Middle Eastern Recipes
307 recipes found
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This Creamy, Tangy Pasta Is Better Than Mac and Cheese—and Just as Easy
Macarona bil laban is a quick, weeknight-friendly pasta with spiced lamb (or beef), tangy yogurt, warm spices, and bold flavor in every bite.
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The 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Silky, Garlicky Hummus
Garlic scapes give this hummus a sweet allium kick.
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The Lemony Couscous Salad I Make on Repeat All Summer
This lemon and thyme couscous salad is bright, make-ahead friendly, almost endlessly adaptable, and great for cookouts or weeknight dinners.
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Move Over Lasagna and Bolognese—This Persian Baked Pasta Is Crispy, Meaty, and Totally Weeknight-Friendly
This Persian baked pasta combines bucatini, a savory tomato-meat sauce, and a crispy tahdig crust for a deeply comforting one-pot meal.
Mujadara (Lentils and Rice With Fried Onions)
Comforting, nourishing and budget-friendly, mujadara (which has a variety of spellings) is a humble lentil and rice dish beloved across Levantine cuisines. This version uses rice, but it can also be prepared with bulgur. Either way, deeply browned onions are the star and foundation of the dish, so make sure to cook them until they are a rich golden brown. Be sure to save the cooking water from the lentils, as it provides a flavorful broth to cook the rice. This version of mujadara is spiced with cumin, but feel free to add other spices, such as coriander. The crunchy fried-onion topping is optional, but highly recommended for a joyful party of flavors and textures. Serve mujadara with a side of plain yogurt and a simple green salad, cucumber and tomato salad, fattoush salad or fresh herbs like mint.
Chickpea Fatteh (Crispy Pita, Chickpeas and Yogurt)
Every family has its own way of making chickpea fatteh, but the layers of toasted pita, chickpeas and yogurt sauce always deliver a contrast of creamy and crunchy, warm and cool, sharp and earthy. This version, adapted from Sawsan Daana, the Palestinian chef of Matbakhi restaurant in Kuwait City, includes a layer of hummus in addition to the whole chickpeas, as is typical in Amman as well as Jerusalem, where she was born. Lebanese and Syrian versions skip the hummus and lean more heavily on tahini in the yogurt sauce (see Tip). Whichever route you take, this impressive dish is far easier to pull off than it looks, since the steps are straightforward and many ingredients repeat. If you like, you can prep everything but the toppings one or two days in advance and assemble when ready to serve.
Eggplant Fatteh (Crispy Pita, Eggplant and Yogurt)
There’s no single way to make eggplant fatteh, a layered dish of crispy pita, tender eggplant and yogurt-tahini sauce that is beloved across the Levant. In this version, adapted from Salam Dakkak, the chef of Bait Maryam restaurant in Dubai, the eggplant is roasted instead of deep fried, a perfectly tasty compromise that requires less cleanup. The contrast of temperatures and textures — crunchy, creamy, hot and cool — makes the dish unforgettable. Fatteh is best served immediately, so the pita chips stay crisp. To make this easier, all components can be prepared ahead, with the eggplant roasted last (or simply reheated) and the dish assembled just before serving.
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This Beloved Savory Mediterranean Pastry Is a Spiraled Delight
This borek features hypnotic spirals of golden flaky pastry filled with a savory carrot, mushroom, and feta cheese filling.
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Muhammara: The Bold Middle Eastern Spread You'll Want on Everything
Made from red bell peppers, onions, walnuts, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and aromatic of spices, this rich and tangy spread practically dares you to find new ways to eat it. Scoop it up with pita bread, spread it on sandwiches, use it as a pasta filling, serve it with other mezze, or serve it alongside your favorite grilled meats or fish.
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Carrot Cake Meets Baklava in This Delightful Spring Dessert
With layers of buttery phyllo dough and a spiced carrot and nut filling drenched in simple syrup, this homemade carrot cake baklava is irresistibly flaky and delicious.
Gheysava (Eggs With Dates and Cinnamon)
A sweet and savory combination of rich dates and eggs, gheysava is an energizing breakfast dish popular in Tabriz, the capital of Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province. The dates are first soaked in hot water to soften, and then cooked in butter alongside walnuts until caramelized and luscious. Some variations cook the dates down until smooth and creamy and the eggs are then scrambled in, but here the dates retain their form and the eggs are simply cracked right into the pan. Juicy, meaty dates such as medjool dates are best here. Gheysava warms you from within and fills you with vitality and strength to take on the day. Serve with bread and a hot cup of tea.
