Lebanese Ground Beef (Hashweh)

4.97 from 102 votes

Quick and easy to make this traditional Lebanese Hashweh is made with simple ingredients and is wonderfully spiced and flavorful. Perfect on it's own with pita or a great stuffing for lots of mains.

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This beef hashweh recipe is a staple of Lebanese cuisine and you will find it in so many Middle Eastern dishes. Seasoned with spices and herbs and made with pine nuts, it’s wonderfully flavorful and so easy and quick to make.

Lebanese style hashweh with pine nuts and parsley
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What is hashweh and how is it used?

The word hashweh is Arabic for “stuffing” so it’s basically the stuffing that we use in many traditional recipes. Knowing this essential recipe lays the foundation for so many more meals. Here are some of the most popular Lebanese recipes where I use hashweh.

How to make Lebanese hashweh

  1. Heat the olive oil and add in the onions.
  2. Cook until soft and translucent.
  3. Add in the ground beef.
  4. Cook until the beef has browned. You can drain the fat if needed.
  5. Fold in the pine nuts and season.
  6. Stir to combine and serve or use as intended in a recipe.
6 image collage to show how to make Lebanese ground beef with onions and spices

Tips for making hashweh

  1. Adjust the olive oil and onions to your taste. Depending on the recipe the hashweh will be used for, you can use only one onion or half an onion and use as little as 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  2. Throw in some vegetables. While the classic Lebanese hashweh recipe only includes onions, beef and spices, you can also add chopped tomatoes, chopped zucchini or even chopped cabbage, depending on how you’re serving it.
  3. Season with salt and 7 Spice after cooking or towards the end of cooking. If you season ground beef too early, the salt will draw out the moisture, making the meat less juicy.
  4. Add rice to make it a full meal. If you’re adding rice, be sure to rinse the rice first, add it after the meat is cooked and allow it to cook undisturbed for 15 minutes. This is essentially how I make my Mediterranean rice and beef dish (plus chickpeas).
Large pan of cooked ground beef with onions and pine nuts

Frequently asked questions

How do you eat hashweh?

Usually hashweh is integrated inside other recipes as a stuffing. But you can also eat this on its own with some pita or homemade pita chips, or on top of rice!

Can you make it ahead of time?

Whenever I make this Lebanese ground beef recipe, I always make double so that I can enjoy it throughout the week in different dishes. Let the hashweh cool completely before placing in an air tight container, it will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days and can be reheated on the stovetop.

You can also freeze the hashweh for up to 3 months and thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Can you make hashweh with other ground meats?

This dish is traditionally made with beef, but it’s also popular to use ground lamb. If you’d like, you can try it with ground chicken or turkey but I’ve never tried that.

Lebanese hashweh with spoon scooping out serving

More Lebanese recipes:

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Hashweh

Quick and easy to make this traditional Lebanese Hashweh is made with simple ingredients and is wonderfully spiced and flavorful. Perfect on it's own with pita or a great stuffing for lots of mains.
5 from 102 votes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 240
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 large onions diced
  • 1 pound 95% lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon 7 Spice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup pine nuts plus more for topping
  • parsley

Instructions

  • In a medium size pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the beef and cook until the beef is browned, about 8-10 minutes. Fold in the pine nuts, then season with 7 Spice and salt.
  • Use as stuffing for a designated recipe, or sprinkle chopped parsley serve on its own with pita bread, if desired.

Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 461mg, Potassium: 375mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 449IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine Lebanese

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Comments

  1. Hello! I love your Hashweh receipee! Could you make a video for how to cook rice with hashweh? My mom used to make it for special holidays & I miss it so much! Thank you!

  2. Love this! I added some red cabbage and half of a zucchini diced at the same time I added the spices and salt. Served with pita chips and hummus, lettuce leaves, tomato and parsley. A hit!

    1. I’ve never used this specific recipe for meat pies – but I don’t see why not. I do prefer to cook the meat first when I make meat pies, so I am not sure if it would work raw.

  3. One they did not hold shape. They opened up.
    Maybe you should tell us the weight of each ball.
    I used unbleached organic flour.
    I doubled the recipe. Maybe i should use 1/2 the yeast. I am a chef. I knew this would happen

  4. My grandpa is Lebanese and I grew up eating baked kibbeh, so I decided to give this a try. I’m so glad I did! It’s so yummy and easy to make. Thank you for the recipe!

  5. Made that tonight for the family, served with hummus & pita bread and it was a hit! Will definitely use as my next Thanksgiving stuffing! Yum!

  6. Have you used this recipe to make lemajun? Wondering if this would work? Let me know! I will definitely be trying this recipe!