Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowls – Kalyn’s Kitchen

posted by Kalyn Denny on April 26, 2021

Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowls are delicious made with Baharat Seasoning, but if you don’t have that just switch it out for curry powder! This is an amazing low-carb bowl meal with great middle eastern flavors!

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Many years ago a reader from Israel named Effie sent me a box of middle eastern spices. One of the spices was Baharat Seasoning, and I used it in a recipe for Middle Eastern Ground Beef. I really liked the flavors of this, and recently I updated the recipe to make it into a bowl meal that’s served over cauliflower rice with a tomato-cucumber-parsley mixture topping the bowl. The improved version was something Kara and I both loved when we tested it, and we also agreed that people who like middle eastern flavors but don’t have Baharat Seasoning should make it with spicy curry powder and it will be just as good! 

We made the middle eastern bowls with a layer of cauliflower rice, similar to the Easy Califlower Rice with Garlic and Green Onions that I make over and over. The spicy ground beef mixture with spices, onions, tomatoes, and parsley goes over the cauliflower rice. And over that we put a mixture with all the flavors I love so much in Middle Eastern Tomato Salad. This was a fresh-tasting bowl meal with so many interesting flavors and textures. If you like middle eastern flavors I hope you will give it a try!

What is Baharat Seasoning: 

Baharat Seasoning is a mixture like curry powder where ingredients can vary and every middle eastern country has a slightly different variation of this spice blend. And it can be used in a wide variety of ways! There are a wide variety of Baharat Spice blends sold at Amazon.com (affiliate link), or you can make your own with one of these recipes for Baharat Seasoning from the Kitchn, Baharat Seasoning from Wikipedia, or Baharat Seasoning from The Daring Gourmet.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• ground coriander
• ground cumin
• ground cardamom (optional)
• ground caraway
• ground turmeric
• olive oil
• onion
• minced garlic
• minced ginger 
• ground beef
• petite dice tomatoes
• Baharat Seasoning (or spicy curry powder will work)
• fresh parsley (or mint or cilantro will work)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• frozen cauliflower rice
• garlic cloves
• green onion
• cucumber
• cherry tomatoes
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice

How to make this recipe:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. Mix coriander, cumin, cardamom, caraway, and turmeric with water. 
2. Heat oil and saute the onion, garlic, and ginger.
3. Then add the spice paste and saute about 2-3 minutes more.
4. Remove seasoned onions to a bowl, but don’t wipe out the pan.
5. Add more oil if needed and cook ground beef until it’s nicely browned, breaking apart with the turner.
6. Then add  tomatoes and seasoned onions and simmer until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
7. Stir in Baharat seasoning (or curry powder) and cook 2-3 minutes, then add chopped parsley and turn off heat.
8. While the ground beef cooks, chop tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley.
9. Mix cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice.
10. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook garlic slices just long enough to “season the oil”.
11. Remove garlic, add the cauliflower rice and season well with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
12. Cook cauliflower rice over medium-high heat, stirring often, until it’s just starting to soften and lose the raw flavor, about 3-4 minutes.
13. Turn off heat, stir in the green onions.
14. To assemble the bowl, put a layer of the cauliflower rice in the bottom of a flat serving bowl.
15. Top with the beef mixture.
16. Then add a few spoonfuls of the tomato-cucumber mixture.
17. Serve right away and enjoy!

More Middle Eastern Flavors to Enjoy:

Ground Beef Zucchini Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Grilled Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers
Middle Eastern Beef and Hummus Pita Rounds 
Kabob Kubideh (Middle Eastern Ground Beef on Skewers)
Fattoush Lebanese Salad with Sumac and Pita Chips

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp. ground caraway
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 4 T olive oil, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. minced ginger root
• 1 1/2 lb. ground beef (see notes)
• one 14.5 oz. can petite dice tomatoes
• 2 tsp. Baharat Seasoning (see notes)
• 3 T + 4 T chopped fresh parsley
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 4 Cups frozen cauliflower rice
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1 European cucumber, finely diced
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 T lemon juice

Instructions

1. Mix together the coriander, cumin, cardamom, caraway, and turmeric with enough water to make a paste. 
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan and saute the onion, garlic, and ginger until the onions are softened.
3. Then add the spice paste and saute for about 2-3 minutes more. (Don’t skip this step!) 
4. Remove the seasoned onions to a bowl, but don’t wipe out the pan.
5. Add a tiny bit more oil if needed and cook the ground beef until it’s nicely browned, breaking apart with the turner as it cooks.
6. While the ground beef cooks, chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley.
7. Add petite dice tomatoes and seasoned onions to the beef mixture and simmer until the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes are well-softened.
8. Stir in the Baharat seasoning (or curry powder) and cook 2-3 minutes, then add 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley and turn off heat.
9. Mix cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and lemon juice to make the tomato topping.
10. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in another large non-stick frying pan and cook the garlic slices just long enough to “season the oil”. (This only takes a minute or so; don’t let the garlic burn.)
11. Remove the garlic and add the cauliflower and season well with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
12. Cook the cauliflower rice over medium-high heat, stirring often, until it’s just starting to soften and lose the raw flavor, about 3-4 minutes.
13. Turn off heat, stir in the green onions, and serve.
14. To assemble the bowl, put a layer of the cauliflower rice in the bottom of a flat serving bowl.
15. Top with the beef mixture.
16. Then add a few spoonfuls of the tomato-cucumber mixture.
17. Serve right away and enjoy!

Notes

You can use two pounds of ground beef if you prefer. If you don’t have Baharat Seasoning and don’t want to make it, just use a spicy curry powder.

Recipe adapted from Spicy Ground Meat with Baharat from The Spice House.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 445Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 735mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 34g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowls would be suitable for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, and this is also suitable for most low-carb eating plans.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Beef Recipes or Bowl Meals to find more like this one. Use the Diet Type index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.