Hummus bil lahmeh is a traditional Middle Eastern hummus dish topped with warmly spiced meat, toasted pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds. This celebratory dish is a part of the Middle Eastern Mezze and is usually served on special occasions.

Hummus with meat recipe hummus bil lahmeh

Middle Eastern cuisine is very rich. It consists of many different dishes and flavours, some dishes are meaty, while other dishes are vegetarian or vegan. So there’s definitely something for everyone! Now let me tell you more about the Arabic Mezza…

What is Mezza

Also pronounced as Mezzah or Mazza. It’s a selection of Middle Eastern appetizers presented in small plates before the main dish is served. In the Mezza, you’ll find meaty plates, vegetarian and vegan.

Popular Middle Eastern Mezza includes:

Before making this recipe to share on my blog, I’ve done a little research and only found very few recipes of Hummus with meat in English. And as this is a very traditional dish in the Middle East and you probably have not heard of it before, I decided to share this tasty recipe with you.

The Ingredients

To make hummus with meat, you will need the following ingredients:

Chickpeas – either canned, or you could use dried (must be soaked overnight then cooked)
Tahini
Olive oil
Garlic
Lemon juice
Salt
Ground cumin
Onion
Diced beef (or lamb)
Allspice
Pine nuts (toasted)
Pomegranate seeds

How to Make Hummus With Meat

Step 1. Make a classic hummus by adding the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon, salt and ground cumin to a food processor. Blitz until you reach the desired consistency. You could add a dash of water if your hummus is too dry or chunky.

Step 2. To prepare the meat, start by sauteing a diced onion in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Cook until the onion becomes tender and translucent.

Step 3. Add the diced beef or lamb. Season with Allspice, and sea salt.

The meat that is used for this dish is usually beef or lamb fillet diced with a sharp knife (minced meat won’t work for this recipe).

When the meat is cooked through and the juices evaporated, remove from heat and set aside.

Step 4. Assemble your hummus with meat!

In a bowl, spread the hummus using a spoon and make a well in the centre. If you hummus is too thin, this won’t work so make sure that the hummus is still thick and nice (don’t add too much water when you blitz it in the food processor).

Pile up the meat in the centre of the hummus.

Top with toasted pine nuts. The best way to toast pine nuts, is by heating a little bit of olive oil in a pan then toasting the pine nuts for a couple of minutes. Once they start changing their colour, remove from heat immediately.

Finally, sprinkle with fresh pomegranate seeds and serve immediately with warm pita bread!

This bright and colourful dish is perfect for sharing on a Christmas dinner, the portion provided in the recipe instructions is enough for 4 people. You could also serve it with a few more Middle Eastern Mezza dishes and toasted pita bread. I’m sure that your family or guests will love this dish, and might even ask you for the recipe!

This dish could also be enjoyed as a main dish or lunch or dinner. Although it’s a dish that’s usually served on special occasions, we make it at home from time to time and just enjoy it as a main dish with tabouleh salad on the side.

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I hope that you love every recipe that you make! – Diana x