Lahmacun Smash Tacos with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce

If you loved my viral smash dumpling tacos and the original smash burger (Big Mac) tacos, this is the next one you’ll want to try.

Lahmacun, a Middle-Eastern classic is, essentially, a spiced meat mixture (usually with beef or lamb, spices like paprika and chilli, along with tomatoes, red bell peppers and parsley), pressed into a thin layer on top of a flatbread-esque dough and baked until crispy. It’s DELICIOUS and also felt perfect to adapt into a smash taco because it’s so similar to how it’s traditionally enjoyed anyway.

This is by no means a traditional lahmacun recipe! This is my twist using similar flavors and a different technique. But it’s quick, it’s easy, and PACKED with deliciousness.

I’m serving the tacos with a fiery, smoky red pepper dipping sauce and a fresh herby, lemony salad to cut through the meat and oh my goodness. These are very easy to eat and even easier to make. I’ll be dipping everything in that sauce, it’s truly so lovely (and uses a slightly divisive ingredient as the base but you’ll just have to trust me on this).

Want more taco inspiration? Try these smash satay chicken tacos, smash banh mi tacos, smash sausage breakfast tacos or smash shrimp toast tacos next.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for lahmacun smash tacos laid out and labelled.

Ground lamb (or beef). Choose between the two here (or use half and half). Try to use lean meat if you can – anything too fatty can make the pan quite greasy.
Roasted red peppers. For ease, I use jarred roasted red peppers, and they work perfectly. You can, of course, roast your own if you like; it’ll just take a lot longer to prep.
Harissa paste. This is my little shortcut ingredient to maximum flavor. It’s a North African chili paste that uses ingredients often present in lahmacun (chili, paprika, cumin) and brings a ton of flavor to anything. I always have some on hand. If you can’t find it, use more tomato paste and add 1 teaspoon of chili or red pepper flakes.
Spices. I (stupidly) forgot to put these in the photo above, but spices are involved here. You’ll need ground cumin, cinnamon and allspice.

And for the sauce, you’ll need roasted red peppers, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cottage cheese. If you don’t like cottage cheese, use thick Greek yogurt, sour cream, or cream cheese instead. But I urge you to try the cottage cheese – I was NEVER a fan until I realized you can blitz it into a gorgeously creamy consistency that’s a whole lot lighter than any other creamy base for sauces or dips. It works beautifully here, I promise.

How To Make Smash Lahmacun Tacos

Mix all your ingredients for the lahmacun topping. Make sure you’re mixing everything through the meat really well so the flavor is well dispersed. Add all your sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor and blitz until super smooth and creamy.

Ground meat and seasoning in a large mixing bowl.

Spoon in a bowl with mixed lahmacun meat and seasoning.

Scoop up a heaped spoonful of the filling, and spread it onto a thin layer on each of your tortillas. You can spread it right to the edges as the meat will likely shrink when you cook it (as you can see here!)

Cook your taco, meat side down, for 4 minutes in a hot pan (you can do a couple at a time, depending on the size of your pan). Flip the tacos and cook for another minute on the other side, just to crisp up the tortilla.

PRO TIP: Make sure your pan is nice and hot and you’re really pressing down on the tortilla, to ‘smash’ the meat into the pan. This will 1) help the meat cook faster and create the charred crust we’re after and 2) ensure your meat sticks to your tortilla.

Lahmacun meat mixture spread onto a mini tortilla on a wooden board.

Drizzle your tacos with the smoky red pepper sauce, then pile on the herby za’atar salad. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, then enjoy with more sauce on the side for dipping.

Drizzling red pepper sauce on top of a smash lahmacun taco.

Smash lahmacun taco with red pepper sauce and herby salad on top.

Smash Lahmacun Taco FAQs

Why does my meat not stick to the tortilla?

Make sure your pan is nice and hot before you add your taco, and you really need to press the tortilla into the pan while it’s cooking. This way, the meat cooks quickly and kind of ‘seals’ itself to the tortilla while it cooks. But if your meat doesn’t stick, please don’t worry! It’s still going to taste the same.

My pan is quite greasy – is this normal?

Just make sure you’re using lean beef or lamb – otherwise you can end up with a greasy puddle. If there is a lot of grease though, just drain some away as you flip the tortilla to crisp up.

Could I use different ground meat?

Yes! Beef or lamb is most associated with lahmacun, but you could use ground turkey or chicken, or a plant-based alternative.

Could I use a different sauce?

You can use whatever you’d like. Whipped feta, spicy harissa whipped feta, sundried tomato feta dip, smoky baba ghanoush or even tzatziki would be lovely, as would a tomato-based salsa.