I’ve rounded up 30 easy Middle Eastern recipes that pull from all over the region, from Iran and Turkey to Lebanon, Cyprus, and Egypt. Each one is loaded with bold, lively flavors and often leans on things like parsley, garlic powder, tahini sauce, or chickpeas. You’re going to want to cook your way through the whole list.
1. Turkish Shepherd’s Salad (çoban salatasi)
Turkish Shepherd’s Salad, or çoban salatasi, has a consistency that’s more like salsa than salad, and I’m obsessed. It’s dense and chunky, made with sweet Persian cucumbers, shallots, parsley, tomatoes, lemon juice, and olive oil. Best of all, it takes about 15 minutes to throw together.
2. Persian Saffron Rice
Persian saffron rice looks like a sweet, single cake layer, especially once it’s topped with rosewater and dozens of adorable red barberries. Cut into it and you’ll see rice layered both above and below a thin ribbon of those barberries. The light, delicate flavor is the perfect backdrop to their sour tang.
3. Chicken Musakhan
If you’ve never had Musakhan, you are in for a treat. Bone in chicken roasts to perfection with dreamy spices like 7 spice and sumac, which you can find in most large supermarkets. It’s best served on warm, fluffy flatbreads.
4. Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Lebanese cucumber yogurt sauce is a lazy cook’s dream with just seven ingredients and five minutes of your time. Simply mix yogurt, olive oil, garlic, salt, cucumbers, and a little water, then serve with pita bread for an instant appetizer. While it’s traditionally used more as a condiment than a dip, it tastes amazing either way.
5. Ghraybeh (Middle Eastern Shortbread Cookies)
These simple butter cookies are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and require only four ingredients to make (five if you want to top them in powdered sugar). They’re also just sweet enough to be perfect for dessert, but aren’t so sweet that they give you a sugar rush.
They taste great when paired with hot tea. Did you like the recipe?Click on a star to rate it!
6. Pistachio Baklava
Making good baklava is an art form, especially when it has 30 – yes, 30, and no, that’s not a typo – layers. This baklava is flaky, crispy, and supremely buttery.
The green pistachios add a lovely touch of color to this traditional dessert, and the syrup made of orange blossom water adds an unmatchable sweetness. Despite the 30 layers, the recipe only requires nine ingredients, and you can have the whole pan of baklava baked and cooling in less than 2 hours.
7. Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad
Middle Eastern chick
8. Koshari
This is Egypt’s national dish, so even though I was a little hesitant, I had to give it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised.
It combines rice, lentils, garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, and macaroni. I know; it sounds odd and like it has too much going on. In actuality, it has just enough going on.
9. Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetable Rice
If you’re looking for the perfect vegan dish for any meal, Zatarain’s has nothing on this herby rice. Start with two cups of basmati rice.
Then slice up all your veggies and extras – eggplant, carrots, chickpeas, cilantro, and pine nuts – and mix them in along with your spices. It takes some time to make, but the nutrition value alone is worth it, and that’s not even taking into account its terrific taste.
10. Falafel Sandwich With Tabbouleh Salad and Pita Bread
Stuffed with spicy, herby falafel, arugula, and tabbouleh salad, then dripping with lemon juice and tahini sauce, this is the best falafel sandwich I’ve ever eaten. It’s a refreshing, cool meal that’s almost like a salad wrapped in pita bread. Yummy.
11. Middle Eastern Flatbread with Tahini Sauce
This is pizza on a flatbread. It may have a jazzy, health-conscious name, but it’s absolutely delicious pizza on a flatbread.
It’s incredible, even without any tomato sauce. As a bonus, it’s actually pretty healthy.
12. Turkish Sumac Onions
Basically, this is just a raw onion salad, and I love it. Throw your chopped and peeled onions in a bowl and add some red pepper flakes, salt, and sumac.
Mix them well. Then add pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley to the mix. It’s meant as a garnish, sandwich topping, or side dish, but I could eat it by itself all day long.
13. Lebanese Rice
This Lebanese rice is a three ingredient side dish wonder made with just rice, vermicelli, and olive oil. It’s light yet filling, and you can easily play with the flavor by adding cinnamon, almonds, parsley, or salt. I can whip it up in about 15 minutes and serve it with practically any protein or main dish.
14. Zhoug
This spicy, cilantro-based sauce has a lot of heat to it. You can make it in 5 minutes, and you can use it on practically anything. Swap out the jalapenos for hotter peppers to add even more of a bite.
15. Middle Eastern Yogurt Drink
More commonly known as “Aryan,” this drink is salty and tart. All you need to make it is sparkling water, yogurt, and salt.
