Lebanese Spinach Stew

One of the simplest Middle Eastern stews to make, this Lebanese spinach stew- sabanekh- is made with spiced ground beef, frozen spinach, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It’s so easy and healthy, and kids love it too!

Jump to:

• What is Lebanese spinach stew?
• Ingredients in spinach stew:
• How to make Lebanese sabanekh stew:
• What to serve with Lebanese Spinach Stew:
• Storing leftovers:
• Recipe tips and tricks:
• Recipe FAQs:
• For more easy Lebanese recipes:
• Lebanese Spinach Stew

What is Lebanese spinach stew?

Also known as sabanekh w riz (spinach with rice in Arabic) this is a simple stovetop stew made with spiced beef that’s sauteed with garlic and onions to which spinach is added until cooked down. It’s also known as Palestinian spinach stew, it’s very common in that area as well.

It’s saucy and full of flavor, and finished off with lemon juice. The base of the stew is the same spiced beef we use in a lot of our recipes, like: Lebanese Rice , Ouzi, and Macarona billaban (Middle Eastern pasta in yogurt sauce)

It’s super healthy, full of fiber, iron and protein and it’s actually such a kid pleaser. If your kids like mulukhiyah, they’ll like this too!

Lebanese sabanekh comes together so quickly- you basically just add spinach to a pot of cooked minced beef and that’s the dish done.

Ingredients in spinach stew:

Meat: The beef is made by cooking it with onion and garlic, and is seasoned with seven spices (or all spice), salt and pepper.

I love when I have frozen beef that’s already been cooked and seasoned. This way, I can use it directly in the recipe. For full instructions on cooking and freezing, definitely check out this recipe:

The spinach:

You can use fresh or frozen spinach for this. I’ve done it both ways, they both taste great. For convenience sakes, I usually prefer frozen spinach. It requires a lot less effort, and a lot less spinach!

You’d need about 2kg or 5 pounds of fresh spinach to get the amount needed in this recipe, and you’d have to wash and prep it.

Another advantage of frozen spinach is not having to thaw it in advance. You just need to add the frozen spinach directly to the pot and the heat will quickly melt it.

Broth: A 1/2 cup of chicken or veggie broth will give it a nice stew consistency. If you find you want it soupier, you can add more liquid.

Lemon juice: I add the juice of 1 lemon which gives lots of nice tangy flavor to the stew. Taste and add more if you like.

Salt and pepper: season to taste

Chickpeas: This is completely optional, but I like to take a can of chickpeas, drain and rinse thoroughly then add them to the stew. This gives some extra texture, flavor and protein. They just need to warm through with the spinach.

Optionally, you can also add toasted pine nuts or almond slivers. You can toast these along with the ground beef or in a separate skillet.

How to make Lebanese sabanekh stew:

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring continuously.
2. Add the crushed cloves of garlic, and cook for a further minute or so, then add the ground beef.
3. Cook for a minute, breaking apart any clumps of meat with a wooden spoon, then add all the spices.
4. Continue cooking, a good 6-8 minutes until beef is all cooked through and brown with no pink bits remaining.
5. Keep stirring and breaking apart clumps of meat- you can even use a potato masher to break the meat apart a little. If desired, drain any extra fat. Taste the mince and adjust for seasoning.
6. Add the frozen packs of spinach directly into the pan with the cooked beef along with the broth. Let the spinach soften in the heat, and then keep it on the heat on a medium simmer till its completely cooked through. If it isn’t saucy enough, add an extra 1/2 cup of broth. I always find that the spinach releases plenty of liquid and I don’t need to add any extra. Add the drained chickpeas and cook for a couple minutes more.
7. Squeeze a lemon into the spinach, taste the spinach, and season with any extra salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Enjoy hot, over vermicelli or plain rice.

What to serve with Lebanese Spinach Stew:

Vermicelli rice is the classic pairing. It’s the perfect vessel to soak up all that lemony goodness. I have an entire step by step post on how to make the perfect vermicelli rice here.

You can also go with plain rice, jasmine rice, or brown rice. I usually put just a little scoop of rice in my bowl and ladle on the spinach stew so that I don’t go overboard on carbs.

I’d recommend serving with an extra lemon wedge so some fresh lemon juice can be squeezed on to taste.

Storing leftovers:

Leftovers will last in the fridge tightly covered for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.

You can also freeze leftover stew for up to 2 months in an air tight container, defrost overnight in the fridge or in a saucepan while heating on low heat.

Recipe tips and tricks:

• Use frozen spinach. It has an earthier flavor than baby spinach, and is much easier to work with- zero prep or thawing required!
• If you like a thicker stew, don’t add any additional water or broth. If you want a soupier stew, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup.
• Add lemon to taste- lemon compliments the flavor of the spinach so well!
• Use a heavy bottomed pot and cook the ground beef and spinach in the same spot. This is also a great recipe to use frozen cooked ground beef if you have any!

Recipe FAQs:

For more easy Lebanese recipes:

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