Mutabbaq

Name: Mutabbaq
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 29 min
Total time: 44 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Saudi Arabian
Ingredients: 500g Mincemeat; 1.5 tbs minced Garlic; 1.5 tbs minced Ginger; 1 Egg; 1 large Tomato; 4 Spring Onions; 12 Filo Pastry; 1 1/2 cups Melted Butter; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Paprika; 1 tsp Cumin; 1 tsp Allspice; 1 tsp Turmeric; 1 tsp Black Pepper; 1 tsp Sugar

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Miscellaneous recipe with Saudi Arabian flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 49 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 44 min total

500g Mincemeat
1.5 tbs minced Garlic
1.5 tbs minced Ginger
1 Egg
1 large Tomato
4 Spring Onions
12 Filo Pastry
1 1/2 cups Melted Butter
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Sugar

Step-by-step instructions

Heat the frying pan and add in some oil. Fry the mashed garlic and ginger first and then add in the minced meat and all seasoning. When the meat is cooked, set aside to cool down.
Get another big bowl. Add in egg, chopped tomato, chopped spring onion and minced meat.
Get one 2 sheets of filo pastry or 1 sheet spring roll wrap. Brush it with some butter and then put some filling in the middle. Fold the pastry and brush more butter on the seal part.
Heat a frying pan and add in some oil to cook the parcel until its both sides and 4 edges all turn into golden brown. (Or brush melted butter all over the parcel and bake it in 180°C oven for 10-15 minutes) 5 Enjoy.

Why this works on a weeknight

Mutabbaq lands at about 44 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Sheet-Pan Dinners collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Mutabbaq actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍳 Sheet-Pan Dinners Miscellaneous Saudi Arabian