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Aunt Gee’s Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce

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Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce…a Middle Eastern favorite!

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

I created this recipe for the dairy farm families of New England as part of an ongoing partnership. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the organizations and brands that make A Dish of Daily Life possible!

Food plays a big part in our holiday traditions here. We spend hours cooking over the holidays. Many of the dishes we make year after year…everyone has their specialties. I’m usually in charge of these Cheesy Potatoes with Bacon and Leeks.

My husband’s family has Lebanese roots, so our holiday meal spread often includes traditional Lebanese food, like Kibbeh, Grape Leaves, and Tabbouleh. Aunt Gee’s Baked Kibbeh was always well known in our family for being the best. Years ago, I spent an afternoon with Aunt Gee learning how to make it, including her secret ingredient to keep it moist — cream cheese. I love learning those little family secrets that make recipes special!

Usually my husband’s brother or sister are in charge of making the Kibbeh over the holidays, but this year my husband and I have been making it more.

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

We always eat our Baked Kibbeh with a yogurt sauce on the side. Traditional Middle Eastern Labneh is even thicker than Greek yogurt. It’s made by straining regular yogurt for hours. I tend to take the lazy way out and use Greek yogurt instead.

GREEK YOGURT VERSUS REGULAR YOGURT

I like the tanginess of Greek yogurt, but besides taste, there are some great reasons to start cooking with Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is thicker, creamier and has less sugar than regular yogurt. It’s also high in protein…about double the protein of regular yogurt.  Protein helps build muscle and repairs tissue, which is helpful to anyone who works out on a regular basis. As you know, we’re all runners here in my family, and we also own a gym, so we’re always thinking about our best food choices.

You’ll also get a healthy dose of probiotics in Greek yogurt, which help strengthen your digestive tract and increase the good bacteria in your gut.

And, Greek yogurt is also a good source of calcium, although you’ll get a higher percentage of the recommended daily allowance from regular yogurt over Greek.

HOW TO MAKE BAKED KIBBEH WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

Baked Kibbeh is a little more time consuming than what I normally share with you, but I promise you, it is so worth it! This layered meat dish made with either ground lamb or ground lamb and ground beef is so delicious, it always disappears quickly!

When we make baked Kibbeh, we always use a mixture of both lamb and beef, but that is personal preference.

To make the bottom and top layer of this meat dish, you’ll need ground lamb, ground beef, grated onion, salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice and burghul, also known as burghul wheat. Burghul is used often in Middle Eastern cuisine in recipes such as kibbeh and tabbouleh. We get ours at a Middle Eastern market, but you’ll probably be able to find it in your local grocery store. You’ll want to use fine burghul, rather than coarse.

Bulghur, used in making Baked Kibbeh

Start by making the Basic Kibbeh mixture. This will be used for the bottom and top layers of your Baked Kibbeh.

Soak the burghul in cold water and soak for 10 minutes, then drain using a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the burghul to remove the excess water. Mix the grated onion with the spices using your fingers to intermingle the flavors; then add the mixture to the meat. Continue to knead until it is mixed thoroughly. Add the burghul and continue to knead. Keep your hands cold by dipping them in ice water while kneading…this helps keep the Kibbeh cold and soft. Pulse the meat mixture through a food processor for a finer consistency.

Press about 1/2 of the meat mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 x 12 baking dish, smoothing it as you go.

To make the stuffing, brown the pine nuts to a golden color in the butter, then add the ground lamb and cook for about ten to twelve minutes until browned. Add the onion and spices and continue to cook until the onions have softened and are translucent. Turn off the heat and add in the cream cheese, stirring until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Spread the Kibbeh Stuffing evenly over the top of the first Basic Kibbeh layer.

Baked Kibbeh in the layering stage. This shows the Kibbeh Stuffing, the middle layer.

Layer the rest of the Basic Kibbeh mixture over the top of the Kibbeh Stuffing. You now have three layers…Basic Kibbeh (bottom), Kibbeh Stuffing (middle), and Basic Kibbeh (top). Smooth the meat over the top. Score into diamond shapes, and drizzle with olive oil or melted butter before putting the Kibbeh into the oven.

Baked Kibbeh, ready to go in the oven. There are three layers of meat in this dish...basic kibbeh on the top and bottom, with Kibbeh Stuffing in the middle.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 300 degrees, and bake for 20-30 more minutes until golden brown.

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

Garnish your finished Baked Kibbeh dish with parsley leaves, if desired.

While the kibbeh is being baked, you can make the yogurt sauce. Mix together the Greek yogurt, cucumber, crushed garlic. lemon juice and mint, and allow the flavors to combine while your Kibbeh is in the oven. Serve Baked Kibbeh with yogurt sauce on the side.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it! This is definitely one of my family’s favorites and well worth the time to make it!

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Yogurt Sauce for Baked Kibbeh

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

LEBANESE FAVORITES

Around the holidays, we tend to serve Baked Kibbeh as an appetizer. But during the rest of the year, we use it more as a main dish.

