Lebanese Fatayer with Spinach & Meat
Crispy, golden Lebanese hand pies filled with seasoned spinach, ground beef, and pine nuts. Perfect as an appetizer or light lunch—best eaten warm and slightly crispy on the outside.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 12g
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup warm water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ lb ground beef
- 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- ½ medium onion
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ teaspoon sumac (or lemon juice)
- 1 pinch each salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (for frying)
Instructions
- 1
Pour 2.5 cups flour into a large bowl, then make a well in the center like a volcano crater by pushing flour toward the sides.
- 2
Pour 0.75 cup warm water into the well, then drizzle 0.25 cup olive oil around it and sprinkle in 1 teaspoon salt.
- 3
Use your fingertips to mix the water, oil, and salt together, then gradually pull flour from the sides into the wet center, mixing until a shaggy dough forms.
- 4
Knead the dough by pressing it away from you with the heel of your hand, folding it back over itself, and rotating the bowl a quarter turn; repeat for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- 5
Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- 6
Cut the onion in half from root to tip, place the flat side down, and slice lengthwise into thin strips, about 1/8 inch wide.
- 7
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 60 seconds.
- 8
Add the ground beef to the hot oil, breaking it into pea-sized pieces with a wooden spoon, and cook, stirring once every 30 seconds, until no pink remains and it looks crumbly, about 4 minutes.
- 9
Add the onion slices to the beef and cook, stirring once every 30 seconds, until the onion softens and looks translucent, about 3 minutes.
- 10
Stir in the chopped spinach by handfuls, pushing it down into the meat as it wilts; once all the spinach is added and no liquid remains, about 3 minutes, remove from heat.
- 11
Stir in the pine nuts, 0.5 teaspoon sumac (or lemon juice), and a pinch each of salt and black pepper, then spread the filling on a plate to cool for 10 minutes.
- 12
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces by cutting it into quarters, then cutting each quarter in half; roll each piece into a ball between your palms.
- 13
Flatten one dough ball into a thin circle about 1/8 inch thick and 4 inches across, using your fingertips and gently stretching the edges.
- 14
Place 2 tablespoons of cooled filling on one half of the circle, leaving 0.5 inch of bare dough around the edge.
- 15
Fold the dough in half over the filling to form a half-moon, then press the curved edges firmly together between your thumb and forefinger to seal completely.
- 16
Repeat steps 13–15 with the remaining dough and filling until you have 8 sealed half-moon fatayer.
- 17
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, about 60 seconds.
- 18
Place 4 fatayer seam-side down in the hot oil and fry, without moving, for 3 minutes until the bottom turns golden honey-brown.
- 19
Flip each fatayer using a spatula and fry the second side for 2 minutes until golden, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
- 20
Repeat frying the remaining 4 fatayer in a fresh 2 tablespoons of oil using the same method.
Tools you’ll need
- large mixing bowl
- 12-inch skillet
- wooden spoon
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- paper towels
- kitchen towel
- damp cloth or spray bottle
- spatula
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
