Delicious recipes that have everything you need in one tasty package are a different kind of special. These deliciously convenient Lebanese Fatayer have all the savory Halal beef and tomato you could ever want and it’s all wrapped up in a crispy, golden-brown crust!

But What Is Fatayer?

Fatayer is a tasty lil’ handheld pie enjoyed all over the Middle East, but especially in Levant countries like Lebanon and Syria. Like I said up top, this recipe is for a beef fatayer, but there’s all sorts of recipes for cheese, spinach, or lamb stuffed fatayer; so on top of being delicious, they’re also incredibly versatile. They’re great to make in a big batch and enjoy with friends and family during Ramadan or anytime you’re craving something incredibly tasty.

First, the Dough

We made our own dough for this, and this is also a recipe you can use for a ton of different recipes. We actually ended up with extra from this recipe, so we went back afterwards with some tomato sauce and Halal pizza toppings and made a few homemade pizzas for the office.

I must confess, we don’t make a lot of dough for our recipes here, so our first batch didn’t have enough flour in it, and came out of the mixer a loose and sticky mess. This is easily remedied; we tossed it back in and mixed it while adding flour until it was a nice firm ball that held its shape. After that we cut off small chunks, rolled them into small buns, and let them rise on a baking sheet while we assembled our beef filling.

The Fantastically Beefy Fatayer Filling

We went with a savory and fresh beefy filling with onions and tomatoes, but there’s all sorts of great options for fatayer to suit your tastes. This would also be a great choice with our ground lamb, or a blend of cheese and veggies, the choice is yours! We went with a very lean ground beef, because the beef will cook in the fatayer, the drippings from fattier mixes of ground beef will sit in the pie as it bakes and can turn them soggy, and we want deliciously crispy, not soft and soggy.

Time for Fatayer!

When the filling is all mixed up and the dough is ready to go, roll it out flat, add a scoop of filling to the center, and fold in and press the edges together to make a triangular little pie. Repeat until you have a few baking sheets worth of delicious little pies, brush them with a little olive oil so they bake to a gorgeous golden-brown, and toss them in the oven until they’re baked through and you’re all set!

If you’re already a fatayer fan, then you know how delicious they can be, and these are no different, but if this is your first time then you’re in for fantastically crispy little pies jam-packed with juicy and flavorful beef and veggies. They’re perfect for making in a big batch and serving up for friends and family, and they’re done in no time. What’s not to love?

Don’t answer that, instead tell us what you think of this recipe or what you do differently when you make fatayer! What’re your favorite fillings? Tell us in the comments here or elsewhere online, and enjoy these or check out our other amazing Halal recipes.