Lebanese Meat Pies

5 from 201 votes

These Lebanese meat pies (sfeehas) are a delicious Middle Eastern appetizer. Made with a crispy dough and filled with a spiced meat filling.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Lebanese

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Resting time 2

Total Time 2 30

Servings servings

Calories 195kcal

Author Yumna Jawad

Equipment

Ingredients

Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups warm water
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 1 packet
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup olive oil

Meat Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1 pound 95% lean ground beef
3 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons 7 Spice
2 teaspoons sumac
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Make the Dough

Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix together until well combined. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead the mixture until sticky.
Add the olive oil and continue kneading until the dough becomes soft and smooth and lightly sticky without leaving any dough on your fingers.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased tray and allow it to proof until doubled, about 90 minutes.
Remove the dough and divide into 30 pieces and reshape to round balls. Let sit in an oiled tray until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Make the stuffing

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 onions and cook until the beef is browned, about 8-10 minutes. Fold in the tomatoes and parsley, then season with salt, 7 Spice, sumac and cinnamon.

Assemble & Cook

Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough in 4-5 inch circles. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture inside each circle.
Hold two ends of the dough and seal them together over the filling, pinching the dough together to help bind. Fold the last side up to meet the first two sides, pinching the dough together with the first two sides to bind.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Serve warm on their own or with plain whole milk yogurt as a dip.

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.

Make Ahead Tips: You can prepare the stuffing up to one day in advance and the mixture actually gets more flavorful after one day.

Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the meat pies before cooking by placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer. When frozen, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and keep for 3 months. You can also freeze the baked meat pies after they’ve cooled completely for up to 3 months.

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.

Instead of ground beef, you can use ground lamb or ground chicken or even ground turkey.
Instead of parsley, you can use more cilantro or basil, but parsley is more traditional.
Instead of yellow onions, you can use red onions or green onions.
Instead of 7 spice and sumac, you can substitute with more cinnamon and black pepper and cumin.

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