Lebanese Meat Pies, otherwise known as Sfeehas, are triangles of bread dough that are baked with a rich, warm flavored ground beef mixture. Serve your meat pies with yogurt, hummus and a tabbouleh salad. The leftovers freeze great for later! 

LEBANESE MEAT PIES

When I think of Lebanese Meat Pies it brings back wonderful memories from childhood. We often called them Fatayer, but I have also heard them called Sfeeha.

My family loves making a big batch of these for family events because they are always a favorite with kids and adults.

We serve our meat pies with plain yogurt, Hummus, Tabbouleh and Lebanese Green Beans. The perfect Lebanese meal if you ask me! 

Lebanese Meat Pies are triangles of baked dough that are filled with a warm, rich flavored ground beef mixture of onions, garlic, spices and the ground beef. 

Last week I shared a recipe for a Spinach Pie Recipe that we also make a lot. I like to make both Spinach and Meat Pies so people have options and can eat both if they want. 

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN MEAT PIES?

GROUND BEEF: The meat pies I grew up eating used ground beef or lamb. 

ONIONS: The sautéed sweet onions are a nice addition to the meat pies. If you don’t like onions feel free to leave them out! 

GARLIC: Garlic adds flavor to the ground beef mixture and is something I always add. Feel free to add more or less depending on your love for garlic. 

SPICES: When I make the ground beef mixture I use cinnamon, cumin, allspice and cloves. I love the way those spices work together to create a warm, rich flavor. You can modify to your tastes.

DOUGH: You can use a homemade dough or buy a store-bought dough to use in this recipe. To save time I like to buy the Rhodes Roll Dough that is frozen and portioned into small rounds.

When you are ready to make your fatayer you will remove the dough and let it thaw and rise for 3 to 4 hours before making the spinach pies. 

WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH LEBANESE SPINACH PIES?

I am all about simple salads to pair with spinach pies.

Here are a few I like along with some side dish options:

Lemon Chickpeas: I love adding chickpeas as a side to my Mediterranean meals. These Lemon Chickpeas are a healthy, easy option! 

Fattoush : A healthy Middle Eastern Salad with a light, lemony vinaigrette dressing. This Fattoush Salad mixes crisp romaine, fresh vegetables, pita chips and a light lemony sumac dressing and is great with fresh farmers market vegetables.

Tabbouleh: Tabbouleh is a fresh, light salad mixing tomatoes, parsley, mint, green onions, bulgur wheat along with a light lemon olive oil dressing. A great side to any meal or a main dish for lunch!

Persian Cucumber Salad: Persian Tomato Cucumber Salad is a fresh, light salad mixing tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, jalapeño, fresh mint and parsley and topped with an olive oil lemon dressing.

Lebanese Green Beans: Lebanese Green Beans are a warm, spiced green bean dish, combining tomatoes, green beans, cinnamon and cumin. These pair great as a side dish to your weeknight meals! 

Hummus: Hummus pairs great with any Mediterranean meal. Feel free to dip your spinach pie in the hummus for extra flavor! 

Spicy Potatoes: Spicy Lebanese Potatoes are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside and will spice up any meal. The sauce on these potatoes is the star featuring coriander, paprika, cayenne pepper mixed with olive oil and lemon juice.

WAYS TO MODIFY THESE FATAYER

Change up the spices that are used with the ground beef. If you have a blend of spices you like try using that. Another idea is to use a shawarma seasoning on the beef or add za’atar. 

Add pine nuts or feta cheese to the meat pies. Add the feta on top of the ground beef right before cooking the meat pie. With the pine nuts add them in when cooking the beef. 

Use tomatoes in the ground beef mixture. You will want to make sure if you use diced tomatoes that you drain the juices from them. 

Spice up the ground beef mixture by adding additional cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper.