Zucchini Fatteh is deliciously seasoned ground beef with zucchini, crispy fried pita bread, and a creamy Tahini yogurt dip. Eat it as a snack or as a main dish with rice. This easy recipe is not only delicious but also ready within 30 minutes!
Middle East Fatteh with Ground Beef
Fatteh is an Arabic recipe originating in the Lebanon/Egypt region. The base is toasted bread with a yogurt dip. The vegetarian version is made with chickpeas and is often eaten for breakfast.
But as mezze and for dinner, meat such as chicken, lamb or beef is added. It can be supplemented with eggplant or carrot or other vegetables.
That is also the case with this Fatteh, which is delicious as a warm snack at a party, but also nice with a sharing dinner. Everyone can grab a piece of bread with some of the meat mixture and dip it to their heart's content.
As a vegetable, I chose zucchini instead of aubergine, because it has a bit more bite and absorbs less oil. But you can simply swap it out if you prefer.
What do you need for Fatteh with Zucchini and Minced Beef
For the preparation of Zucchini Fatteh you need the following ingredients (you can find the correct quantities at the bottom of the blog in the recipe card):
- Pita bread - An important part of Middle East Fatteh is toasted bread. The pita bread is halved, cut into triangles (because it is easy to spoon), and toasted. You can also use other toasted bread, such as naan bread or another flatbread.
- Tahini - Sesame Paste, an indispensable ingredient in Arab cuisine. Also commonly used in hummus.
- Lemon - Use fresh lemon juice.
- Zucchini - Cut the courgette into small cubes (with skin). Unlike Aubergine, the courgette absorbs less oils and retains a bit more bite. But you can interchange both to taste.
- Spices - Cumin, coriander are typical spices from the Arab kitchen. We're using a mixture of ground cumin and cumin seeds here!
- Ground Beef - Ground beef is delicious for Fatteh. But you can also opt for chicken or minced lamb. If you go vegetarian, chickpeas are a good alternative.
- Pomegranate seeds - These fruity, slightly sour explosion of flavor bombs are great as a garnish (and as a counterpart to the Fatteh with yogurt dip). You can buy the pomegranate seeds ready-made (recommended because harvesting a pomegranate is often a chore where the kitchen can get very dirty (experience 😉)
- Mint - The mint provides a fresh taste.
How to prepare Middle East Zucchini Fatteh
A recipe with extensive steps, the right amount of ingredients, and which you can also easily print can be found at the bottom of the blog.
- Toast the bread until crispy and golden brown.
- Make the yogurt tahini dip. You can serve the sauce warm or cold with the Fatteh.
- Fry the zucchini with herbs in a frying pan.
- Add the ground beef and fry it. Serve with the bread slices and yogurt dip.
Serve with
- Snack or Sharing Dinner - Place the bowl with the delicious layers of pita bread, ground beef zucchini mix and yogurt sauce in the center of the table and serve with a bowl of extra pita bread. So everyone can enjoy this recipe.
- Dinner - Serve with rice and a salad. This recipe is sometimes even made for dinner. First a layer of rice, then the zucchini ground beef mixture and then the yogurt sauce. The pita bread is then served as a side dish.
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📖 Recipe
Servings: persons
Equipment
- frying pan
Ingredients
Roasted Bread
- 8 pita breads sliced and cut into triangles the size of nachos
Yogurt Tahini Dip
- 2 cups Greek Yogurt
- 5 tablespoons Tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and squeezed
- 2 teaspoons sea salt coarse
Zucchini - Ground Beef Mixture
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 zucchini cut into cubes ¼ x ¼ inch (½ by ½ cm)
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds ground
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander ground
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ground
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
Garnish
- 4 oz. pomegranate seeds
- 2 oz. pine nuts roasted
- ½ oz fresh mint leaves roughly torn, fresh
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Toast the pita breads
- Preheat the oven (or Airfryer) to 350 °F (180 °C) (convection mode)
- Divide the pita triangles on a baking tray (or put them in the Airfryer tray) and bake in the oven until crispy, about 13 minutes. You need about 8 minutes in the Airfryer (shake once in between).8 pita breads
- Set aside.
Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients: Greek yogurt, tahini lemon juice, garlic, and sea salt in a bowl. If you want to serve the sauce warm, use a heatproof bowl.2 cups Greek Yogurt, 5 tablespoons Tahini, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons sea salt
- For warm sauce: Just before serving, hang the bowl over warm water (au Bain-Marie) while continuing to whisk until warm and thickened.
Zucchini Ground Beef mixture
- Put the oil in a pan and heat over medium heat.3 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes. Then lower the heat and cook for another 5 minutes.1 small onion
- Return the heat to medium and add the zucchini cubes. Bake them for 10 minutes (mixing well every now and then).1 zucchini
- Add the ground cumin seeds, cumin seeds, coriander, cayenne and sea salt and mix quickly.2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ground, 2 teaspoons sea salt
- Spoon the ground beef into the pan and stir until browned. Make sure that the minced meat is nice and fine (by breaking it with a spatula or fork).1 pound ground beef
Serve Fatteh
- Place the pita pieces of bread on the outside of a plate. Spoon the zucchini ground beef mixture on top and spread the yogurt tahini dip over it.
- Garnish with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and mint over the Fatteh. Serve right away!4 oz. pomegranate seeds, 2 oz. pine nuts, ½ oz fresh mint leaves
Notes
1. - Pita bread
An important part of Lebanese Fatteh is toasted bread. The pita bread is halved, cut into triangles (because it is easy to spoon), and toasted. You can also use other toasted bread, such as naan bread or another flatbread.
2. - Zucchini
Cut the zucchini into small cubes (with skin). Unlike Aubergine, the courgette absorbs the oils less and retains a bit more bite. But you can interchange both to taste.
3. - Ground beef
Ground beef is delicious for Fatteh. But you can also opt for chicken or minced lamb. If you go vegetarian, chickpeas are a good alternative.
4. - Spices
Cumin, coriander are typical spices from the Arab kitchen. We're using a mixture of ground cumin and cumin seeds here!
5. - Serve with
- Snack or Sharing Dinner - Place the bowl with the delicious layers of pita bread, mincemeat, and yogurt sauce in the middle of the table and serve with a bowl of extra pita bread. So everyone can enjoy this recipe.
- Dinner - Serve with rice and a salad. This recipe is sometimes even made for dinner. First a layer of rice, then the minced meat mixture, and then the yogurt sauce. The pita bread is then served as a side dish.
- Room temperature - Toast the pita bread until golden brown. Keep them in a closed box for up to two days.
- Refrigerator - The ground beef zucchini mixture can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The yogurt tahini dip can also be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Freezer - The ground beef zucchini mixture can be frozen and will keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months in a closed freezer box. Let thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat - Heat the zucchini ground beef mixture by heating in a skillet over medium-high heat along with 4 tablespoons of water.
Nutrition
Calories: 1011kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 3055mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 403IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Iron: 7mg
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