Gluten free pita stuffed with a kofta-like meat filling seasoned with classic Middle Eastern spices and fresh herbs. Once stuffed and flattened you can bake, grill or fry until done then serve with a simple tahini-yoghurt sauce on the side and enjoy!
Gluten Free Arayes at A Glance
- You can make this with ground beef or lamb or both.
- Both beef & lamb are popular options found in Middle Eastern cuisine used to make koftas and meat fillings in recipes like this one. Feel free to use your preferred protein or even a 50/50 combination of the two.
- A food processor will speed up the prep, but not necessary.
- In order to create an even, uniform meat filling it’s important to make sure everything is finely minced before adding to the meat. If you don’t have a food processor, grate your onion using a box grater with the large holes and finely mince the garlic and herbs.
- Warm up your gluten free pitas before stuffing.
- Unless you’re working with fresh pita, I highly recommend you warming them up first to make them soft & pliable for stuffing. Without reheating, you risk them breaking when adding the meat.
How to Make these Gluten Free Arayes
Finely chop: Roughly chop up the onion and garlic then add to food processor with the s-blade attachment along with the fresh parsley, ground spices, tomato paste, molasses & oil.
Blend into a well mixed: Pulse the mixture together until you end up with a thick, paste-like mixture. Stop every soften to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Combine: Add the blended mixture to a large bowl with the minced meat.
Mix: Use your hands to mix the meat into the herb/spice mix until evenly combined.
Prep pitas: Warm up the pitas to make soften them up then cut into half moon shapes. Make sure to loosen up the pockets to prep for the meat filling.
Stuff pitas: Add about 3-4 tablespoons of the meat filling to each pita half. Gently press the pitas down to spread the meat and flatten the pitas.
↳How to Warm up the Pitas!
Microwave: Wrap the pitas up in a damp paper towel and microwave 10-20 seconds or until warm & soft.
Oven/Toaster Oven: Flick a bit of water over both sides of the pita then wrap each up up individually in baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven (350°F/180°C) for about 5-10 minutes of until warm & soft. You can wrap them up to at a time, but it will take a bit longer and you might need to flip them over about halfway through reheating so they wet bits dry up.
Three Ways to Cook them
- Bake: Bake at 425°F (220°C) for about 14-16 minutes (flipping halfway through) or until the beef has cooked through.
- Grill: Grill over a direct heat and cook uncovered for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
- Stove Top: Cook about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Cook in batches of 2-4 so you don’t overcrowd the pan.
Serving Suggestions & Related Recipes
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this Gluten Free Arayes recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Gluten Free Arayes Recipe (Lebanese Meat-Stuffed Pitas)
These gluten free arayes are made with gluten free pita bread filled with a spiced beef filling then baked, grilled or lightly fried until golden & crisp.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 cup fresh parsley, washed
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp olive oil (15ml)
- 2 tbsp Baharat/Lebanese 7 Spice
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 lb lean ground beef or lamb (450g) - about 5-10% fat
- 5-6 gluten free pitas with pockets - more or less depending on pita size
- olive oil for frying/baking
Instructions
- Oven prep: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly grease or line a large, rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
- In a food processor with an s-blade attachment: Add onion, garlic, parsley, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, baharat, salt & cumin. Add the lid then pulse together in 10-second increments into a coarse, chunky texture. Scrape down this sides if needed to ensure everything blends up.
- Add beef: Transfer the veggie mixture to a large bowl. Add the beef and use your hands or a big spoon to mix everything together well.
- Soften the pitas: Stack the pitas on top of each other then wrap in a damp paper towel. Microwave in the damp towel for about 20-30 seconds until soft & flexible - this reduces breakage as you stuff the pitas.
- Cut Pitas & Stuff: Cut the pitas in half to create half moons. Add about 1/4 cup of the raw meat filling to each pita half then gently push the filling all the way to back of the pockets then gently push down to smooth the filling out into a mostly even layer. Lightly brush the outsides of the pita with a little bit of olive oil.
Cook - Three Ways
- Bake: Space the pitas across the prepared baking sheet in a single layer with 1-2 inches of space in between. Bake for about 14-16 minutes (flip pitas halfway through) or until the beef has cooked through. Actual cook time will vary depending on how thick your meat filling is.
- Outdoor Grill: Preheat grill to a medium heat (about 375°F | 190°C). Make sure to scrape off any burnt on bits & lightly grease the grill grates to prevent sticking. Add the arayes to grill over a direct heat and cook uncovered for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.
- Stove Top: Grease and warm a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over a medium-high heat. Add the arayes to the hot pan and pan fry about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Cook in batches of 2-4 so you don't overcrowd the pan.
- Cool & Serve: Rest the arayes about 5-10 minutes until cool enough to eat. Serve with a yogurt tahini dipping sauce and enjoy.
Notes
- Store: Cool fully then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months.
- Internal temperature to ensure the meat is cooked through should be at least 160°F/71°C).
- Make it without a food processor: Grate the onion using the large holes on a standard box grater and finely chop/mince your other ingredients before mixing.
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