Lebanese Vegan Baked Kibbeh

Lebanese cuisine is famous for offering a wide array of Kibbe variants, including at least a couple of vegan versions as in this recipe. For those who are not familiar with the term, Kibbeh generally refers to ground meat mixed with Bulgur (cracked weat), spices, and herbs and then baked, fried or grilled into an amazingly savory dish like Lebanese Vegan Kibbeh Recipe or Lent Potato Kibbeh.

Lent Potato Kibbeh Ingredients

In the Lebanese Vegetarian Potato Kibbe recipe, we’re going to feature a vegan-baked Kibbeh recipe that’s often made during Lent. Its main ingredients are potatoes and chickpeas with some spices. Featured in the photo above are vegan Kibbeh patties with a side of Tabbouleh Salad.

This delicious vegan Lebanese kibbeh recipe is made with potatoes, chickpeas and other legumes and is typically made for Lent.

COOK TIME 50 mins | TOTAL TIME 1 hr 20 mins | COURSE Dinner | SERVINGS 6

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Bulgur cracked wheat/Burghul

2 cups dried chickpeas

3 potatoes medium sized, boiled, mashed

2 cups flour

1/2 bunch parsley

1/2 bunch mint

1/2 bunch green onions

1 white onion medium sized

2 cups Olive oil about 1 cup per pan of Kibbeh

1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste

1/2 teaspoon Lebanese 7 spices

2/3 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparations

1. Chickpeas: The goal of the process here is to skin and halve the chickpeas. If you are able to find skinned chickpea halves at your grocery store, you can just soak them overnight and skip the remaining steps in this process. If you have regular chickpeas, then soak them in water overnight. On the day of, rinse them well then warm in a pot of water on the stove for a few minutes. Drain, then spread warm chickpeas on a towel then break them open by rolling a rolling pin on them a few times with force. Place broken chickpeas back in a pot, fill with water then rub them with your hands to separate the skin. Repeat the process a few times so that you rid the all of the chickpeas from their skin. Once done, drain the skinless chickpeas and place in the “mixing” pot.

2. Potatoes: Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, let cool down a bit, peel, mash and add to the “mixing” bowl.

3. Bulgur: rinse with water, strain, let dry for 30 minutes and then add to the “mixing” bowl.

4. Mint and Parsley: Cut stems away, then finely mince the leaves and add to the “mixing” bowl.

5. Green Onions: Chop finely then add to “mixing” bowl.

6. White Onions: Chop finely then add to “mixing” bowl.

7. Flour & Spices: Add flour on top of all ingredients in the “mixing” bowl, add the 7 spices, chili powder and salt. Knead well with your hands for a few minutes. The result should be a dough.

Cooking Method

1. Brush olive oil on your Pyrex glass baking pan (or your preferred baking pan).

2. Pat the Kibbeh dough into pan with a thickness of about 1/2 to 2/3 of an inch.

3. With a knife, cut deep lines into the dough to form square shapes. Then make small cuts in the center of each square. The purpose of this is to allow the olive oil to seep through the dough, cook and flavor it from the inside, and also make it easy to cut when cooked.

4. Gently and slowly soak the Kibbeh with olive oil until it’s fully covered and the olive oil level is right above the surface of the dough. This should be about 1 cup of olive oil per pan.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until the dough turns light brown and a bit crispy. Poke to make sure the inside is well cooked.

6. Enjoy it hot or cold, and serve with Lebanese pita bread.

NOTES

This vegan Kibbeh can last for a few days in the fridge. If you make extra dough, you can place the surplus in a ziplog bags and store in the freezer for a few months. To cook, thaw at room temperature for a few hours then follow the same baking process in this recipe.