🥬 Spinach Stew with Meat (Sabanekh bil Lahme)
Sabanekh bil lahme is a Levantine stew of spinach cooked with chunks of lamb, onion and plenty of garlic and fresh cilantro, finished with a generous squeeze of lemon juice. The spinach wilts into a soft, leafy sauce around the tender meat, with a bright, tangy finish. It is a comforting home dish, usually served over rice.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g lamb, cubed
- 700 g spinach, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp oil
- 500 ml water, salt, pepper
Method
- Brown the lamb in the oil, add the onion and cook until soft.
- Add the water, salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Fry the garlic and cilantro briefly in a dry pan or with a few drops of oil until fragrant.
- Add the spinach to the meat and cook for 10 minutes until wilted.
- Stir in the garlic-cilantro mix and the lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes.
How to make it lighter
- Choose lean lamb and trim visible fat.
- Make the stew the centre of the plate and keep the rice to a small side.
- Double the spinach for a larger, more filling bowl.
History
Spinach stews with meat are everyday home cooking in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan, part of the wider family of yakhneh vegetable stews. The garlic-and-cilantro base, often called taqliyeh, is typical of the region's cooking.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →