Arayes (Lebanese Beef Stuffed Pitas)
Arayes (Lebanese Beef Stuffed Pitas) are filled with seasoned ground beef, then pan-fried until crispy and served with Lemon Yogurt Sauce.
Aren’t meals just more fun when you can eat with your hands? Think about it – many of the world’s favorite foods are ones that you eat with your hands: hamburgers, pizza, sandwiches, chicken fingers. Or are these just kids’ favorite foods?
In any case, you can’t argue with the convenience of being able to eat a meal with your hands, and these Arayes (Lebanese Beef Stuffed Pitas) offer a different way to do so. These delicious meaty pockets feature ground beef that is generously seasoned with onions, tomato paste, and lots of spices. They’re pan-fried until the pitas are crispy, and served with a tangy Lemon Yogurt Sauce.
If you want to get your family to try some new dishes that they’ll find just familiar enough, arayes are a great way to go.
How to Make Arayes
To get started with your arayes, start by making the filling. This simply entails mixing the beef, onion, parsley, yogurt, tomato paste, and spices together in a medium bowl. You can do this with your hands (use food-safe nitrile gloves if you don’t like touching raw meat) or a large spoon. Set the beef mixture aside while you make the sauce.
The lemon yogurt sauce is also very easy to make. It just requires stirring together the yogurt, lemon zest and juice, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Put the sauce in the fridge while you finish up with the arayes.
The next step is to assemble the arayes. If you haven’t done so already, start by cutting the pitas in half. Take a minute to assess the pitas. If they feel a little dry and have the tendency to rip when you open up the pockets, put the pitas in a pile and wrap them with a clean, damp towel. Microwave the pitas for a few seconds until warm (about 30-60 seconds). This will soften them so they’re more pliable and less likely to tear.
Divide the beef into 8 portions. The most accurate way to do this is by using a kitchen scale. Scoop each portion into one of the pita halves, making sure to push it all the way to the edges of the pita. Place each stuffed pita onto a baking sheet.
When you’ve stuffed all the pitas, brush all sides lightly with olive oil. Heat a large cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place 4 of the pitas open side down into the skillet and cook until the beef is well-browned. Flip the pitas onto a flat side, and cover the skillet. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping occasionally, until both sides are well-browned and the meat measures 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Serve hot with the lemon yogurt dipping sauce.
Arayes Ingredients
- Lean ground beef
- Small yellow onion – or if you only have large ones, use half of one.
- Minced fresh parsley – you will be using this both in the meat filling and in the lemon yogurt dipping sauce.
- Plain Greek yogurt – I recommend using 2% milkfat or higher for this recipe. You will be using the yogurt in both the meat filling and in the yogurt lemon dipping sauce.
- Tomato paste – Pro-tip: freeze leftover tomato paste in a silicone ice cube tray. The frozen portions can be added to many recipes without thawing.
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Smoked paprika
- Freshly ground black pepper – You will be using pepper in both the meat filling and in the lemon yogurt dipping sauce.
- Kosher salt or MSG-salt – You will need salt in both the meat filling and in the lemon yogurt dipping sauce. Using MSG-salt will enhance the savory flavors in the meat filling, but won’t really provide much benefit in the yogurt dipping sauce – regular kosher salt is better there.
- Olive oil – or you could use any neutral-flavored cooking oil. This is for brushing onto the arayes before cooking.
- Lemon – you will need one lemon, from which you will use some of the zest and the juice.
- Small garlic clove
- 6-inch pitas – You can use any pitas that you like. Mine were on the thicker side, and they worked out very well. Use gluten-free pitas to make your arayes gluten-free.
Want more ground beef recipes?
Arayes Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for 2 pieces of arayes (from one whole pita). Nutrition information will vary slightly due to pita choice (some may be slightly bigger/thicker than others, whole wheat ones will be higher in fiber, etc.
To make your arayes gluten-free, simply use gluten-free pitas to make them. The filling is gluten-free as written.
To make a complete meal, serve your arayes with a green salad or cooked vegetable side.
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together 1 pound lean ground beef, the grated or minced onion, 2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley, 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. You can do this with your hands or with a large spoon. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
- Divide the beef mixture into 8 equal portions (the most accurate way to do this is to use a kitchen scale). Use a spoon to stuff the mixture into each of the pita halves, making sure to get it all the way to the edges (note that if your pitas are brittle and tearing, warm them in the microwave, stacking them and wrapping in a clean, damp towel first). Lay the stuffed pitas on a baking sheet, and brush all sides of the arayes lightly with olive oil.
- Heat a large cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place four of the arayes with the open (meaty) side down and cook until the beef is well-browned, about 3-5 minutes. Turn the arayes to one of the flat sides, and cook, covered, until the beef reaches 160°F in the center, turning the arayes occasionally as needed until they're browned on both sides. Reduce the heat as needed if the pitas are browning too much before the meat is fully cooked.
- Place the first batch of cooked arayes on a second baking sheet that has been fitted with a wire rack, and place the baking sheet in the oven at 200°F to keep warm. Repeat the previous step with the second batch of arayes. Serve the arayes warm with the lemon yogurt sauce. Serve with a green salad or cooked vegetable side to make a complete meal.
- Stir together ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, the minced garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cover and place in the fridge while you cook the arayes.
Nutrition
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