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Home Collections 15 Minute Meals

Hummus with Lamb

By:Nagi
Published:21 Aug '14Updated:28 Dec '18
52 Comments
Recipe v

Hummus topped with an aromatic lamb mince is a traditional dish from the Middle East. Whether as a starter or a small meal, this is a show stopper hummus. If you haven’t tried this before, you’re in for a real treat!

Scooping up hummus and lamb mince with flat bread

Hummus with Lamb (Hummus B’lahmeh) is one of my favourite Middle Eastern starters. The combination of creamy hummus with the fragrant lamb and the crunch of pine nuts scooped up with fresh pita bread will change your view forever about the humble hummus.

There are many versions of this dish across the Middle East. Yotam Ottolenghi’s version from Jerusalem: A Cookbook is made using lamb neck which is finely chopped and marinated in spices before frying. I’ve had this at restaurants scattered with pomegranates, with the addition of tabbouleh and with the mince spiced up with a hit of chilli.

My first memory of Hummus with Lamb was in a local joint in Sharjah, a lessor known city in the United Arab Emirates. During my days in “corporate”, I was often sent to Dubai where my company had an office. Though only an hour from Dubai, Sharjah couldn’t be more different. Dubai dazzles with it’s giant malls, towering shiny skyscrapers, 6 star hotels, islands shaped like palm trees, fancy restaurants, expensive clubs, and indoor ski slopes. Sharjah, the 3rd largest city in the UAE, doesn’t have the dazzle and glitz of Dubai and most expats living in Dubai have never set foot in Sharjah. But it’s got the culture – the real culture of the Emirates. No booze, no posh restaurants, no 6 star hotels. And of course, the best real local food – for pennies.

How to find the best food in a non touristy area? There’s no Lonely Planet guide for dining in Sharjah. There are no tourist maps. So I did what any determined foodie traveller does – I followed the lunchtime crowd to a buzzing backstreet local joint.

I couldn’t read the menu and I couldn’t converse with the waitresses, so I ordered by pointing at dishes another patron was eating. Have you ever done that? Embarrassing – sure. But somehow I doubt I’ll ever cross paths with anyone in that joint again. And boy was it worth it!

Hummus with Lamb is one of the dishes I pointed at that I got served up – I think it cost me all of $0.70. And after the first bite, I never looked at hummus the same again.

I truly hope you give this a try. Though I love Yotam Ottolenghi’s version, it is quite complicated to make so I’ve made a version which is very easy to make. But I use the same spice mix he uses for his recipe so the fragrance of the lamb is the same. Also, real hummus is made starting with dried chickpeas. I’ve made this simple by using canned chickpeas.

Love to hear what you think if you try it!

Overhead shot of hummus topped with lamb mince

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Hummus with Lamb

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 5 minutes mins
Total: 15 minutes mins
Appetizer
Middle Eastern
4.93 from 14 votes
Servings8
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 162
Hummus topped with aromatic lamb mince. A starter or a small meal, this is a show stopper hummus. If you haven't tried this before, you're in for a real treat! This recipe makes 2 starter size plates (double what you see in the photo).

Ingredients

Spiced Lamb

  • 8 oz / 250 g ground lamb (mince)
  • 1/2 brown onion , finely diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika powder
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt

Hummus

  • 15 oz / 400 g tin chickpeas , drained
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Juice of ½ a small lemon
  • 2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Garnishes

  • 1 tbsp pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped
  • Extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)

Instructions

  • Place a pan over medium high heat. Add pine nuts and toast until golden. Remove pine nuts from pan and set aside.

Lamb mince

  • Return pan to stove (still on medium high heat) and add olive oil.
  • Add onion and cook until translucent (2 minutes). Then turn up the heat to high, add mince, spices and salt. Cook, breaking up the mince into small pieces, until browned and cooked through (3 minutes).
  • Set aside and cover so it doesn't dry out. Bring it to room temperature.

