Lebanese Pumpkin Vegan Kibbeh

By now you should notice that I am a massive kibbeh fan. honestly, I don’t think you could find any Lebanese citizen who is not! if you find one,  he is lying! he is not Lebanese 😛

kibbeh has a lot of shades and shapes and varieties in Lebanon from the vegan version with burghul, pumpkin, potato, and many more to meat ones . from small ball shapes to kibbeh in the tray to round patty kinda shapes. you can find it stuffed or plain. seriously there are limitless possibilities with kibbeh and I can assure you every shape and mix of kibbeh is delicious. 
the seasoning for kibbeh also has a variety that differs from region to region in Lebanon. 

I tried so many versions of kibbeh. I even have a gluten-free version with quinoa instead of burghul if you want to check it out at this link! And many more of my kibbeh version also you can check here! 

So the kibbeh base is pretty simple it is a mix of burghul with meat or with a vegan substitute like pumpkin potato and many more. today’s recipe is my latest version of pumpkin burghul kibbeh in-tray with a healthy filling.

It is vegan, delicious, fulfilling and easy to make. it is full of flavors and freezer friendly.

I usually prepare two or three trays and store them in the freezer so whatever I am in a hurry I just remove one from the freezer and pop it in the oven. 
This recipe has a lot of flavorings and seasonings and a few steps to make but believe me it is all worth it!  the final result is just amazing. 

The secret is in the kibbeh seasoning mixture, you can prepare it once and store it in a jar and use it with any kibbeh version you are making. if you are in Lebanon or around it you will find all the ingredients easily. and if you are in any other country you mind find it challenging to find some of the herbs like the geranium leaves or what is known in Lebanon as “عطر”   it is very known in Lebanon as a herbal tea or even people prepare a delicious syrup from it you can make juice. it is also used in our traditional Lebanese jams like fig jam and apricot jam as an aroma. if you cannot find you can totally skip it!

To keep this recipe 100% vegan, you can enjoy this kibbeh with some tarator sauce that is basically a mix of tahini sauce, lemon juice, and some water with some chopped parsley also. and some tabbouleh or fattouch goes great also. and for a vegetarian version you can enjoy it with some fresh yogurt “laban” or cucumber salad also goes great with it. the cucumber salad is just some yogurt, minced garlic, dry mint, and cucumber mixed together with a drizzle of virgin olive oil .so  let us get started with the recipe.

4.50 from 2 votes

Pumpkin burghul Kibbeh

A delicious Lebanese began kind of pie. Full of flavors and very healthy and nutritious. Try it out with some yogurt or tarator sauce aside for a full balanced meal.

Ingredients

For the kibbeh spice mix:

• 1 tbsp dry marjoram
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp black pepper powder
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp 7 spices
• 1 tbsp dry roses petal

For the kibbeh dough:

• 500 g pumpkin puree cooked ^{(see notes)}
• 250 g burghul washed and drained well
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 small onion
• 1 small chili
• 1 small red or green capsicum
• 3 greens onions
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 orange
• ¼ cup fresh basil ^{see notes}
• ¼ cup fresh mint ^{see notes}
• 4-5 geranium leaves chopped ^{(see notes)}

For the filling:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion Cut into wings
• 1 tsp kibbeh spice mix
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup cooked chickpea washed and drained
• 750 g mixed green herbs roughly chopped 200g spinach, 100g leek, 200g Swiss chard, 200g kale, 50g green coriander
• 1 tbsp sumac
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 1/4 cups chopped walnuts ^optional

