Lebanese Spinach Stew

Try this authentic Lebanese style Spinach stew made with simple inexpensive ingredients. It's wholesome, well-balanced and perfect to feed a large family!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil divided

⅓ cup pine nuts

1 pound lean ground beef

1 teaspoon 7 Spice

1 teaspoon salt divided

½ teaspoon pepper divided

¼ cup chopped cilantro

5 garlic cloves minced

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 10-ounces frozen spinach

3 cups chicken broth

Juice of one lemon

Instructions

In a heavy bottomed saute pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and toast the pine nuts until golden, remove and set aside.

In the same pan over medium high heat, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and add the ground beef, season with 7 Spice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the meat is browned, about 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside, keep any oil and juices in the pan.

In the same pan, add the cilantro, garlic and crushed red pepper, cook for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the frozen spinach and cook with the cilantro mixture until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth or water and bring mixture to a boil. Return the cooked ground beef and pine nuts to the pan. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes until stew thickens.

Stir in the lemon juice and serve over traditional Arabic rice pilaf.

Notes

Storage: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and they will keep for around 4 days. You can also freeze the stew and it will keep for up to 3 months.

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.

Instead of frozen spinach, you can use fresh spinach, but you will need 2 pounds to be the equivalent of 20 ounces frozen spinach.

Instead of 7 Spice, you can substitute any mix of paprika, cumin, coriander, ground cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon

To make it vegan, just leave the beef out or substitute it for chickpeas.

Nutritional Data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use and it does not include the rice served with the stew

Nutrition