Hummus

  • Place all ingredients except salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
  • Taste before adding salt and pepper. Different brands of chick peas have different levels of saltiness. Also adjust acidity with lemon juice, if required.
  • Use water to adjust the consistency to a tomato sauce (ketchup) like consistency. This consistency is "proper" hummus. In the Middle East, hummus is not the thick consistency that is typical of store bought hummus in Western countries, it is thinner.

Assemble

  • Spread hummus on a plate, using the back of a spoon to create "swirls".
  • Top with lamb mince, scatter over the pine nuts and sprinkle with parsley. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
  • Serve with pita bread.

Recipe Notes:

 1. Nutrition per serving.
Hummus Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 108gCalories: 325cal (16%)Carbohydrates: 34g (11%)Protein: 19.1g (38%)Fat: 13.3g (20%)Saturated Fat: 2.1g (13%)Cholesterol: 26mg (9%)Sodium: 330mg (14%)Potassium: 600mg (17%)Fiber: 9.9g (41%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 100IU (2%)Vitamin C: 5mg (6%)Calcium: 80mg (8%)Iron: 4.5mg (25%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

 

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52 Comments

  1. Susan says

    September 8, 2022 at 3:42 pm

    Hello, I noticed this hummus recipe is different to the one one without lamb. Was wondering if there was a particular reason for this? Or just different?

    Reply
  2. Kate says

    June 11, 2022 at 6:33 am

    5 stars
    Fabulous-made it yesterday, loved it. So made it again today,

    Reply
  3. Vesna says

    February 6, 2022 at 12:25 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious and really easy to make. I have made this with Beyond mince too and it’s fantastic. Vegetarians/vegans will love it and meat eaters will too. Thanks Nagi, this an amazing recipe!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 7, 2022 at 6:41 pm

      Thanks for that feedback Vesna! N x

      Reply
  4. Emma says

    September 20, 2021 at 9:23 pm

    5 stars
    I made this tonight with the chickpea rice pilaf – delicious. I loved how quick this combo was. I’ll be adding this to our regular meal rotation. Thanks again Nagi!

    Reply
  5. Ophelia says

    July 20, 2021 at 6:47 pm

    It was so easy to make and delicious! Will be making this again real soon
    I served it with an Israeli salad, yummo

    Reply
  6. Flevy Crasto says

    June 9, 2021 at 4:29 pm

    5 stars
    Totally love this recipe and its simplicity. I did make it with a few variations…like a little more chilli for the mince and a dash of cummin in the hummus. But it was so easy to put together. The intention was entree but ended up having it as a main, lucky it was just the two of us 😜

    Reply
  7. Paula Young says

    April 11, 2021 at 12:33 pm

    Delish!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 12, 2021 at 2:22 pm

      Wahoo, that’s awesome to hear Paula! N x

      Reply
  8. Steve says

    August 19, 2020 at 2:24 pm

    Hi Nagi,

    Can this be made with beef mince? My wife doesn’t like lamb, unfortunately

    Reply
  9. Emma says

    May 8, 2020 at 11:53 pm

    Have been trying to find real hummus in Aus since returning from living in Sharjah for a few years. Thank you for perfecting this.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 9, 2020 at 8:39 am

      I love this Emma! N x

      Reply
  10. Lynn Elliott says

    March 24, 2020 at 5:45 am

    Oh Nagi! This was five stars. Its been hard to find meat here just lately but we lucked into some ground lamb and thought this was a perfect way to stretch it out. It was amazing! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  11. Lynn Elliott says

    March 24, 2020 at 5:44 am

    5 stars
    Oh Nagi! This was just amazing. Its been hard to find meat here just lately but we lucked into some ground lamb and found this was a perfect way to stretch it out. It was perfect! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  12. Shaniya says

    March 9, 2020 at 4:46 am

    Hi Nagi! Just made this for my potluck (I was in charge of appies) and this was PHENOMENAL!!! Had it with warm pita and a nice white wine (the love finca las moras chardonnay was good with it) and it was a great starter. Added some garam masala to the spice mix too for that extra something, and since I had some white wine vinegar/lemon juice/olive oil/parsley sauce left from a different dish I just drizzled a couple of teaspoons onto the top of the lamb and hummus 😂Worked out well! Thanks for another great dish

