boiling water; 1 pound ground sirloin; 1 pound ground lamb; 1 large yellow onion (grated); 6 servings All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend; 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee); 1/2 pound ground sirloin; 1/2 pound ground lamb; 1 medium yellow onion (chopped); 1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted); 2 servings All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend

by Liz DellaCroce 36 Comments / Jump to Recipe

Baked kibbeh or kibbie, a traditional Lebanese dinner recipe, is made with ground beef or lamb combined with bulgur wheat, pine nuts and warm spices like cinnamon and allspice.

My husband has been BEGGING me to share this family recipe for baked kibbeh with you all for years now and I am so excited to finally come through with my promise! Hands down, this is his all-time favorite Lebanese dinner recipe and is quite possibly one his “last meal” requests.

Ground meat is combined with super-fine bulgur wheat and scented with allspice, cinnamon, clarified butter and toasted pine nuts. Each bite is tender, juicy and intoxicatingly delicious.

This is the cooked version of kibbeh. If you’re looking for the raw version better known as Kibbeh Nayeh you should look here for a good recipe.

Typically served with a Syrian green salad and a side of cucumber laban yogurt sauce, this is Lebanese comfort food at its best. The best part? It freezes wonderfully so make a big batch and freeze extras for another night.

Can I substitute butter or olive oil instead of ghee?

I would not recommend. You really need the ghee for the recipe to work. Ghee can be used for other things like cooking eggs.

Is baked kibbeh freezer friendly?

Yes!

Can I make baked kibbeh the night before and heat in the oven the next day?

Yes! Absolutely!

Your fork is waiting.

Baked Kibbeh

Baked kibbeh or kibbie, a traditional Lebanese dinner recipe, is made with ground beef or lamb combined with bulgur wheat, pine nuts, cinnamon and allspice.

4.23 from 18 votes

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Course: Entree

Cuisine: Lebanese, middle eastern

Keyword: baked kibbeh, how to make kibbeh, lebanese kibbie

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 310kcal

Author: Liz Della Croce

Comments

Ingredients:

Base Meat Mixture

1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat fine ground (not coarse)
3 cups boiling water
1 pound ground sirloin
1 pound ground lamb
1 large yellow onion grated
6 servings All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend

Filling

2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
1/2 pound ground sirloin
1/2 pound ground lamb
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
2 servings All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter a 9 x 13 baking dish; set aside.
To prepare the base meat mixture, add the bulgur wheat to a medium bowl and stir in the boiling hot water. Cover the bowl and let stand for 10 minutes then drain any excess water.
Add the ground lamb and sirloin to a food processor and pulse until it forms a fine paste. Remove from food processor and place in a large bowl along with softened wheat, grated onion, and All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend. Use your hands to mix well. If mixture gets too sticky on hands, dip into a bowl of ice water.
To make the filling, heat the clarified butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat, pine nuts, onion, and All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend and sauté until meat is cooked through about 9-11 minutes.
To form the baked kibbeh, spread half of the base meat mixture out on the bottom of the baking dish. Next, spread the filling on top of the base layer. Finally, spread the remaining base meat mixture on top, pressing down a bit with wet hands to smooth the top.
Slice kibbeh diagonally to form small diamonds. Optional: you can drizzle on additional melted clarified butter over the top at this point.
Bake until meat is fully cooked, about 40-45 minutes. Serve with Cucumber Laban on the side.