Quantities are for a medium baking tray. A baked kibbeh made from pumpkin and bulgur, filled with soy protein or chickpeas and nuts.
Ingredients
For the kibbeh dough
- 2 cups fine bulgur
- 1 1/2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin
- A handful of walnuts or cashews, optional
- 1 large onion
- 2 tbsp wheat flour
- 2 tbsp dried or fresh marjoram leaves
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp seven-spice blend
- 1 tsp black pepper
- A pinch of ground bay leaf
- A pinch of cardamom
- A pinch of chili, optional
- Salt to taste
For the filling
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup fine soy protein, boiled in water with bay leaf, cloves and ginger and drained very well; or replace it with cooked chopped chickpeas
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, added when sautéing the soy protein
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp seven-spice blend
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- A pinch of ground bay leaf
- Salt to taste
- A handful of pine nuts or cashews, toasted in 1 tbsp oil
- 5 tbsp oil for drizzling
Method
1. Make the kibbeh dough
- Process the walnuts until fine, then add the onion, marjoram and all the kibbeh spices and process until finely chopped.
- Meanwhile, wash the fine bulgur. Add the processed mixture to the bulgur, mix well and leave for 10 minutes so the bulgur absorbs the seasoning.
- Add the pumpkin and mix thoroughly, then add the flour and salt.
- Run the mixture through a kibbeh machine once, or knead by hand until smooth. Adjust the seasoning and salt.
- If the mixture does not hold together, add 1 tablespoon wheat flour and mix.
2. Make the filling
- Sauté the soy protein in 2 tablespoons oil and add the soy sauce and all the spices.
- Once cooked and browned, set it aside.
- In the same pan, sauté the finely chopped onion in 2 tablespoons oil. Once softened, add the soy protein and mix briefly.
- Adjust the salt, turn off the heat and add the toasted pine nuts.
3. Assemble and bake
- Oil the tray and wet your hands with water so the kibbeh does not stick.
- Spread half the kibbeh mixture as the first layer. I prefer a thin layer, but thickness is up to you.
- Spread the filling over the whole layer.
- Flatten portions of the remaining kibbeh between your hands and lay them over the filling until fully covered.
- Cut the kibbeh well. You can also score a decorative pattern on top without cutting down into the filling.
- Pour the oil over the surface and into the cuts.
- Bake until well browned underneath and then on top, about 1 hour.
Serve with green salad or cucumber salad made with diluted vegan labneh. Enjoy 🙂
Why vegan pumpkin kibbeh is a stronger full package
The dough is not just bulgur: it is pumpkin + bulgur + walnuts, while the filling can be soy protein or chickpeas with nuts. That means vegetables + grains + plant protein + unsaturated fats in the same dish.
Orange pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A needed for vision, immune function and growth. NIH.
If the bulgur is whole grain, we have stronger evidence than simply calling it “high in protein”: randomized trials show that replacing refined grains with whole grains improves several markers including LDL, total cholesterol, HbA1c and CRP. Source.
Walnuts add ALA omega-3 and unsaturated fats. A meta-analysis of randomized trials found reductions in LDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides with walnut intake, though effects varied across studies. Source.
We do not need unsupported claims about drinking pumpkin cooking water to clear “kidney sand.” The real argument is stronger: a complete Levantine kibbeh built from plants instead of making meat the center of the dish.
Try vegan pumpkin fatayer, pumpkin with onion and lemon, or baked lentil kibbeh.
