Easy Beef Shawarma-Inspired Rice Bowls

the 30 minutes dinner I've been making on repeat

Usually, when I get home from work, the last thing I want to be doing is standing in the kitchen cooking dinner. That’s the case with a lot of people, I’m sure, but because I cook for work all day, I’m typically feeling pretty uninspired by dinner time. That’s when a dinner like this saves me. It’s a super easy shawarma-inspired ground beef bowl that truly takes very little effort to make. Yes, there’s some chopping and cooking involved, but it’s low steaks and uncomplicated.

The best thing about this recipe is that you’ll most likely have pickled red onions left over to use for dinner dinners and lunches throughout the week. I also use my favorite shawarma spice blend (which I’ve noted below) but you could easily make your own. Trust me when I say I’ve eaten this four times in the last 2 weeks, and because I made it for dinner last night, I’ll probably also be having it for lunch today.

Ingredients

Quick Pickled Red Onion

• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Assembly

• 1 cup white rice

• 1 3/4 cups water

• a pinch of kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or beef tallow

• 1 lb grass-fed ground beef

• 3 to 4 tablespoons shawarma seasoning (I use the one from New York Shuk)

• freshly ground black pepper

• plain hummus (I use the one from little sesame–it’s amazing)

• 1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced

• 1 cup green cabbage, thinly sliced

• chopped parsley, for garnish

1. In a jar or bowl, combine the red onion, water, vinegar, and salt. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve (the longer they sit, the softer and pinker they will be).

2. Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear. Combine the rice, water, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan; bring to boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and place a clean kitchen towel between the pot and the lid to let it soak up any steam and dry the rice out a little. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

3. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the oil or beef tallow, then add the beef, spreading and flattening it out accross the skillet for quicker and more even browning; sprinkle with salt. Cook, undisturbed, until browned on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir, breaking up the beef into smaller pieces, until fully cooked, another 4 minutes. Stir in the shawarma seasoning and 1 tablespoon water if beef seems dry. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Spread a spoonful of hummus across the inside of the bowl, then add the rice, cabbage, shawarma-spiced ground beef, cucumbers, pickled red onions, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Let me know in the comments what other recipes you’d like to see, and please let me know if you make this!