Meat Stuffed Pitas (Arayes)
Arayes are a Lebanese classic street food which is basically a pita bread stuffed with spiced ground beef or lamb, or a mixture of both! It’s like a hamburger but so much better and with more flavor! Made of super simple ingredients Arayes makes for the perfect recipe to add to your weekly meal plan. Make them ahead of time or prep it quickly the night of for a healthy dinner everyone will love!
I like to serve Arayes alongside an Israeli salad and a simple lemon tahini sauce for drizzling!
I N G R E D I E N T S
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for pitas
1 lb of ground meat (either beef, lamb, or a combo)
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsps of fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsps of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
6 small pita pockets
I N S T R U C T I O N S
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Sautè onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 5-7 minutes, until softened and slightly browned.
Let onions cool in a medium sized bowl.
Slice off the top portion of the each pita pocket (about an inch down from the top).
Add your ground meat, chopped herbs, garlic, and seasonings into the bowl with the onions. Mix together with your hands until ingredients are well combined.
Stuff each pita pocket gently with about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture. The pita stuffed with the meat should be about 1/2 inch thick. Squish the pita in between your hands to make sure the meat is evenly distributed.
Brush both sides of the pita with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place the stuffed pitas on a cooling rack over a parchment-lined sheet pan.
Bake pitas in the oven for 5-7 minutes and then flip carefully and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Pitas should be nicely browned.
N O T E S
I like to reserve the pita tops that I cut off and bake them with the arrays to make pita chips. Makes a nice little chef’s snack!
You can sub the cumin and coriander for 1 tablespoon za’atar seasoning, a curry powder would be yummy too!
If you can only find regular-sized pitas that are larger, just cut them in half and stuff. The authentic Israeli fluffy pitas are the best to use here! Be sure whatever you are buying has a pocket for stuffing.
If the pita tear when stuffing, it’s okay. They will still be delicious.
The cooked arayes can be frozen. To reheat, place in a 350 degree oven or air fryer for about 10-12 minutes or until warm and crisp again.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment and don’t forget to tag a photo using #feedyoursister on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
