Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pitas (Arayes)
Lebanese meat stuffed pitas (Arayes) are a snack, appetizer, or main course. Pieces of pocket pita stuffed with homemade kafta mixture and grilled or pan-fried until crispy. Serve with homemade garlic or tahini sauce!
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 460kcal
Author: Marzia
- 1 lb ground beef 95-99% lean
- ½ medium onion cut into a few pieces
- ½ cup parsley packed
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon Baharat seasoning or 7-spice
- ½ teaspoon hot paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses optional
- 4-5 flat Lebanese bread Palestinian, or Greek Pita pockets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more
- Garlic sauce or tahini sauce in notes
COMBINE: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the onions, garlic, and parsley until it's minced. Add this to a bowl along with the ground beef, 1¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, tomato paste, all of the seasonings, and the molasses. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. You can also just add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until they’re combined.
FILL: Cut the pitas into 4 equal pieces. Place roughly 2 tablespoons of the mixture inside each pita and gently press the mixture down with a spoon. Repeat with the remaining mixture and pitas.
PAN FRY, BAKE, AIR FRY: Heat a large cast-iron grill pan (or other grill pan) over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the arayes with olive oil. When the grill is warm, place four arayes on the grill and cook for roughly 3-5 minutes per side or until golden and the beef is cooked to your liking. You can also bake these on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet in at 425ºF oven for 10-14 minutes (flipping halfway) and cooking them to your liking. The time it takes will depend on the thickness of the pita you’re using, Lebanese pitas require less time; thicker Greek pitas require longer. Air fry at 375ºF for 7-12 minutes (flipping halfway.) Serve with toum (garlic sauce) or tahini sauce.
- No baharat seasoning? use a ¼ teaspoon of each of these: ground coriander, ground black pepper, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg instead.
- Tahini sauce: Mix together 3 cloves garlic pressed, ⅓ cup mayo, ¼ cup tahini, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, a big pinch of kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon warm water in a bowl until smooth.
Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 21g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g