Hashweh (or hushwee) is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine as a humble, flavor-packed dish made of ground meat cooked in clarified butter. Served with browned rice and seasoned with cinnamon and toasted pine nuts. It’s naturally gluten free and paleo.
You know how certain people have their specialties in every family? Well, in our family, my Aunt Paula is famous for hashweh. No matter how hard I try, mine never quite tastes like hers, Ironically, she always thinks hers is missing something too. (Trust me, hers is perfect. Every. Single. Time.)
What is hushwee?
Hashweh (or hushwee) is a simple, modest recipe made with ground meat, cinnamon, and toasted pine nuts. It is the foundation of many classic Lebanese dishes such as Stuffed Eggplant or my husband’s favorite, Sfeehas (Lebanese Meat Pies).
At Christmas, we love eating it on top of mashed potatoes with a drizzle of homemade gravy. It also tastes great served over hummus and eaten with pita bread.
Time needed: 7 minutes.
How to easily toast pine nuts
- Bake
Bake pine nuts 350 degrees on a baking sheet for 5-7 minutes.
- Smell
Use your nose – the pine nuts are done the minute you smell that intoxicating, nutty flavor.
The end result is a batch of evenly toasted, golden brown pine nuts. Your hummus will thank me.
Frequently Asked Questions:
We love eating it with creamy, cucumber laban and a giant Syrian salad. To eat, ditch the fork and scoop up your bites with pieces of pita bread!
Actually, this recipe works with any type of ground meat you have on hand but I prefer beef sirloin, ground lamb or a combination of the two.
What family recipes always bring you back to special times in the kitchen? I’d love to hear from you.
Your fork is waiting.
📖 Recipe
Lebanese Hushwee Beef
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon clarified butter also known as ghee
- 1 medium onion minced – use frozen diced onions to save time
- 20 ounces ground sirloin lamb or bison work well too
- 2 tablespoons All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend
- ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
- fresh minced parsley garnish
Instructions
- In a deep pan, melt butter over medium high heat then add the minced onion. Sautee until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
- Add ground sirloin and spices. Cook 8-10 minutes or until meat is browned, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to break up meat. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in toasted pine nuts and set aside.
Toasting the Pine Nuts:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a small cookie sheet place raw pine nuts and cook for 5-7 minutes or until they are at a light brown in color. Keep a careful eye on them as they can burn quickly.
Video
Chef’s Notes
Nutrition
Want more healthy recipes? Head over to Pinterest!
Cara
I love, love, love this recipe. It’s easy, flavorful AND my toddlers will eat it!!!
Liz DellaCroce
Oh yes my boys love it too Cara!!! So glad!
Basmah
Parboiled rice isn’t available in my area at the moment. How should I prepare it with long grain white rice?
Liz DellaCroce
Same way! :)
Mj
I absolutely love this recipe, however I do not think it is gluten-free with the vermicelli, nor would it be Paleo. If you remove the rice and pasta it would absolutely be gluten-free and Paleo! Would probably taste great over cauliflower rice cooked in ghee!
Liz DellaCroce
Hi MJ! Sorry for the confusion – you just pointed out an error: the recipe listed is for hushwee WITH RICE (but it’s supposed to just be the hushwee/meat part which is gluten free and paleo.) :) We are working to resolve – sorry about that!
Tina
The missing ingredient is rice. We have made this dish with rice for generations.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Tina – We make it with rice also but that’s a separate recipe. :) https://thelemonbowl.com/lebanese-hushwee-rice-with-toasted-pine-nuts/
Danielle
Oh my goodness, this was absolutely divine! We added some sultanas to it during the cooking, which gave it a little sweet pop, but… ohhh my. I can’t begin to describe how amazing this was. I am not a massive parsley fan, but it really was amazing in this, and I added lemon juice at the end just to cut the fat of the lamb. I actually forgot about the chicken, but it didn’t need it. :)
Liz DellaCroce
Oh I love the lemon juice idea at that end!!!!!!
Sabrina Silver
This was delicious. I served mine over cooked spinach, less salt and more ghee. Ahhh. My husband had his over butternut squash. I can think of many ways to eat it. Thank you.
Liz DellaCroce
What a great idea! So glad you enjoyed it!
Jeanette
This might sound crazy but can this be made without the nuts as my dialysis diet doesn’t allow nuts?
Liz DellaCroce
Yes totally just leave them out!!
Denise Dayie
Liz, 1 1/4 teaspoon of salt is way too much. You must love a lot of salt. You really don’t need the salt with the other spices mixed.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Denise – I always do 1 teaspoon of salt per one pound of meat but you’re welcome to adjust to your personal taste! Enjoy!
Denise Dayie
I make the Hashwe with the 5 spices but I use much less salt in the spices. This is great in pita bread with a Lebanese salad.
Arlen
This recipe is a fave in my family, and my kids are very finicky. Thanks for sharing this.
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you enjoy it!!! We love it too.
Holly
Could this be made with ground turkey? I can only eat poultry due to food allergies and really want to try this!
Liz DellaCroce
Yes it absolutely could but it will be a bit on the drier side. Enjoy!
Holly
Would adding some ghee help that?
Liz DellaCroce
Yes absolutely!!
Basmah
Hey, i only have stir fry rice noodles. Will this method work? Or should i soak them in water per the box’s instructions?
Liz DellaCroce
Oooo that sounds tasty too. I would cook them according to package instructions!