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Mediterranean Ground Beef Stir Fry

Mediterranean ground beef stir fry with fragrant spiced beef skillet, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, and olives in a lemony herb sauce. Quick one-pan method delivers lightly crisp chickpeas and soft tomatoes served over couscous or pita.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef 1 pound
chickpeas
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas drained
cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
Kalamata olives
  • 0.5 cup Kalamata olives sliced
onion
  • 1 small onion diced
garlic
  • 4 clove garlic minced
cumin
  • 1 tsp cumin
coriander
  • 1 tsp coriander
smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
salt
  • 1 salt to taste
black pepper
  • 1 black pepper to taste
olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
lemon juice
  • 1 lemon juice juice of 1 lemon
crumbled feta
  • 1 crumbled feta for serving
fresh parsley
  • 1 fresh parsley for serving
couscous or pita
  • 1 couscous or pita for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add ground beef and brown it while breaking apart until no longer pink; drain any excess fat.
Build the spiced base
  1. Add onion to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes, stirring until softened.
  2. Stir in garlic, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper, then cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir fry with chickpeas and tomatoes
  1. Add chickpeas and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until they look slightly crisp on the edges.
  2. Stir in cherry tomatoes and Kalamata olives, then cook for 3–4 minutes until the tomatoes soften.
  3. Squeeze lemon juice over the top and adjust seasoning to taste.
Serve
  1. Serve the spiced beef stir fry over couscous or pita, then top with crumbled feta and fresh parsley.

Notes

For best texture, drain the chickpeas well and avoid crowding the skillet so the edges can brown. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 2 months (thaw overnight and rewarm gently). For a lighter option, use 90% lean ground beef (or ground turkey) to reduce calories without changing the Mediterranean flavor profile.