8 minute Lebanese Pizzas (Lahmacun!)

4.89 from 35 votes

8 minute Lebanese Pizzas (Lahmacun!)

Recipe video above. Invented in pursuit of more interesting ways to use chicken mince, this is a SOS take on traditional manakish Lebanese pizzas made with flatbreads topped with a thin layer of meat, commonly known by the Turkish name lahmacun. Astoundingly fast to make, and extremely versatile, think of this recipe as a blueprint rather than a rule book. Use any ground meat, add shredded vegetables - and topping options are endless!

Don't skip the feta and olive oil for toppings. It really makes it. :)

Prep Time5

Cook Time3

Course: Dinner, Main

Cuisine: lebanese, Middle Eastern

Keyword: lebanese pizza, manakish

Servings: x 30cm/12" pizza

Calories: 566cal

Author: Nagi

Ingredients

1 x ~30cm/12" Lebanese bread , (sub other thin flatbreads, Note 1)

Spiced Chicken Mince spread:

125g / 4 oz chicken mince (ground chicken) (Note 2)
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp Baharat spice mix (aka Lebanese 7 spice) (Note 3 subs)
1/2 tsp paprika , sweet (or smoked)
1 garlic clove , crushed using garlic press
1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt)
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley or coriander/cilantro, totally optional (sub 1 tsp dried oregano)
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , for cooking (or regular olive oil)

Toppings - essential! (Note 4)

Extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Danish feta or goats cheese , crumbled (or regular feta)

Toppings - optional (makes it even better!)

Lemon juice , just a light drizzle
Dried chilli flakes / red pepper flakes
~1 tbsp toasted pine nuts , roughly chopped (sub pistachios, almonds, sesame seeds)
1 tsp finely chopped parsley or coriander/cilantro

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE:

Trim bread to fit pan, mix filling, smear on bread. Heat oil on high, pan fry 90 seconds meat side down, then bread side 90 seconds until crispy. Top, cut, eat!

FULL RECIPE:

Use a large 30cm/12" non-stick pan. If needed, use scissors to cut one side of the Lebanese bread so it fits in your pan (Note 4)
Mix the Chicken Spread ingredients in a bowl. Spread all across the surface of one side of the bread like peanut butter - use it all! It will be a fairly thin layer.
Cook meat side - Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan over high heat. Place the bread in meat side down and cook for 90 seconds, pressing down lightly to encourage colour. The meat will stick to the bread!
Crisp bread - Turn with tongs (there should be some golden patches) and cook the bread side for 90 seconds until golden and crispy (lower heat if browning too quickly).
Toppings - Slide onto cutting board, sprinkle with feta, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with other toppings you choose. Cut into 8 like pizza, enjoy!

Notes

1. Lebanese bread - Large 30cm/12" version of pita bread, thin and double layered (ie they can be stuffed, but because they are so large it's hard to split without tearing thin bread). Sold at any grocery store here in Australia, substitute with any thin pan-fry-able flatbreads, even tortillas. Adjust amount of topping you spread on it if using smaller bread.

When trimming to fit in the pan, only cut one side else the bread may separate when cooking.

2. Meat - I use chicken mince because this recipe came into existence when I wanted to do something interesting (but quick!) with chicken mince. Lamb is more traditional for Lebanese pizza (and delicious here!), though any mince/ground meat can be used.

3. Baharat - Lebanese / Middle Eastern spice blend, also called "Lebanese 7 Spice", a blend that is uniquely heavy on all-spice and cinnamon. Find it at larger grocery stores (costs the same as regular spice mixes like Italian herbs), or make your own (below). Substitute with any Middle Eastern/Moroccan spice blend or 2 teaspoons of Harissa paste.

Homemade baharat / Lebanese 7 Spice:
1 tsp EACH ground all spice, cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/8 tsp each ground cloves, nutmeg powder

Based on this recipe from Silk Road recipes, tweaked to align with store bought I use.

4. Toppings - So many options! Read in post for suggestions.

Nutrition per pizza assuming only the feta and 1 teaspoon olive oil is used for drizzling (that's all you need). It also assumes 1 tablespoon of the 1 1/2 tbsp of oil used for cooking ends up being consumed. You can reduce the cooking oil to 1 tablespoon but the bread won't crisp quite as well and may burn a bit instead of going golden.

Nutrition