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Lebanese Hushwee – Ground Beef with Pine Nuts

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LIZ DELLA CROCE

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Hushwee (or hashweh) is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine as a humble, flavor-packed dish made of ground meat cooked in clarified butter.

Scooping Lebanese hushwee- ground beef with pine nuts.

Lebanese Hushwee (or hashweh) is a simple, modest Middle-Eastern recipe made with ground meat, cinnamon, and toasted pine nuts. Every family has a staple, comfort food that they go to over and over. For my family? That’s Lebanese Hushwee or Ground Beef with Pine Nuts with a side of lebanese green beans. Packed full of flavor, but done quickly, we use it in a handful of different dishes, but also enjoy it on it’s own!

Ingredients

  • Clarified butter: Also called ghee, it has more of a roasted, nutty taste than normal butter, and also stores and lasts longer than typical butter.
  • Onion: I use a white onion, as it’s mild and palatable to most, but still adds great flavor.
  • Ground beef: I use ground sirloin, but you can use ground chuck or even a different ground meat that you have on hand!
  • Lebanese spice blend: My Lebanese spice blend is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and pepper.
  • Pine nuts: Mild and sweet in flavor, and buttery in texture, they’re flavir is greatly enhanced when roasted or toasted.

How to Make Lebanese Hushwee

Start by melting your clarified butter over medium-high heat, then add in your diced onion and sauté until slightly translucent.

Add your ground beef and season with some salt and pepper, breaking up with a wooden spoon or potato masher.

Add your Lebanese spice blend and continue cooking until ground beef is all browned and crumbled.

Finish by adding your toasted pine nuts and minced parsley (if you have it).

Lebanese hushwee- ground beef with pine nuts.

Serve with pita bread and brown rice, and enjoy your Lebanese Hushwee!

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is hushwee?

Hushwee (or hashweh) is a one-pot dish full of warm spices and flavor that comes from the Middle-East. I make it the way my family did, which stems from Lebanon, but there are variations from many countries!

What do you serve with hushwee?

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!

What type of meat do you use with hushwee?

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.

Recipes with Hushwee

Lebanese Hushwee- ground beef with pine nuts.

More MIddle Eastern Recipes

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What family recipes always bring you back to special times in the kitchen? Lebanese Hushwee is one that we always come back to in my family.

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Lebanese Hushwee – Ground Beef with Pine Nuts

4.75 stars average
Liz Della Croce
Hushwee rice is a beef and rice mixture made with cinnamon, toasted pine nuts and rice pilaf cooked in clarified butter. An easy one-pan meal.
PREP: 25 minutes
COOK: 35 minutes
TOTAL: 1 hour
Pin
Servings8

Recipe Video

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
 

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.

Lebanese Hushwee

  • In a deep pan, melt butter over medium high heat then add the minced onion. Sautee until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
    1 tablespoon clarified butter, 1 medium onion
  • 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.
    20 ounces ground sirloin, 2 tablespoons All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend, 1/4 cup pine nuts

Last Step:

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Liz’s 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

Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 307mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg


4.75 from 31 votes (20 ratings without comment)

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74 responses to “Lebanese Hushwee – Ground Beef with Pine Nuts”

  1. Alyssa (Everyday Maven) Avatar
    Alyssa (Everyday Maven)

    So, is this the same recipe your Aunt uses? I am so curious as to what she does different and why they come out different? It looks pretty amazing to me Liz!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      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!)

      1. irene Avatar
        irene

        Try chopping your onions first and soaking them in cold water until you need them. That might reproduce the mildness of frozen onions without any extra work. And none of us want any extra work.

        Thanks for the pine nuts tip. I needed that.

        1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
          Liz DellaCroce

          Good idea!

  2. Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg Avatar
    Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg

    Oh yes, I love hushwee! I’m drooling now just thinking of it with hummus. Pass the pita.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      I have got to serve it over hummus soon!! I want that right now!

  3. Aggie Avatar
    Aggie

    I’ve been craving this since you originally told me about it. Looks so delicious!
    Ps…I’m the queen of burnt pine nuts.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      I have burnt so many batches!!! So easy to do. :)

  4. Samantha @FerraroKitchen Avatar
    Samantha @FerraroKitchen

    You know I am madly in love with this dish. And I never ever use pine nuts! I don’t know why..they’re v=pretty amazing.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      I am obsessed with pine nuts!! I buy them in bulk at Costco. :)

  5. KalynsKitchen Avatar
    KalynsKitchen

    I’m loving the sound of this. (I think I must have lived in the middle east in a previous life. All the food from there just speaks to me.)

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      I completely get it!! It’s my favorite food ever!!

  6. Vijay @ NoshOn.It Avatar
    Vijay @ NoshOn.It

    This looks delicious Liz! Definitely going to try it with lamb one of these days.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Lamb is the best!!! Definitely a little fattier but so so good.

  7. tanya Avatar
    tanya

    I absolutely love the cinnamon in this dish! It reminds me of so many of my moms Greek dishes.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Oh my goodness I adore Greek food for that reason!! Do you have many Greek recipes on your site??

      1. Tanya Schroeder Avatar
        Tanya Schroeder

        Only a few adaptations of my mom’s Greek cooking. As with many good dishes, they take so long to prepare!

  8. Cassie Avatar
    Cassie

    I wish we were neighbors so I could benefit from your amazing Lebanese cuisine!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      I wish you were too – I need more taste testers!!

  9. Tina Muir Avatar
    Tina Muir

    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!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      You would love this protein-packed dish!! Great for running!!

  10. Kim | Just For Clicks Avatar
    Kim | Just For Clicks

    I LOVE finding new dishes to make my family. Your Slow Cooker Chicken Curry was a HUGE https://thelemonbowl.com/slow-cooker-chicken-curry/ hit in my family – and curry was something I’d never made before. So I’m anxious to make this one! Thanks for all the tips (including the frozen onions). I agree on the pine nuts… in a matter of seconds they go from being “done” to “DONE”. :-)

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Oh I love that curry too!!! I’m so glad you guys like it!!!