Name: Zaatar Beef and Greens
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped; 1 lb ground beef (or ground lamb, turkey, ground chicken or plant-based meat- see notes); 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon coriander; 1 teaspoon dried thyme ( or oregano); 1 teaspoon sumac (see notes for subbing); 2 teaspoons sesame seeds; Pinch of Aleppo chili flakes, optional; 2 cups Swiss chard, stems removed, chopped (or other wilting greens)

This Za’atar Ground Beef and Greens is a quick and flavorful 30-minute dinner made in one skillet! Savory ground beef, tender Swiss chard, and warm spices come together for an easy, Middle Eastern-inspired meal. Delicious with warm pita, basmati rice, or a tahini sauce.

zaatar beef and greens in a cast iron skillet.

Sometimes the simplest dinners are the most satisfying! This Za’atar Ground Beef and Greens is one of those easy, one-pan meals that delivers big flavor with very little effort. Savory ground beef is sautéed with onions, garlic, warming spices, sumac, and sesame seeds, then tossed with tender Swiss chard for a wholesome, satisfying dinner in just 30 minutes.

This is the kind of meal I grew up eating. My Egyptian dad used to whip up dinners like this because ground meat was the least expensive and it was quick to cook. He would love to throw in stray veggies like okra, zucchini, or whatever was on hand. I really love the flavor of the Swiss chard here, but I’ve also wilted peppery arugula (yum!) or spinach. This easy ground beef recipe is wonderfully versatile, and it’s pretty hard to mess up. Serve it over fluffy rice, tuck it into warm pita with a spoonful of tahini sauce, or enjoy it straight from the skillet.

If you’re looking for new ground beef recipes for dinner, this is a delicious way to shake up your weeknight routine!

Why you’ll Love This 30-minute ground beef dinner

Bold Middle Eastern-inspired flavor. Sumac, cumin, coriander, thyme, and sesame seeds create a wonderfully savory, tangy spice blend.

One pan, minimal cleanup. Everything cooks together in a single skillet in under 30 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights.

Wholesome and versatile. Swiss chard adds freshness and color, and you can easily substitute ground lamb, turkey, chicken, or plant-based meat. Serve it over rice or piled into warm pitas with tahini sauce and tomatoes, or make tacos!

ingredients for zaatar beef and greens - chard, garlic cloves, zaatar spices, red onion, bowl of ground beef.

Zaatar Beef Ingredients

Ground beef: Creates a rich, savory base. Ground lamb is especially delicious here, or substitute ground turkey, chicken, or plant-based meat.
Swiss chard: Adds color, freshness, and tender greens. Substitute spinach, kale, or other quick-cooking greens.
Onion and garlic: Build a flavorful, aromatic foundation.
Spices: Use our easy zaatar spice blend made with cumin, coriander, dried thyme (or oregano), sumac, and sesame seeds. If you don’t have sumac, add a little fresh lemon juice at the end.
Aleppo chili flakes or red pepper flakes, optional, for a gentle, fruity heat.
Olive oil: For sautéing the onion and aromatics.

What is Za’atar?

spices for making a zaatar spice blend on a black dish.

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern herb and spice blend typically made with spices, dried herbs, sumac, sesame seeds, and salt. The exact ingredients will vary by region and household. It has an earthy, nutty, tangy flavor that pairs beautifully with beef, lamb, vegetables, and warm pita.

In this recipe, you’ll make an easy za’atar spice blend with simple pantry spices: dried thyme, sesame seeds, cumin, coriander, and sumac (see notes for substitutions). You can use a store-bought za’atar blend, but salt, sumac, and herb levels vary, so taste and adjust at the end.

How to Make Za’atar Beef and Greens

1. Sauté the onions and garlic. Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.

2. Brown the meat. Reduce the skillet to medium heat, add the ground beef (If using high-fat meat, drain some of the liquid fat first.) and break it apart with a spatula, and brown for a few minutes.

diced onion and garlic in a cast iron skillet with a wood spatula.

adding ground beef to a cast iron skillet with sautéed onions and garlic.

3. Season with spices. Add the salt and spices to the pan and cook until the meat is golden brown and all the pink is gone, about 6-7 minutes. If you prefer a crisper texture, add more oil to crisp it up a bit more.

Adding the zaatar spice and seasoning with salt and pepper

stirring in the swiss chard leaves to wilt.

4. Wilt the greens. Add the greens and stir for a few minutes to wilt and combine.

zaatar beef and greens in a cast iron skillet with a wood spatula.

5. Taste and adjust. Taste, adding more salt as needed. For heat, add Aleppo chili flakes or red pepper flakes; for more acid, add lemon zest or a squeeze of lemon juice.

Chef’s Tips

I love adding the chard stems. Slice them very thinly and sauté them with the onions.
For added fiber, sometimes I’ll add chickpeas. Add cooked chickpeas and increase the salt and spices to taste. They add extra satisfying texture and umph!
I like to make this with ground turkey or chicken, too! However, these are quite lean, so I increase the olive oil to at least a tablespoon, sometimes more.
You can make this vegan! This recipe works with plant-based meat, but be sure to salt it to taste.
No sumac? Add some lemon zest!

Serving Suggestions

Serve Za’atar Beef and Greens over warm Basmati rice (I like the pasta method for the quickest rice), with a baked potato, or stuffed into pita bread with tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh parsley or fresh mint, and tahini sauce, hummus, or tzatziki for the ultimate Mediterranean meal. My husband Brian eats it straight out of the pan…so delicious.

ceramic bowl with steamed basmati rice, zaatar beef and greens, and a fork.

Storage

Store leftover Za’atar Ground Beef and Greens in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water or broth until warmed through.

You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. If you plan to freeze this, I recommend leaving the greens out and wilting fresh greens just before serving.

More Cozy Beef Recipes You Might Like

Basil Beef (Easy 20-Minute Skillet Dinner)

Korean Bulgogi Beef Recipe

Grilled Steak Tacos

Beef Stew in Instant Pot

Classic Meatloaf

Classic Lasagna Recipe

⭐️After you try this Za’atar Beef and Greens recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia

On the home front. I had a funny conversation with my friend Steve recently. We were talking about the blog, and he said something like, “You don’t have many hamburger recipes.”

"You mean burger recipes?" I asked.

"No, hamburger recipes."

I paused. "What's a hamburger recipe?"

"You know, recipes made with hamburger."

"Oh! You mean ground beef?"

Turns out, we were talking about the same thing, just using different words. He'd been searching the blog for "hamburger" and coming up empty, while I'd tucked everything under "ground beef." After all these years, I’m still learning how people talk about food! So, just in case you've been looking for hamburger recipes, too, here's our collection of ground beef recipes!