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Persian Baklava Cake
This moist and aromatic sweet cake smells, looks, and tastes like Persian baklava.
Shirini Gerdooyi
Desserts for Nowruz, the Iranian New Year that is also celebrated in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and beyond, are symbolic of a sweet year to come. In the days leading up to the first day of spring, which marks the New Year, home kitchens become a festive hub, busy with the preparation of baked goods to share with friends and family. Shirini gerdui, also known as pofaki gerdui, are one of many traditional Nowruz cookies. Here, they also are scented with vanilla. Made with only a handful of ingredients, they are light and delicately sweetened, crisp around the edges, chewy and slightly hollow on the inside with welcome bites of walnut. Serve with a cup of tea to welcome a sweet new year.
Dubai Chocolate
This crunchy, creamy stuffed chocolate bar, created by Sarah Hamouda, has charmed sweet tooths worldwide. Inspired by her favorite childhood dessert, Mrs. Hamouda called her creation “Can’t Get Knafeh of It” and began selling it through her online store FIX Dessert in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As it went viral globally, it became known as “Dubai Chocolate” and inspired many to create their own versions at home. And it’s easy to understand why — the confection is a dreamy combination of pistachio cream and delicate shredded phyllo encased in a snappy shell of silky chocolate. This rendition joins the many homespun recipes from near and far, and includes an exceptionally rich homemade pistachio filling with the ideal balance of salty-sweetness, and an approachable technique to tempering chocolate that anyone can accomplish. (You’ll need silicone chocolate molds and a pastry brush to make this recipe; see the Tips for more details.) And while you understandably may want to keep all four bars to yourself, they do wrap up beautifully for an elegant and impressive gift.
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Lamb Haleem
An ancient Persian porridge in which well mashed wheat and shredded meat form a thick, filling, and energizing meal. This version features wheat berries and lamb that’s ideal for a filling sahari or eftār or meal for anytime.
Smashed Beef Kebab With Cucumber Yogurt
This quick skillet dinner of spiced, seared ground beef over cooling yogurt combines elements of two Persian classics: kebab koobideh (grilled kebabs) and mast-o-khiar (cucumber yogurt). The creamy yogurt base keeps close to the original, while the ground beef is hard-seared on one side like a scallop for a crisp texture. Walnuts and raisins, traditionally toppings for mast-o-khiar, get toasted in the beef fat, adding crunch and sweetness to balance the savory meat and tangy yogurt.
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Khoresh-é-Ghormeh-Sabzi (Persian Braised Meat)
Khoresh-é-ghormeh-sabzi is the most popular Persian meat stew. Browned lamb or beef is gently braised with aromatics, a medley of herbs, kidney beans, and whole Persian dried limes. The result is tender chunks of meat in a thick herbaceous sauce.
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Freekeh Pilaf
For a simple pilaf that accentuates freekeh's unique chew and smoky flavor, it’s critical to soak the grains before cooking and pair it with warm spices and aromatics.
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Kookoo-Sabzi (Persian Eggs With Green Herbs)
A classic egg-centric savory Persian dish featuring plenty of herbs, kookoo-sabzi can be enjoyed hot or cold, as a main course, side dish, snack, or even as a sandwich, perfect for home, potlucks, or picnics.
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Smash Falafel Pitas Recipe
No deep-frying required for this fun twist on your classic falafel pita.
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Yalanchi Sarma (Armenian Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves)
For many Armenian families, Yalanchi sarma are essential on the mezze table. A soft, lemon-scented rice filling is studded with pine nuts and dried currants before it's portioned and wrapped in grape leaves. They're great as a room-temperature appetizer, or serve as a meatless main alongside a salad.
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Koshari (Egyptian Lentils, Rice, and Pasta)
With heaps of fluffy vermicelli, rice, tender black lentils, and soft pasta elbows, koshari is an iconic Egyptian meal that’s worth seeking out and making at home.
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Hummus Fatteh (Hummus With Crisp Pita, Fried Meat, and Pine Nuts)
Transform humble ingredients like chickpeas and pita into a satisfying meal by combining them with tahini, toasted pine nuts, and tender pieces of fried meat.
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Qudsiyeh (Hummus Topped With Fava Beans)
Served with a boiled egg and pita, qudsiyeh—hummus topped with fava beans—is a common breakfast throughout the Levant.