Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowl combines savory beef with warming spices, sweet sautéed onion and carrot, and a cool mint-yogurt sauce. Ready in about 30 minutes, these bowls are the best!
Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowls
I wanted to capture the vibrant flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine in an easy, approachable way with this Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowl.
This recipe takes a simple “bowl meal” and makes it amazing. You get warmly spiced ground beef, fluffy couscous, and tangy mint yogurt sauce—all easy to make and super tasty together.
Despite the rich flavors, this dish is really easy to prepare. Most ingredients are pantry staples, and the steps are simple. It’s perfect for quick weeknight dinners when you want a comforting, home-cooked meal.
Plus, it’s versatile! You can tweak it to fit different diets, and prep the elements in advance. Serve the beef over couscous or in warm pitas—your choice!
Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowl Ingredients
Seasonings
- Coriander, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, allspice, ground ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, red pepper flakes: This spice blend makes for some seriously delicious and robustly-flavored meat. But, if you happen to be missing a spice or two, it will still be plenty flavorful. If you’re concerned about heat, leave out the red pepper flakes and conversely, if you love heat, add a touch more!
Beef and Couscous
- Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil if possible, as it has a fuller flavor than regular olive oil.
- Onion and carrots: Fresh is best here. Choose firm, brightly-colored carrots and onions with a strong aroma. When dicing, make sure the pieces are uniform in size to ensure even cooking. The smaller the pieces, the better! You don’t want hard, raw pieces of veggies in the beef.
- Ground beef: We use lean ground beef to keep this dish on the lighter side. That said, you can use beef with a higher fat percentage or consider ground lamb–it’s delicious here!
- Tomato paste: Choose a tomato paste that only contains tomatoes for the best flavor. Some brands add salt, sugar, or other ingredients, so read the label carefully.
- Couscous: Use fine-grain couscous for this recipe. Couscous cooks very quickly (it’s just steaming!), making it a great choice for weeknight meals. More on this ingredient below!
Couscous: The Perfect Quick Base!
Couscous, tiny balls of semolina pasta, is a popular staple food around the world. The most common types are small grain and pearl couscous.
Small-grain couscous, also called Moroccan couscous, has a fine texture and cooks quickly and evenly. This is the type we use in this recipe!
Couscous is the perfect base for our Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowls. Under the couscous, I like to spread full-fat Greek yogurt. This helps keep the couscous settled and adds a nice contrast of texture and flavor to the bowls.
Mint-Yogurt Sauce Ingredients
The mint yogurt sauce serves as the harmonizing element in these Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowls. Here’s the breakdown of what goes into this refreshing, creamy sauce:
- Full-fat plain Greek yogurt: Premium, full-fat Greek yogurt provides a rich, creamy texture. For unparalleled creaminess and rich flavor, we recommend Greek Gods plain traditional Greek yogurt.
- Fresh mint: Hunt for mint leaves that are brightly colored without of any wilting or discoloration. Make sure to gently chop the mint leaves; this releases their aromatic oils and elevates the flavor of the sauce.
- Minced garlic: To achieve a robust flavor, use freshly minced garlic. Whether you’re using a garlic press or finely mincing by hand, make sure the garlic is finely minced so it will integrate seamlessly into the sauce.
- Lemon juice and zest: We highly recommend using a microplane to zest the lemons and then juice them with a citrus juicer for the quickest prep time!
- Olive oil: Select a high-quality extra virgin olive oil for optimum richness and flavor.
- Ground cumin: This spice contributes an earthy warmth to the sauce.
How To Make Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowls (Tips)
- Dicing the vegetables: Cut onions and carrots evenly for even cooking. A food processor can make this quicker and easier.
- Proper browning: Heat the pan well before adding ground beef. Let it sear without stirring to get a good flavor.
- Tomato paste: Cook tomato paste and seasonings for a bit before mixing with other ingredients to boost flavor.
- Spice customization: Adjust spices to your taste. Add more red pepper flakes for heat or more cumin and coriander for stronger flavors. Recipes are flexible!
- Make ahead/meal prep: Cook beef and couscous in advance and store them separately in the fridge. Make the mint-yogurt sauce ahead for better flavor. Assemble your bowl when ready to eat.
More Ground Beef Recipes:
- Ground Beef Quesadillas with gooey melted cheese
- Ground Beef Ramen with the BEST stir-fry sauce!
- Beef Kofta Meatballs on charred pitas
- Ground Beef Naan Tacos with a cucumber yogurt sauce
- Beef Lentil Soup with carrots
Middle Eastern Ground Beef Bowls
Equipment
- Large cast-iron pan
Ingredients
Seasonings
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and pepper
Beef and Couscous
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups finely diced onion 1 large onion, see note 1
- 1-1/2 cups finely diced carrots 3 large carrots, peeled
- 1 pound lean ground beef 93/7
- 1-1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup couscous plus 1 cup water and 1 tsp oil
- Mint-yogurt sauce optional, but recommended, see note 2
- Greek yogurt full-fat; optional
- 1 large lemon optional
Instructions
- Optional Mint Yogurt Sauce: If making this sauce, prepare it first (see note 2) and refrigerate to develop the flavors.
- In a small bowl, combine all the seasonings (I add 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper). Mix.
- In a large, cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Once oil is hot, add diced carrot and onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes or until beginning to soften. Press to the edges and add ground beef to the center of the pan. Sear (leave untouched) for about 45 seconds before crumbling with a wooden spoon.
- Once beef is mostly browned, add the seasoning blend and tomato paste. Continue to cook and crumble beef until fully browned through. Add in water and simmer until it’s juicy (not watery).
- Meanwhile, prepare the couscous. Add 1 cup water to a small pot. Add in 1 tsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove the pot from heat. Stir in the uncooked couscous and cover the pot with a lid. After about 2–4 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed; fluff couscous with a fork.
- Set out 4 plates. Scoop a big spoonful of Greek yogurt on the base of each plate (if using). Smooth with the back of a spoon and season yogurt with a pinch of salt. Divide couscous evenly among plates, followed by the beef mixture. Top with mint yogurt sauce. Add 1–2 lemon wedges to each plate. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
- 1/2 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint (optional—sauce is still tasty without!)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus 1/2 tsp zest
- 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, fine sea salt
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I make this with tzatziki sauce instead of the mint yogurt sauce?
For sure! 🙂
This was amazing!! Love it so much!!
Thanks so much Kimberly! 🙂
Looking forward to trying this. I recently moved my eating habits to a Mediterranean style diet and this will be a nice addition. Maybe substitute ground beef, with a cubed pork tenderloin, or beef sirloin. Your recipes almost always pique my interest, thanks for the inspirations.
Ooh you’re going to love this! Enjoy and thanks for your comment! 🙂