By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 9, 2026
Serves 8
469 cal · 35 min
Hawawshi: Egyptian Hot Beef Sandwich
Recipe GLPR9c46a2fbd33bee
A traditional Egyptian street food featuring seasoned ground beef mixed with sautéed onions, bell peppers, and fresh cilantro, served warm inside soft pita bread. The beef filling is aromatic with allspice and black pepper, creating a savory and satisfying handheld meal.
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Ingredients
1 small yellow onion, quartered
1 small green bell pepper, seeded
1 Italian long hot pepper, seeded if desired
1 small tomato, cored
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
4 whole-wheat pitas (6 inch), halved
Directions
Pulse the quartered onion, green bell pepper, hot pepper, and tomato in a food processor until finely chopped but still slightly textured; do not puree. Set the vegetable mixture aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lean ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until no longer pink and cooked through (internal temperature 160°F), about 8–10 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
Add the chopped vegetable mixture to the cooked beef and stir well to combine.
Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the salt, allspice, and black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften slightly and flavors meld.
Remove from heat and fold in the fresh cilantro until evenly distributed throughout the beef filling.
Warm the pita bread halves in a dry skillet or directly over a gas flame for about 1 minute, or wrap them in foil and warm in a 350°F oven for 3–4 minutes.
Spoon the hot beef filling into each warmed pita half, dividing evenly. Serve immediately while the filling is hot.
Comments
This is a solid weeknight sandwich that checks most boxes for a Charlotte kitchen. Ground beef, onion, bell pepper, hot pepper, and tomato are all readily available at any major local chain, cilantro is standard at Harris Teeter and Kroger, and pita bread is stocked everywhere; allspice is a basic spice most households keep. At roughly $2.50 per serving for the filling (ground beef drives the cost), it's reasonable for a family meal. The stated 35 minutes is honest for browning the meat and sautéing vegetables, though if you're splitting pitas in half or warming them, add 5 minutes. It reheats decently wrapped in foil, making it workable for lunch the next day. The main weakness is that this is not a Southern staple and offers nothing distinctly tied to North Carolina, so you're making an Egyptian sandwich rather than leaning into regional ingredients like collards or local pork.
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