Meat, Maghreb and Middle East
Stuffed batbout with ground beef and salad
Stuffed batbout is a soft Moroccan flatbread cooked in a skillet, filled with spiced ground beef and melted cheese, served with a crunchy salad. This recipe serves 4, takes about 1 hour, and is medium difficulty, for a cost of €2.00 per serving. The key is cooking the breads over low heat so they puff up before browning, without burning.
Tonight I'm making you batbout, those soft little Moroccan flatbreads cooked in a skillet and stuffed with spiced meat and melted cheese, served with a crunchy salad.
- Total time
- 1 h
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cost per person
- €2.00
- Calories per person
- 570 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
- Season
- Spring, Summer, Fall
- The kids
- They generally like it
Batbout is a small Moroccan flatbread cooked in a skillet instead of an oven, soft on the inside with a lightly golden crust. Once split open into a pocket, it becomes the perfect pouch for a ground beef filling seasoned with cumin and paprika, with cheese that melts the moment it touches the warm bread. A simple lettuce and tomato salad brings the crunch and freshness that balance the richness.
This is a dish that works for kids and adults alike, since everyone can fill their own bread however they like, almost like building your own sandwich. Mon Chou suggests this recipe for a weeknight dinner that runs a bit longer than usual, or for a relaxed weekend meal where everyone pitches in, literally hands in the dough.
The ingredients
Pantry
- Fine semolinaoften in the pantry 250 g
- Flouroften in the pantry 250 g
- Active dry yeastoften in the pantry 1 tsp
- Ground cuminoften in the pantry 1 tsp
- Paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
- Oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
- Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
- Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch
Butcher
- Ground beef 400 g
Fruits and vegetables
- Onions 2
- Flat leaf parsley 1 sprigs
- Lettuce 1
- Tomatoes 2
Dairy
- Shredded cheese 100 g
Allergens Gluten, Lactose
The step by step recipe
-
Mix the semolina, flour, yeast, and salt, add about 300 ml of warm water, knead, and let the dough rise. 30 min
The dough should be soft and a bit sticky, the semolina absorbs water as it rests.
-
Cook the ground beef with the sliced onions, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, then stir in the chopped parsley. 10 min
Drain off excess fat so the filling doesn't make the bread soggy.
-
Divide the dough into balls, flatten them into thick rounds, then cook them dry in a nonstick skillet. 15 min
Flip them as soon as they puff up, they'll cook through from there.
-
Split each batbout open like a pocket and fill with the meat and shredded cheese.
Fill while the bread is still warm, the cheese melts on contact.
-
Serve with a lettuce and tomato salad dressed with oil and lemon.
Dress it at the last minute so the salad stays crunchy.
Our tips to get it right
- Knead the dough long enough for it to turn elastic, that's what gives you soft batbout instead of dense ones.
- Let the dough rise somewhere warm and draft free so it doubles properly in size.
- Prep the filling and salad while the dough rises, you'll save time without burning anything.
The variations
- Swap the ground beef for ground lamb for a bolder flavor, closer to some traditional Moroccan versions.
- For a vegetarian take, fill the batbout with sautéed onions, peppers, and zucchini along with the shredded cheese.
- For kids, cut the cumin and paprika in half and serve the filling and salad on the side so everyone builds their own bread.
- For a faster version, buy ready made pita or flatbreads and focus your time on the filling.
What to serve it with
- Hot mint tea
- Marinated olives as a starter
- A lemony yogurt sauce on the side
Storage
Cooked batbout keeps for 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature, and the filling keeps 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. You can freeze the plain breads for up to a month, then reheat everything in a skillet over low heat or briefly in the oven before filling.
Questions about this dish
Can you make the batbout dough ahead of time?
Yes, you can make the dough the day before and let it rise slowly in the fridge. Take it out an hour before shaping so it comes back to room temperature.
Can you replace the fine semolina with just flour?
You can, but the texture will be less soft and closer to regular bread. Semolina gives batbout their characteristic slightly grainy, airy crumb.
How do you keep the batbout from turning out dry?
Cook the flatbreads over low heat and watch closely, they should puff up before lightly browning. A dough that's slightly sticky when kneaded bakes up softer.
Can you freeze the batbout already stuffed?
It's better to freeze the plain breads and make the filling fresh when you're ready to serve. The salad doesn't freeze well and loses its crunch if made too far ahead.
How long does it take to make stuffed batbout with spiced ground beef and a crunchy salad?
Count 1 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.
How many calories are in stuffed batbout with spiced ground beef and a crunchy salad?
About 570 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 stuffed batbout with spiced ground beef and a crunchy salad cost?
About €2.00 per serving, or €8.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.
What allergens does this recipe contain?
This recipe contains gluten, lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.
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