As a main dish, Baked Kibbeh would traditionally be served with Tabbouleh or Fattoush (salads). You might also consider serving hummus and pita. I tend to experiment with hummus a fair amount and this Cannellini Bean and Mint Hummus is one of my favorites.

Here are a couple of other Lebanese favorites in our house:

MY EXPERIENCES WITH NEW ENGLAND DAIRY & FOOD COUNCIL

Before I share Aunt Gee’s Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce recipe with you, I want to talk a little about the New England Dairy & Food Council and Must Be The Milk.   I’ve been working with them for the past two years. It’s been such a wonderful experience, giving me the opportunity to meet some of the dairy farm families from New England, and learn more about their everyday lives.

Recently I was in my local Big Y, and I ran into a family member from the Freund’s Farm in East Canaan, Connecticut, which we visited in June of 2017 as a field trip with the New England Dairy & Food Council. She was working a sample table for Cabot Cheese, and we had a nice chat. I didn’t meet her on the farm the day of our visit as she was not there, but it was lovely to connect with someone from a farm we had visited!

Please take a moment to check out the websites for the New England Dairy & Food Council and Must Be the Milk…they are a helpful source of information in terms of health and wellness, and you’ll find some great recipes there too!

Speaking of recipes, here are a few of my personal favorites that I’ve created for the New England Dairy & Food Council over the last couple of years.

Are you ready to make some Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce? Let’s get cooking!

Aunt Gee's Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce

Aunt Gee's Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce

Yield: 8-10
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

Basic Kibbeh (top and bottom layers in Baked Kibbeh)

  • 2 2/3 cup fine burghul (wheat) + 1/4 cup when using half lamb meat
  • 1 large onion, grated
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground lamb

Kibbeh Stuffing

  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 lb ground lamb
  • 1 medium onion, chopped finely
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Baked Kibbeh

  • Basic Kibbeh (above)
  • Kibbeh Stuffing (above)
  • olive oil or melted butter to drizzle over the top
  • parsley leaves (for garnish)

Yogurt Sauce

  • 2 cups Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup cucumber, finely chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • juice from one lemon
  • 1 tablespoon mint, chopped

Instructions

Basic Kibbeh (top and bottom layers in Baked Kibbeh)

Cover burghul with cold water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain using fine mesh sieve and press the burghul to remove excess water.

Mix the grated onion and spices together with your fingers; add to meat. 

Knead the meat and onion mixture until mixed thoroughly; then add the burghul and continue to knead. 

While kneading, dip your hands in ice water to keep the kibbeh cold and soft. 

Pulse the meat mixture through a food processor for a finer consistency. 

Kibbeh Stuffing

Melt butter in pan; add pine nuts and cook until golden brown. 

Add the lamb and cook for another 10-12 minutes until lamb has browned. 

Add the onions and spices and cook until onions have softened and are translucent. 

Turn off heat and add in cream cheese while the ingredients are still hot, stirring until the block has melted. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. 

Baked Kibbeh

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Grease a 9 x 12 baking dish. 

Press about 1/2 of the Basic Kibbeh into the bottom of the dish evenly, smoothing as you go.

Spread the Kibbeh Stuffing evenly over the top of the bottom Basic Kibbeh layer. 

Add the other half of the Basic Kibbeh over the top of the Kibbeh Stuffing, again smoothing the meat. 

Score the top of meat about 1/2 inch deep into diamond shapes. 

Drizzle with olive oil or melted butter (we prefer olive oil). 

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 300 degrees, and bake for 20-30 more minutes until golden brown.

Cut into wedges for serving. Garnish with parsley if so desired. 

Yogurt Sauce

Mix together Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and mint. Serve on the side with the Baked Kibbeh. 

Serve Baked Kibbeh with yogurt sauce on the side. 

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 799Total Fat: 54gSaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 792mgFiber: 7gSugar: 5gProtein: 38g

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

 

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

 

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce...a Middle Eastern favorite! #Arabic #MiddleEastern #familyrecipes #lamb #appetizer #maindish #kibbe #kibbi

 

 

 

 

Little Cooking Tips

Thursday 7th of February 2019

What an amazing recipe!!! We didn't know about kibbeh, it's the first time we saw this dish. Even at a Lebanese restaurant that's nearby that had a lot of traditional dishes, it was never mentioned. It seems that we missed a delicious, hearty meal as we see here:) Amazing work dear Michelle, we'd love to serve this for a crowd, when we have people over. KUDOS, exceptional post! Love, Mirella and Panos

Miz Helen

Tuesday 22nd of January 2019

Your Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce looks very special! Hope you are having a great week and staying warm. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back soon! Miz Helen

Ai | Ai made it for you

Monday 21st of January 2019

I've never tried kibbeh, but anything with lamb and all those spices has to be amazing! Yum! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday :)

Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook

Sunday 20th of January 2019

I am working and living in the Middle East, but it's unfortunate that I haven't tried this until now. It looks so good with that yogurt sauce. Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday, Michelle.

Maria | passion fruit, paws and peonies

Friday 18th of January 2019

I've never heard of kibbeh! It sounds so delicious. Thanks for sharing xx

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