All of those classic warm shawarma flavors turned into an easy, speedy ground meat and veggie bowl. You can eat this in a pita, with pita chips, or cooked grains. A very lemony tahini sauce gets slathered all over. Cucumbers and pickled red onions add some fresh crunch!
Ingredient highlight
Cinnamon! This warming spice comes from the inner bark of a small evergreen tree. It is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds (cinnamaldehyde) and has been found to improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels. I love using it in both sweet and savory recipes.
Servings 4
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients
For the shawarma:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground meat (lamb, beef, chicken or turkey)
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin, divided
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 cups chopped veggies (mushrooms, bell pepper, cauliflower, etc…)*
For the tahini sauce:
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice**
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cloves garlic, grated (optional)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For serving:
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped (optional)
- Pickled red onions (recipe)
- Fresh parsley
- Pita chips, pita bread, or cooked grains
- *I used one bell pepper and 8 oz mushrooms. The mushrooms add a lot of flavor, but you can use any combo of veggies you want! Try to chop them small so they cook faster. You could even use frozen pre-chopped veggies.
- **This is meant to be a very lemony sauce. If you don’t like very lemony or acidic things, you can reduce the lemon to 3 tbsp and add more to taste.
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the ground meat and ½ teaspoon salt. Use a metal spatula to break it up into chunks, then cook for about 3-5 minutes or until cooked through, continuing to break it into smaller bite-sized chunks/crumbles.
- Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, coriander, and cinnamon and continue to cook for 1 more minute, stirring often. IF the skillet looks very dry (if using a lean meat), then add a bit of oil to help toast the spices. Transfer to a bowl.
- If the skillet is dry, add another 1 tablespoon oil. To the skillet over medium heat, add the veggies and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the veggies have softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin to coat. Add the meat back to the skillet and cook, stirring often, for about 1 minute.
- To make the sauce, add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. You want a very thin/runny sauce, so if it’s too thick, add a bit more water to thin it out.
- Serve the meat/veggies with your grain of choice, pita chips (crumbled on top) or bread. Add the cucumber and tomato (if using) to the bowl. Generously drizzle all over with the tahini sauce, then top with the pickled onions and herbs.
- Turn it into a pita pocket! Fill the pita with the meat/veg, slices of cucumber and tomato (if using), herbs, onion, then drizzle the tahini sauce inside and keep some on the side for dipping.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Pickle a red onion
- Chop 2 cloves garlic
- Chop 4 cups veggies
- Cook the ground meat/veggies
- Make the tahini sauce
- Chop 1 cucumber and tomato (if using)
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, you can replace the meat with two cans of chickpeas. Fry the chickpeas in oil and salt like you would the meat! You may need to use more salt since beans NEED more salt.
- Use thinly sliced meat (chicken, beef, lamb) instead of ground for a “closer-to-the-real-thing” shawarma.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Ground meat/veg: up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months
- Tahini sauce: up to 6 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Pickle red onions: up to 2 weeks in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the lamb/veg in the microwave or in a covered skillet.
- The sauce will thicken up a lot in the fridge. To thin it out, stir in some water. You want the sauce to be very runny.
- Serve with all the things – cucumber, tomato, grains or pita, pickled onions, herbs.
- Add hummus to stretch the recipe and add some extra protein and fiber.
- Turn it into a pita pocket (see recipe instructions).
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