Smash burgers have taken over the internet over the past year or so. This is my fun Middle Eastern Inspired take on it that is like a cross between a smash burger and an Arayes. Arayes are pitas stuffed with a meat mixture and then fried or baked and are very common in Palestinian and Lebanese cooking. In this smash pita recipe a delicious meat mixture it spread between the middle of a pita which results in ground beef surrounded in two crispy layers of pita. I love topping the smash pitas with tahini sauce, marinated onions, lettuce and tomatoes but you can really get creative and use anything that you think might work.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love These Middle Eastern Smash Pitas
- The delicious combination of spiced meat and crispy pita plus tahini and pickled onions is so tasty!
- This recipe is easily adaptable, add different toppings or spreads depending on your tastes.
- These wraps are extremely kid-friendly. My 4-year old love them!
- This recipe is dairy-free and easily customizable to be gluten-free
Ingredients You Will Need
- Ground beef: I like to use high-quality, lean ground beef to minimize the amount of grease.
- Spices and Fresh Herbs: Salt, black pepper, paprika, ground coriander, cumin, and fresh parsley create a truly delicious combination of flavor.
- Onions: You’ll want to finely grate a yellow onion with a box grater to infuse the ground meat with full onion flavor, and then use a red onion for the marinated onions.
- Fresh Garlic: Finely chopped or minced with a garlic press will give you the best results.
- Lemon: You will use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in both the tahini sauce and the marinated red onions.
- Romaine Lettuce: You can also use iceberg lettuce or butter lettuce.
- Cherry Tomatoes: I prefer cherry tomatoes, but you can roughly dice any type of tomato.
- Pita Bread: A soft pita toasted to perfection is beyond delicious in this recipe.
- Tahini: Tahini is a common Middle Eastern condiment made with sesame seeds. It is savory, creamy, and delicious.
- Olive Oil: I use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil for the marinade. It’s classic and perfect for this recipe.
- Red Wine Vinegar: You can also use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Cooking spray: Alternatively, you can use butter or olive oil to grease your pan.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Small Bowl
- Medium Bowl
- Jar or Glass Container
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Box Grater
- High-Speed Blender or Immersion Blender
- Kitchen Scissors
- Large Skillet (either non stick or a cast-iron pan)
- Spatula
Cooking the ground beef
Make sure you smash the meat into a thin, even layer to ensure even cooking. Don’t raise the heat too high and check it periodically to ensure it doesn’t burn, especially when cooking the pita side rather than the meat side.
How to Make These Middle Eastern Smash Pitas
- To make the pickled onions, thinly slice the red onion and combine with the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Leave to marinate for a minimum of 20 minutes.
- To make the tahini sauce, combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until light and fluffy. Add more water if needed until the sauce is a light, thin consistency.
- In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the ground beef mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Cut along the seam of the pita and very gently separate into two detached circles.
- Place one half of the pita on a cutting board, inside facing up, take a handful of the meat mixture and firmly press to spread it out into a very thin layer to the very edge of the pita. Repeat this process until all the meat mixture has been used.
- Heat a heavy pan on medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add the pita meat side facing down to the hot pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the meat is cooked through and browned. Flip the pita over in the pan and place the other half of the pita on top of the meat. Cook until the pita is crisp on both sides.
- Remove from the pan and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Spread a layer of the tahini sauce in a wide strip down the middle of the pita. Add shredded romaine and cherry tomatoes on top, and finally add a big spoonful of the marinated onions. Drizzle with a bit more tahini sauce and roll the wrap together using parchment paper
You can find the recipe card below for further instructions
How to Modify
- Use ground turkey for a lighter option or ground lamb for a more traditional option of Middle Eastern cuisine.
- You could definitely make these using two tortillas per wrap.
- Try a different spread, like hummus or my delicious Dairy Free Tzatziki.
- Pickled red onions will also work instead of the marinated onions.
- Add crumbled feta cheese to add salty creaminess
Dietary Customizations:
- Low FODMAP: Leave out the garlic
- Gluten Free and Grain Free: Look for gluten free Pita Bread. Alternatively you could use a gluten free or grain free tortilla and add the toppings directly on top of the beef.
Serving Suggestions
This really is a great complete meal, but a side of fries is always a good idea. Try my Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges or Truffle Fries as excellent options.
If you’d like a light salad to accompany it, I recommend the Shaved Zucchini Salad, a Wedge Salad, or Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad.
Common Questions
These won’t meal prep well as a whole, but you can definitely make the tahini sauce and marinated onions a day or two in advance. I would also recommend slicing the pitas a day or two in advance and storing them in a large ziploc bag.
You can store leftover assembled wraps wrapped up tightly in aluminum foil or parchment paper in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Store the tahini sauce and marinated onions for 4 or 5 days.
More Sandwiches and Wraps You’ll Love:
- Greek Lamb Burgers
- Ribeye Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Onions and Herb Mayo
- BLT Chicken Lettuce Sandwich Wrap
- Roasted Veggie Sandwiches
- Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
If you make these Middle Eastern Inspired Smash Pitas, let me know in the comment section below. I would love to hear what you think, or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram. I love seeing your photos!
Middle Eastern Inspired Smash Pitas
Ingredients
Ground Beef Mixture
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 3 tbsp grated onion on a box grater
- 2 cloves garlic mined
Tahini Sauce
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tbsp water
Marinated Onions
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Pita & Toppings
- Cooking spray
- 2 cups finely shredded romaine
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- 4-6 large pita depending on size.
Instructions
- Start by making the pickled onions. Thinly slice the red onion. In a bowl stir together the olive oil, chopped parsley, coriander, lemon juice, lemon zest and vinegar. Add the thinly sliced red onion to the bowl and press down to ensure they are all submerged in the liquid. Leave to marinate for approximately 20 minutes (or ideally an hour!)
- To make the tahini sauce combine all of the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until light and fluffy, add more water if needed until the sauce is a light consistency (shouldn’t be a thick paste)
- To a bowl combine all of the ingredients for the ground beef mixture and use your hands to mix it all together well.
- Use scissors to cut along the seam of the pita and very gently separate the two pieces so that the pita is split into two detached circles.
- Place 1 half of the pita on a cutting board inside facing up, take a handful of the meat mixture and firmly press it into the pita and spread it out into a very thin even layer (⅛ inch or thinner) all the way out to the very edge of the pita. Repeat with the other pitas until you have used up all of the meat mixture (you should make 4-6 depending on the size of the pita bread you are using)
- Heat a pan on medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add the pita meat side facing down and cook for 3-4 minutes until the meat cooked through and browned. Flip the pita over in the pan and and place the other half of the pita ontop of the meat. Cook for another 2 minutes until the pita is crisp. Finally flip the pita one additional time so the other side of the pita is crisp.
- Take off the pan and place on a piece of parchment paper. Spread a layer of the tahini sauce in a wide strip down the middle of the pita. Add shredded romaine and cherry tomatoes on top and finally add a big spoonful of the marinated onions. Drizzle with a bit more tahini sauce and then roll the wrap together using parchment paper.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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