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 9, 2020 at 9:04 am

      Sounds perfect Shaniya!! N x

      Reply
  13. Brucey135 says

    November 22, 2019 at 9:38 am

    Hi Nagi
    Love the blog just like everyone else.
    You said that dried chicken peas work fine but is it just a straight swap. Ie 80g for 80g or is there some sort of conversion factor involved.
    And does this work for swapping things like dried black beans for canned.
    Thanks

    Reply
  14. Tracy Lockhart says

    October 12, 2019 at 10:28 am

    5 stars
    I’m cooking this tonight for tea, I made the hummus (yum) this morning and it’s in the fridge, no cumin in the pantry but I have harrisa, and reading the comments it will be ok to use. I might have tea early tonight!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 12, 2019 at 4:49 pm

      It will be great Tracy! Enjoy – N x

      Reply
  15. Mary says

    August 17, 2019 at 8:04 pm

    I made this for my family and it was a big thumbs up from us all. As my son is a vegan I also made a version for him – I used your spice mix for lamb, added a little extra oil and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Mix this together and then crumble in some extra firm tofu. Mix it all together then spread the tofu out onto a baking sheet and bake at 180c for about 25 minutes, turning once or twice. You end up with little tofu crumbles that taste the same as the lamb (well similar!). Then stir in the fried onion. Voila! veganised ‘lamb’ with hummus

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 18, 2019 at 12:53 pm

      Sounds great Mary!!

      Reply
  16. Dom says

    July 26, 2019 at 4:32 am

    Hi Nagi, I’ve been quietly enjoying reading and cooking your recipes for 2-3 years- thank you!
    Your houmous looks very smooth. It tends to be grainy when I make it (like shopbought :-l) unless I peel the cooked chickpeas, which is no fun…
    What are your thoughts on the peeling requirement?

    Reply
    • Dom says

      July 27, 2019 at 7:17 pm

      5 stars
      Hmm, my processor is cheap, maybe time to invest in a big monster one. Thank u 🙂

      Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 26, 2019 at 10:02 am

      Hi Dom, I don’t bother to be honest, I can’t justify the time peeling! It could also be the food processor that you’re using. I personally don’t my hummus with a little texture to it ☺️

      Reply
  17. Lorna says

    July 7, 2019 at 1:28 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it.great lunch tweeked it with lemon juice and pomegranate seeds. Planning it when friends and family visit. Thank you

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 7, 2019 at 5:58 pm

      Wahoo, great!

      Reply
  18. Laura says

    September 28, 2018 at 6:28 pm

    This sounds wonderful. Could you make the lamb mix the day before or do you think it would be too dry?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 29, 2018 at 8:32 am

      It works great! Lamb is a nice juicy meat so just reheat in the microwave 🙂 N x

      Reply
  19. Alene says

    February 21, 2018 at 3:53 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious, but I want to add that the original recipe added some additional ingredients to the lamb, which would have totally changed the taste. His recipe adds chopped canned tomatoes and a sizable amount of harissa among other things. I was making yours from my tablet. Yet I also found the other recipe in my collection. Not realizing they were different, I made my own harissa. Looking at my tablet, I couldn’t figure out why I made the harissa! I’m not sure why you omitted the other ingredients unless it was for publishing reasons.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 21, 2018 at 2:07 pm

      Hi Alene! Yes you are correct, this is a simpler version inspired by Yotam 🙂 N x

      Reply
      • Alene says

        February 22, 2018 at 10:37 am

        5 stars
        Now that I have a small container with homemade harissa, ground chilis and all, I’m going to try the original recipe. If it’s too much work, then your version wins! I thought it was delicious, and my husband did too.
        Thank you!!

        Reply
  20. Racquel says

    February 17, 2018 at 10:57 pm

    I loved it but unfortunately my twelve year old daughter gave it the thumbs down . She said it was all chickpea and no tahini . 🙄

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 18, 2018 at 12:18 pm

      🤣

      Reply
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