Meat
Daoud Bacha with vermicelli rice
Daoud Bacha is a Lebanese dish of lamb meatballs simmered in a tomato sauce flavored with cinnamon and allspice, served with vermicelli rice. It serves 4, takes 55 minutes, and stays easy to make, for about €3.10 per person. The key is letting the sauce reduce well and toasting the pine nuts right before serving.
Tonight, fragrant Lebanese lamb meatballs in a sweet tomato sauce, with vermicelli rice.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cost per person
- €3.10
- Calories per person
- 680 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
- Season
- Fall, Winter, Spring
- The kids
- They generally like it
Daoud Bacha's lamb meatballs are soft and warmly spiced with cinnamon and allspice, simmered in a tomato sauce that turns thick and deep red as it cooks. The toasted pine nuts add a crunch and a nutty flavor that changes everything, as long as you don't skip that last step. It's a fragrant dish without being spicy hot, pleasant for both adventurous eaters and first timers.
It's a weeknight dish that comes together without fuss, yet it has enough character for a family Sunday or a meal shared with guests. Kids usually love the meatballs and the golden vermicelli rice, while the sauce's gentle spices give adults a taste of Lebanese cooking. Mon Chou suggests it for nights when you want something different without spending your whole evening in the kitchen.
The ingredients
Butcher
- Ground lamb 600 g
Fruits and vegetables
- Onions 2
- Flat leaf parsley 1
- Garlic 3 cloves
Pantry
- Pine nuts 40 g
- Crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 800 g
- Cinnamonoften in the pantry 1 tsp
- Allspiceoften in the pantry 1 tsp
- Riceoften in the pantry 280 g
- Vermicellioften in the pantry 60 g
- Olive oiloften in the pantry 4 tbsp
- Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
- Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch
Allergens Gluten, Tree nuts, Eggs
The step by step recipe
-
Mix the ground lamb with one grated onion, the chopped parsley, half the spices, salt and pepper, then shape into walnut sized meatballs.
Wet your hands first, the meat won't stick.
-
Brown the meatballs in a pan with olive oil, then set them aside. 10 min
They don't need to be fully cooked through, they'll finish cooking in the sauce.
-
In the same pan, cook the second onion and the garlic, add the tomatoes and the remaining spices, then add the meatballs back in.
Scrape up the browned bits from the pan, they flavor the sauce.
-
Simmer covered, then sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. 20 min
The sauce should reduce and turn deep red and thick.
-
Brown the broken vermicelli in a little oil, add the rice and twice its volume of salted water, then cook covered. 15 min
Watch the vermicelli closely, it goes from golden to burnt in seconds.
Our tips to get it right
- Shape the meatballs to a consistent size, about walnut sized, so they all cook at the same rate in the sauce.
- Let the tomato sauce reduce properly before serving, it should coat the meatballs rather than stay watery.
- Cook the vermicelli rice just before serving, it loses its golden crunch if it sits too long.
The variations
- Swap the ground lamb for ground beef for a milder flavor, the meatballs keep the same texture.
- For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with red lentil and walnut balls, keeping the same spices and tomato sauce.
- For kids or a quick weeknight meal, shape smaller meatballs, they cook faster and are easy to eat with a fork.
What to serve it with
- Cold plain yogurt
- Cucumber and mint salad
- Flatbread for scooping
Storage
Daoud Bacha keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well, sauce and meatballs together, for up to 2 months. Reheat it gently in a pan or saucepan with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, and reheat the rice separately in a pan or microwave.
Questions about this dish
Can you make the meatballs ahead of time?
Yes, you can shape the meatballs the day before and keep them raw in the fridge in a sealed container. Just brown them and simmer them in the sauce on the day you serve them.
Can you substitute the pine nuts?
You can use toasted sliced almonds instead, they give a similar crunch. The key is toasting them dry until golden, untoasted they add little flavor.
Why grate the onion into the meat instead of chopping it?
Grated onion releases its juice directly into the meat, which makes the meatballs softer. Finely chopped onion also works but gives a slightly firmer texture.
Is this dish spicy or just fragrant?
Cinnamon and allspice flavor the sauce without making it hot, Daoud Bacha stays mild on the palate. It works well for kids and for anyone sensitive to spice.
How long does it take to make a Daoud Bacha with vermicelli rice?
Count 55 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.
How many calories are in a Daoud Bacha with vermicelli rice?
About 680 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.
How much does a Daoud Bacha with vermicelli rice cost?
About €3.10 per serving, or €12.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.
What allergens does this recipe contain?
This recipe contains gluten, tree nuts, eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.
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