Hummus Topped with Spiced Meat (Hummus bil Lahm)
Silky, lemony hummus crowned with sizzling minced lamb cooked with cinnamon, allspice and golden pine nuts. A heartier, warming spin on the classic dip, eaten as a meal with warm pita.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Soften the chickpeas
Put the drained chickpeas in a small pot with the baking soda and enough water to cover them. Simmer for 10 minutes, then drain well. This extra simmer melts away the skins and makes the hummus noticeably smoother and creamier.
- 2 cans (400 g each) chickpeas
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
✅ Done when: the chickpeas look slightly swollen and feel very soft when pressed between your fingers
Whip the tahini
In a food processor, blend the and lemon juice together for about a minute, scraping down the sides, until the mixture turns pale, thick and fluffy, almost like whipped cream. Whipping these two first, before adding the chickpeas, is the secret to a hummus that isn't grainy.
- 120 g
- 80 ml lemon juice
✅ Done when: the mixture lightens in colour and thickens noticeably
Blend the hummus
Add the warm, softened chickpeas, garlic, cumin and half the salt to the whipped . Blend on high, pouring in the ice water a little at a time, until completely smooth and light. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed.
- 2 cans (400 g each) chickpeas (from step 1)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt (half)
- 60-80 ml ice water
✅ Done when: the hummus is silky, pale and holds soft peaks, with no visible chickpea bits
Toast the pine nuts
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, stirring often, until golden all over. They burn quickly, so watch them closely and scoop them out with a slotted spoon as soon as they colour, leaving the butter behind.
- 30 g pine nuts
- 30 g butter or ghee
✅ Done when: the pine nuts are golden brown and smell toasted
Cook the spiced meat
In the same pan with the leftover butter, cook the chopped onion over medium heat until soft. Add the minced lamb, breaking it up with a spoon, then stir in the , cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and remaining salt. Cook, stirring, until the meat is browned all over and no longer pink inside, about 8–10 minutes.
- 300 g minced lamb
- 1 onion
- 1/2 tsp
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt (remaining)
✅ Done when: the lamb is fully browned, cooked through (no pink remains) and smells warmly spiced
Assemble and serve
Spread the hummus on a wide, shallow plate, swirling it with the back of a spoon to make a shallow well in the centre. Spoon the hot spiced meat into the middle, scatter over the toasted pine nuts, and drizzle with olive oil. Finish with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of , and serve right away with warm pita bread.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp or paprika
- 4 pita breads
- 30 g toasted pine nuts
Soften the chickpeas
Put the drained chickpeas in a small pot with the baking soda and enough water to cover them. Simmer for 10 minutes, then drain well. This extra simmer melts away the skins and makes the hummus noticeably smoother and creamier.
- 2 cans (400 g each) chickpeas
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
✅ Done when: the chickpeas look slightly swollen and feel very soft when pressed between your fingers
Whip the tahini
In a food processor, blend the and lemon juice together for about a minute, scraping down the sides, until the mixture turns pale, thick and fluffy, almost like whipped cream. Whipping these two first, before adding the chickpeas, is the secret to a hummus that isn't grainy.
- 120 g
- 80 ml lemon juice
✅ Done when: the mixture lightens in colour and thickens noticeably
Blend the hummus
Add the warm, softened chickpeas, garlic, cumin and half the salt to the whipped . Blend on high, pouring in the ice water a little at a time, until completely smooth and light. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed.
- 2 cans (400 g each) chickpeas (from step 1)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt (half)
- 60-80 ml ice water
✅ Done when: the hummus is silky, pale and holds soft peaks, with no visible chickpea bits
Toast the pine nuts
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, stirring often, until golden all over. They burn quickly, so watch them closely and scoop them out with a slotted spoon as soon as they colour, leaving the butter behind.
- 30 g pine nuts
- 30 g butter or ghee
✅ Done when: the pine nuts are golden brown and smell toasted
Cook the spiced meat
In the same pan with the leftover butter, cook the chopped onion over medium heat until soft. Add the minced lamb, breaking it up with a spoon, then stir in the , cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and remaining salt. Cook, stirring, until the meat is browned all over and no longer pink inside, about 8–10 minutes.
- 300 g minced lamb
- 1 onion
- 1/2 tsp
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt (remaining)
✅ Done when: the lamb is fully browned, cooked through (no pink remains) and smells warmly spiced
Assemble and serve
Spread the hummus on a wide, shallow plate, swirling it with the back of a spoon to make a shallow well in the centre. Spoon the hot spiced meat into the middle, scatter over the toasted pine nuts, and drizzle with olive oil. Finish with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of , and serve right away with warm pita bread.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp or paprika
- 4 pita breads
- 30 g toasted pine nuts
The Story Behind the Dish
Hummus has been a staple of Levantine tables for centuries, made from humble pantry ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic. Topping it with warmly spiced minced meat and pine nuts turns the everyday dip into something closer to a full meal, a version often made at home or served in restaurants as a generous starter shared by the table.
The spicing of the meat, cinnamon, allspice, sometimes a touch of nutmeg, echoes the way minced meat is seasoned across Lebanese cooking more broadly, from kibbeh to stuffed vegetables, tying this dish to a much wider family of home recipes.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It takes the beloved classic hummus and makes it heartier and more festive, the kind of dish you bring out for guests, with the warm meat and toasted pine nuts turning a simple dip into a showstopper.
💡 Fun Fact
In Lebanese homes, the empty centre swirled into the hummus before piling on the meat is not just decorative, it is meant to hold the hot topping and its juices so every scoop of bread gets a bit of everything.
Lebanon, especially Beirut and the coastal cities
33.89°N, 35.50°E
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