Rich spices and herbs, inspired by the flavours of Türkiye, elevate a simple ground beef filling in these crispy, buttery pastries. The lemon and tahini yogurt dip takes these appetizers all the way up to fancy party status. Make the pastries ahead to bake just before serving and fill the kitchen with gorgeous aromas to greet your guests.
Turkish-Inspired Beef Phyllo Pastries
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 77 minutes
- Yield: Makes 24 (12 servings) 1x
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb (500 g) Lean Ground Beef
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp (5 mL) EACH salt, ground cumin and sweet paprika
- ½ tsp (2 mL) fresh ground pepper
- ¼ tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (60 mL) tomato paste
- ⅓ cup (75 mL) finely chopped walnuts
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tsp (10 mL) chopped fresh mint
Pastries
- ½ tsp (2 mL) EACH ground cinnamon and sweet paprika
- ½ cup (125 mL) butter or olive oil
- 6 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed
Lemon Tahini Yogurt
- ½ cup (125 mL) plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60 mL) tahini
- 1 tsp (5 mL) grated lemon zest
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) EACH fresh lemon juice and liquid honey
- Salt and fresh ground pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Filling: Cook ground beef, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, pepper and cinnamon over medium-high heat in a large skillet, stirring often and using back of spoon to break up meat into small chunks, for 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Drain off any fat.
- Stir in tomato paste and ½ cup (125 mL) water; reduce heat and simmer, stirring often and scraping up brown bits from pan, for about 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and flavours are blended. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
- Stir in walnuts, parsley and mint. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.
- Pastries: Combine cinnamon, paprika and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover loosely and microwave on LOW (30%) power in 30-second increments, until butter is melted (or combine in a small saucepan and melt on low heat on the stovetop). If using oil, heat until slightly warmed and spices are fragrant.
- Place 1 sheet of phyllo on work surface with a long side facing you, keeping remaining sheets covered with plastic wrap and a damp tea towel. Brush sheet lightly with butter mixture. Cut vertically into 4 equal strips. Place a heaping tablespoon (15 mL) of filling about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from bottom of each strip. Starting at the bottom right corner of one strip, fold pastry over filling to the left side, making a triangle. Continue folding from left to right and back all the way along the strip to enclose filling and make a triangular bundle. Tuck end underneath and place on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush top lightly with butter mixture. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling, spacing pastries apart on baking sheets. Bake right away or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. (See Notes to freeze ahead.)
- Lemon Tahini Yogurt: Whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice and honey; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley. Makes about ¾ cup (175 mL). (Can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.)
- To Serve: Bake pastries, one sheet at a time, in preheated 425°F oven for about 12 minutes or until browned and crisp.
- Transfer hot pastries to a serving platter; serve with Lemon Tahini Yogurt with a small spoon alongside.
Notes
You can double the recipe easily to make 48 pastries. Cook the beef in a very large skillet and/or increase the time by a few minutes, as necessary, to cook thoroughly.
If you prefer not to use walnuts, you can substitute unsalted roasted sunflower seeds or chopped canned chickpeas (pat them dry with paper towel before chopping).
To freeze: Freeze unbaked pastries on baking sheets until solid. Transfer to an airtight container, layering with parchment paper and freeze for up to 2 months. Return to parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing them apart. Bake, from frozen, one sheet at a time, in preheated 400°F oven for about 15 minutes or until browned and hot inside.
Per 2 pastries and 1 tbsp (15 mL) Lemon Tahini Yogurt: about 230 Calories, 11g Protein, 17g Fat, 10g Carbohydrate, 380mg Sodium
%DV: Iron 10% (Source), Zinc 18% (Good Source), Vitamin B12 33% (Excellent Source)