Somehow, those three ingredients taste fantastic together. It’s the perfect refreshing drink for a hot summer’s day.
16. Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs
Middle Eastern chicken kebabs aren’t your usual veggie loaded skewers. They’re filled from end to end with juicy chicken, with just a few slices of red onion tucked in for flavor. The secret to these kebabs isn’t all that meat, though.
17. Lebanese Tahini Sauce
And because your shawarma needs that tahini sauce, here’s the recipe. You only need tahini paste, salt, garlic cloves, and lemon juice, then it’s just mixing and whisking while you stream in water until the consistency feels right. It’s ridiculously easy.
18. Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetables with Tahini Drizzle
Although this recipe calls for specific vegetables, you can use whatever veggies you’d like. In fact, this is an excellent dish for making if you end up with a lot of leftover veggies that are about to go bad. Cut them all into roughly the same size, and drizzle them with olive oil and salt and pepper.
19. Falafel Salad
Falafel is good, but falafel salad is even better. This one features a hearty, filling mix of parsley, cilantro, chickpeas, tomatoes, and bulgur wheat.
A tangy tahini dressing ties it all together. It takes about 40 minutes and feeds at least four people.
20. Tahini Salad
Tahini salad is light, tasty, and features only three ingredients: tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley. The dressing is just as simple with tahini paste, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper.
Despite its simplicity, it’s delicious. Serve it alone, on p
21. Turkish Breakfast
A Turkish breakfast spread is hands down one of the prettiest, most colorful plates you’ll ever see. There isn’t a rigid list of must haves, but it usually brings together meats, veggies, cheeses, and fresh fruit. I love how it walks that sweet and savory line so beautifully.
22. Shakshuka
Shakshuka might have North African roots, but it’s become a huge hit all over the Middle East. This spicy, garlicky egg dish is gluten free and vegetarian, so I can enjoy it any time of day.
The bold flavors come from chili powder, paprika, tomato paste, parsley, cayenne, and cumin. A thick, crusty bread on the side makes it even more irresistible.
23. Chicken Shawarma
Chicken shawarma is a low carb, high protein meal that bursts with spice and flavor whether you cook it on the grill or in the oven. It’s especially incredible with a drizzle of homemade toum or tahini sauce and a simple side salad.
24. Hummus
I love hummus, but it’s always been tricky to find a recipe with both the flavor and texture I crave. This one is a winner.
It’s the smoothest, creamiest, most luxurious hummus with a captivating blend of nutty, garlicky, and citrusy notes. Plus, it’s really pretty.
25. Lebanese Beef Kofta Meatballs with Tahini Sauce
These Lebanese beef kofta meatballs are a dream for anyone wanting a Paleo friendly, Whole 30 compliant snack. They’re packed with gorgeous herbs and spices like parsley, mint, onions, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, red pepper flakes, and garlic. I love them with tahini sauce, or you can serve them with rice, couscous, or tabbouleh for a complete meal.
26. Lebanese Chickpea Stew
Lebanese chickpea stew is a wholesome, comforting vegan friendly dish that cooks in just half an hour. It’s low calorie with a decent amount of fiber and a nice dose of potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and C. This spicy stew smells absolutely incredible. Za’atar might be a little hard to find locally, but you can grab it online if needed.
27. Middle Eastern Chicken and Rice
One-pot chicken and rice is a commonly served meal in Lebanon, and there are plenty of variations on how to fix it. This recipe is a fairly straightforward one, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t tasty.
It has everything you need for a complete meal. It also has a lot of spice to it, and I’m not sure which is better, its taste or its smell.
They’re both pretty fantastic. Serve it alone or with a side salad.
28. Lavash
Lavash takes a little time, but it is so worth it. Think of a very thin, light tortilla that’s the perfect wrap. It’s also supremely convenient: you can make it in the oven, on a pizza stone, in a hot pan, or on a griddle.
29. Fattoush Salad with Pita Bread
I like my salads crunchy and zesty, so fattoush salad is one of my all time favorites. The crunch comes from radishes, green onions, lettuce, crunchy pita croutons, and cucumbers. A homemade lime vinaigrette adds all the zesty kick you could want.
30. Middle Eastern Lentil Soup
Middle Eastern lentil soup is a thick, soothing bowl that’s perfect for a chilly night. It’s high in fiber and protein, plus it delivers zinc, potassium, vitamin B, and calcium. Garlic and allspice lead the flavor, and a squeeze of lemon juice gives it that well rounded Middle Eastern flair.