Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Baked Lamb and Bulgur)
Bulgur and lamb baked in a tray with a spiced pine-nut filling.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 300 g Bulgur
- 600 g Ground lamb
- 2 Onion
- 60 g Pine nuts
- 1 tsp Allspice
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 5 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F); soak the bulgur until tender, then drain.
- Fry half the lamb with onion, allspice, cinnamon, and pine nuts into a filling.
- Blend the bulgur with the raw lamb and salt into a smooth paste for the shell.
- Layer half the shell, the filling, then the rest, scored into diamonds and drizzled with oil.
- Bake until deep golden, about 35 minutes.
- Rest and cut to serve.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Baked Lamb and Bulgur)
Kibbeh bil sanieh is the tray-baked version of kibbeh, the beloved bulgur-and-meat dish of the Levant, and one of the most iconic preparations across Lebanon, Syria, and the wider Middle East. Where kibbeh is often shaped into stuffed torpedoes and fried, the sanieh, meaning tray, layers everything into a single baking dish: a smooth shell of fine bulgur blended with raw lamb, sandwiching a spiced filling of fried lamb, onion, and pine nuts. Warm notes of allspice and cinnamon run through both layers, and the bulgur adds an earthy, fiber-rich body. Baked until deep golden, the top forms a savory crust while the interior stays moist.
The defining touches here are textural and aromatic: the filling's toasted pine nuts give little rich crunches against the tender shell, and the tray is scored into diamonds before baking so it drizzles evenly with olive oil and cuts cleanly into neat portions. Blending the bulgur with raw lamb into a smooth paste is what gives the shell its characteristic dense, almost silky bite once cooked. Kibbeh bil sanieh is a classic dish for gatherings and holidays, generous enough to serve six and usually brought out warm with yogurt or a simple salad. Letting it rest before cutting helps the layers set so each diamond holds its shape on the plate.
Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Baked Lamb and Bulgur): frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Baked Lamb and Bulgur)?
One serving of Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Baked Lamb and Bulgur) has about 665 calories, with 25g of protein, 44g of carbs, 43g of fat and 7g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Baked Lamb and Bulgur) high in protein?
Yes — each serving delivers about 25g of protein. That's 15% of its 665 calories coming from protein.
Is Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Baked Lamb and Bulgur) gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Bulgur. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How long does Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Baked Lamb and Bulgur) take to make?
About 70 minutes start to finish, but only around 28 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Kibbeh bil Sanieh (Baked Lamb and Bulgur) make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.