Instructions

• STEP 01: start first with mixing and preparing the kibbeh spice mix. In a small jar add all the spices and herbs, close and shack well till everything is mixed. You will use some in this recipe and the remaining you can keep in the jar closed and use later in your kibbeh recipes.
• STEP 02: now we move to the kibbeh dough. In a food processor, add the onion, fresh herb (mint, basil, geranium leaves) of the dough , chili, capsicum, green onion, lemon zest, orange zest, salt and 2 tbsp of the kibbeh spice mix we prepared and pulse few times until you have a smooth mixture.
• STEP 03: in a deep big mixing bowl, add the burghul, the pumpkin and the veggies mixture we prepared in the food processor. Knead with your hands until you have a smooth dough. It will be a little bit sticky don’t worry this is how it should be. Cover and put in the fridge to rest for 10 minutes while we prepare the filling.
• STEP 04: on medium heat, heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and add the onions. Cook until the start to get tender and transparent. Add the kibbeh spice mix and salt and cook through for a minute. Add the chickpeas and cook through for 2 minutes. Now add all the fresh green and mix it through, cover and let it steam for 3 minutes than open and mix again keep doing this until all the greens are wilted and mixed through. Don’t worry if they will seem a lot first, they will reduce more than 70% when they are cooked and steamed through.
• STEP 05: add your walnuts and mix it through with the filling mixture. Mix lemon, sumac and pomegranate in a small bowl and drizzle over the filling mixture, give it a stir till everything is covered with the sumac sauce for 1 minute and turn off the heat. Taste and adjust for salt and Set the filling aside for assembly.
• STEP 06: preheat your oven on 180 degree Celsius. Prepare a 25 cm round tray or any equivalent tray, brush it with some oil and set it aside. Remove your dough from the fridge and divide it into two equal part. Rub your finger with some olive oil and spread the first part in the bottom of the baking tray till you have a smooth even layer. Spread the filling on top of the bottom layer leaving 1 cm space on the outline of the tray empty. For the upper layer, wet your hand with some olive oil and grab some of the dough. Flatten it with your finger as much as you can and put it on top of the filling, tapping softly on it to smooth it out, keep repeating the process until you cover the whole tray top, tap softly to remove and smooth any cracks on the surface. Brush the top with some oil for smooth texture. If you have time let the kibbeh tray rest in freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking for better result if not you can proceed and bake immediately also.
• STEP 07: dip a tip of sharp knife in water or oil and make soft cuts in the top layer don’t go all the way down, to make some decoration on top. form some triangle or squares shapes. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edge is golden crispy, and the top is firm. Broil for extra 5 min to crisp the top and give it this golden-brown color of kibbeh.
• STEP 08: remove kibbeh from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes at least before cutting and serving. you can serve it with some green salad, some tarator or some Laban (yogurt) also goes great! Enjoy!

Video

Notes

For the pumpkin puree: you can prepare the pumpkin at home by roasting them in oven or boiling with some water or even better steaming. Then after you remove the flesh and mash till you have a puree consistency. You can find it also in some grocery shops but make sure you buy the pumpkin puree and not confuse it with the pumpkin pie filling it is not the same.
For the basil, mint and geranium leaves: I use fresh because I always have fresh ones in hand but if you don’t have you can totally replace it with dry ones just replace each with 1 tbsp of the dry ones mix it with the kibbeh spice mix and store it in this way you can use it easily. So instead of adding the fresh ones in the kibbeh dough, add 1 tbsp of dry basil, 1 tbsp of dry mint and 1 tbsp of dry geranium leaves to the kibbeh herb mixture and mix it with the remaining ingredients and you can use in all your kibbeh dough recipes.
For the geranium leaves: geranium leaves are very common Lebanon, and they add a lot of flavor in food. In Arabic we call it “عطرة” , we use it to make some delicious tea or to infuse some food like jams and drinks and it is also dried out to use as a spice . it has a flowery tangy taste and it adds so much flavors to a recipe.

For storing the kibbeh: You can store any leftovers of the kibbeh in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. I usually prepare few trays of kibbeh and store unbaked in the freezer for later. Whenever I need it, I just remove before 15 minutes before baking , I preheat the oven and bake and add extra 10 minutes to the baking time because it will be thawing at the same time.

Author: annacookingconcept

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: arabic, lebanese, Mediterranean, middle eastern

Keyword: freezer, healthy meal, kibbeh, lebanese food, meal preparation, mediterranean, pumpkin, vegan