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Lebanese Hashweh – Ground Beef with Pine Nuts

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A staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, hashweh (or hushwee) is a humble, flavor-packed dish made of ground meat cooked in clarified butter then seasoned with cinnamon and toasted pine nuts. It is naturally gluten free and paleo.

Lebanese HashwehYou know how certain people have their specialties in every family? Well in our family, my Aunt Paula is famous for hushwee. No matter how hard I try, mine never quite tastes like hers and ironically, she always thinks hers is missing something too. (Trust me, hers is perfect. Every. Single. Time.)

Lebanese Sfeehas - Meat Pies - The Lemon BowlHushwee 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.

Pine Nut Toasting PSA: I have been toasting pine nuts since I was tall enough to reach the stove and let me tell you, they are very easy to burn! While I LOVE the way they taste when browned in clarified butter, it requires the type of constant attention that I can’t offer now that I have two little ones around me all the time.

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Creamy Basil Pesto Hummus Bite - The Lemon BowlMy solution? Bake pine nuts 350 degrees on a baking sheet for 5-7 minutes. 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.

Hushwee - The Lemon BowlWhat family recipes always bring you back to special times in the kitchen? I’d love to hear from you.

Your fork is waiting.

4.28 from 11 votes
Lebanese Hushwee - Ground Beef with Cinnamon and Toasted Pine Nuts - The Lemon Bowl
Print
Lebanese Hashweh - Ground Beef with Pine Nuts
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
A staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, hushwee is a humble, flavor-packed dish made of ground meat cooked in clarified butter then seasoned with cinnamon and toasted pine nuts.
Course: Main
Cuisine: Lebanese
Servings: 4
Calories: 369 kcal
Author: Liz DellaCroce
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon clarified butter ghee
  • 1 medium onion minced - my Aunt Paula uses frozen diced onions to save time
  • 20 ounces ground sirloin lamb or bison work well too
  • 2 tablespoons All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend
  • 1/4 cup toasted Diamond of California pine nuts
  • fresh minced parsley garnish
US Measurements - Convert to Metric
Instructions
  1. In a deep pan, melt butter over medium high heat then add the minced onion. Sautee until translucent, 4-5 minutes.

  2. Add ground sirloin and all spices. Cook 8-10 minutes or until meat is browned, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to break up meat.

  3. Stir in toasted pine nuts before serving and garnish with fresh minced parsley.
Recipe Notes

To toast pine nuts simply spread in an even layer on a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.

If you don't wish to make your own clarified butter (also known as "ghee"), you can find it online or in most health stores.

For lasting freshness, store pine nuts in the freezer to keep them fresher, longer.

Nutrition Facts
Lebanese Hashweh - Ground Beef with Pine Nuts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 369 Calories from Fat 224
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24.9g 38%
Saturated Fat 9.5g 48%
Polyunsaturated Fat 15.4g
Cholesterol 106mg 35%
Sodium 949mg 40%
Total Carbohydrates 7.2g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1.8g 7%
Sugars 1.9g
Protein 30.1g 60%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. 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.

    Reply

  4. This should be called salt with a side of Hushwee. Your spice blend is disgusting. Cut the salt in half or 3/4

    Reply

    • Hi Adam – I’m sorry you found this dish to be too salty. We have been making and eating this recipe for years so I want to help trouble shoot. Can you confirm you used 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt total for the dish? That should not be too salty for over a pound of meat, 1 whole onion, 1 tablespoon of clarified unsalted butter and 1/4 cup of unsalted pine nuts. Let me know – I’d love to help see where this went wrong for you! Thanks for your feedback!

      Reply

  5. Could this be made with ground turkey? I can only eat poultry due to food allergies and really want to try this!

    Reply

  6. My husband made this for our family tonight. My grandmother was Lebanese and I have missed the food immensely since I had to pack up my Lebanese cookbook several months ago. So glad I found you today; there’s no telling how mediocre our meal would have been without your hushwee! Thank you very much!

    Reply

  9. My mom was pretty much a plain Jane when it came to cooking but was a wonderful baker. My favorite cookie of hers was the Brown Christmas cookie. It is a cutout ginger/molasses cookie. It was “brown” and made at Christmas time….thus the name!! I think my mom got the recipe from these little holiday cookbooks that the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company published WAY back in the day (like the ’50s and ’60s). I was the “froster” and even when I had moved out of the house and had a “big girl” job, I took a day off of work in December to perform my frosting job!! I miss those days!! I am making your hushwee recipe tonight and am thankful for the Beirut Baking in Redford, MI for scooping out some ghee from their giant can in the kitchen and putting it in a little container for me :) Serving it on hummus with pita bread and fattoush salad!!

    Reply

  11. Liz,
    We’re getting one step closer to the ground meat and rice dish I’d get, along with some chicken shawarma and hummus, at the Lebanese butcher down the road from my son’s wheelchair basketball practice gym. It’s on the list of foods I crave since we moved to Ohio.
    I’ve got plenty of ground beef in the freezer (and leeks in the freezer too, wonder if they would sub for frozen onions) as well as a few more weekly trips to sled hockey (7 minutes away from the closest Costco, which is down in Cincinnati). This is on the list. Thanks!

    Reply

  14. For me, that meal is my mom’s mac and cheese…but I could totally see this being a CRAZY COMFORT FOOD. I love cinnamon in savory places.

    Reply

    • The biggest difference is the amount of clarified butter we use. ;-) Let’s just say she isn’t watching her waistline like I am these days – haha. Also she uses frozen onions which I swear make a difference but I never have them around (can’t find them!)

      Reply

  24. This looks wonderful Liz, how original! I would love to give this a try! Toasted pine nuts are looovveellly! Thanks for the recipe :) Excited to try it!

    Reply

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