Meat and Veggie Flatbread (Lahmacun)
While I could wax rhapsodically about the joys of the Turkish dish called lahmacun–otherwise known as “Arabic pizza”–let’s take things down to a toddler’s level (literally and figuratively) here: it is, essentially, a meat and vegetable paste cooked on top of bread. But that’s precisely what makes it so brilliant–and so perfect a dish for young people.
Our version keeps the flavor profile of the original but takes two critical liberties: a) we add more veggies to enhance its nutritional value and b) we use pre-made/pre-cooked dough to reduce the time and stress needed to get this to the table. Of course, you can totally make your own dough–we have a recipe for that, in fact–just like you can totally change out the seasoning/flavor profile to whatever you and/or your child(ren) like best–heck, use taco seasoning for all I care! Make it your own.
- 1 small Zucchini
- 1/2 Bell pepper (red is most traditional, but any color will do)
- 1 Shallot
- 1/2 lb Gound beef or lamb
- 4 spoonfuls Tomato paste (can also use tomato/pasta sauce)
- Olive oil
- Sumac (zaatar works, too)
- Oregano
- Dried Parsley
- 2 spoonfuls minced garlic
- Mint
- Mini pitas, naans, or other breads* (see note)
- Preheat oven to 500. If using frozen bread or dough, take out of the freezer; if necessary, preheat or bake according to instructions.
- Wash and unpeel the zucchini, onion, and bell pepper. Cut each into a few pieces to make it easier for your blender or food processor to break down, then blend/chop until minced. Drain the blender and allow the mixture to drain excess moisture for at least ten minutes. (You can–and should–also squeeze the mix to leech out any additional water.)
- To the blender add the tomato sauce, two generous swirls of olive oil, the vegetable mixture, and the ground meat. On top, add the garlic; a lot of dried parsley; and a handful of sumac or zaatar, oregano, and mint. Pulse contents of the blender until they become a pinkish paste.
- Scoop out a big spoonful of the meat mixture and place onto a piece of the bread you are using. Using your fingertips, gently spread out the meat all across the top surface of the bread; add more where it is thin. Repeat for additional pieces of bread you are using.
- Place in the oven and cook for three minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when there is a little browning up top but the meat is still paste-like and attached to the bread.
- Remove from oven, allowing to cool for five minutes; spritz lemon all around surface before serving.
How does your kid like pizza? I’d cut it the same way: triangles, squares, little circles–whatever they’re comfortable with. Heck, I’d even suggest telling your child it’s pizza. Feel free to top with cheese or serve with tomato sauce (or ketchup) for full effect--that’s what I had to do the first two times I served this in order to acclimate my child to eating this.
Thin and doughy is the key to making the dish work. I’ve found miniature pitas, naans, and other similar flatbreads work best; sandwich bread or baguette slices do not work as well. You can use pizza dough/crust, but be sure and cook it fully before topping with the meat–the recipe’s quick cooking time does not leave enough time on its own for a crust to go from raw to crisp.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
