Mansaf (Lebanese Rice and Meat)

A top view of spiced ground beef and rice are served with toasted almonds and shredded juicy meat.

4.75 from 4 votes

Mansaf (Lebanese Rice and Meat)

Mansaf is a delicious Middle Eastern rice with ground beef topped with beef shanks, seasoned with seven spices and cooked to fluffy perfection, it's the perfect complete meal in one pot!

Prep Time1 20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern

Keyword: Lebanese Rice and Meat, Rice Recipes, Riz b lahme

Servings: people

Author: Lama

Ingredients

Rice and Ground Beef

1 pound ground beef
2 cups long grain rice
1 tablespoon seven spices
½ teaspoon salt to taste
3 cups water or broth
½ cup almonds halved or slivered

Beef Shanks

2 pounds beef shanks
3 bay leaves
3 cloves
½ teaspoon seven spices
½ teaspoon salt

Spicy Red Sauce

6 medium/ large tomatoes crushed
red pepper or Cheyenne optional
lemon
black pepper
salt to taste

Instructions

Beef Shanks

First, cook the beef shanks in a regular pot with 1 quart water or in an instant pot.
Next, add 3-4 cloves,½ teaspoon seven spices, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2-3 bay leaves. If you’re cooking the beef shanks on the stove top boil then lower to medium heat covered for 3 hours or until cooked and tender. If cooking in an instant pot, cook for 1 hour.
Remove the beef shank and strain the broth into a bowl.

Rice & Ground Beef

First, in a medium pot on medium heat add ¼ cup olive oil or butter and cook the ground beef for about 7 minutes.
Add in the washed and drained long grain rice, salt, seven spices and water or broth (beef shank broth for best results). Bring to a high boil for 1 whole minute then cover and low to simmer for 15 minutes.
Allow rice to rest for 10 minutes once it has cooked.
Begin plating by adding the rice, the chunks of cooked beef shanks, toasted almonds, minced parsley.
Drizzle some beef broth all over the rice for extra flavor. Then, top each plate with the desired amount of the spicy tomato sauce.

Spicy Tomato sauce

To a blender add 6 large tomatoes, lemon, black pepper, and salt. Adding Cheyenne pepper or crushed red pepper is optional and highly recommended. Blend for 2-3 minutes until mixture is in a form of a sauce.
Pour into a small sauce pan and cook on high heat for a few minutes and then 5 minutes on low the heat.

Notes

Pro Tips:

You can throw raisins on top of the dish to add a subtle spark of sweetness. The contrasting flavors of sweet and savory make magic together.
You can cook your meat in the instant pot. This will save you time.
Make sure to wash and drain rice before cooking it. This will ensure the rice is not sticky and that it will cook quickly and evenly.
For this rice and meat dish, I prefer Using long grain rice. However, if you don't have long grain rice, you can use any kind of rice on hand.

Nutrition