Karen Martini's Turkish pizza

Karen’s Turkish pizza is her take on lahmacun — the classic Turkish flatbread topped with spiced minced meat, herbs, and tomato, a beloved street food in Turkey for centuries.

Using pita bread and a bunch of store-bought ingredients means this dish is simple and fast.

The only prep you need is to spice the meat, but it’s really about how you put it all together. While street food is designed to be eaten on the go, this dish is so good that you’ll want to sit down and enjoy every bite.

What is Turkish pizza?

Turkish pizza most commonly refers to two popular dishes from Turkish cuisine: lahmacun and pide. Lahmacun is a thin, crispy flatbread topped with a layer of spiced minced meat (usually lamb or beef), tomato, onion and parsley. It’s rolled up and eaten by hand.

This recipe is Karen Martini’s quick-cook spin on lahmacun, using pita bread for an easy weeknight shortcut.

Ingredients

500g beef or lamb mince

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp Aleppo pepper or sweet paprika

1 clove garlic, finely grated

1 Tbsp sea-salt flakes

1 Tbsp za’atar, plus extra, to serve

4 small pitta

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced

Lebanese cucumber and mint leaves, to serve

SAUCE

3 gherkins, finely chopped

3 Tbsp jalapeños, finely chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp sriracha sauce

1 Tbsp tomato ketchup

1 Tbsp Dijon or American-style mustard

200ml mayonnaise

2 Tbsp sour cream

Method

For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Combine mince, cumin, Aleppo pepper, garlic, salt and za’atar in a bowl to form a paste.

Divide the meat paste among the pittas, pressing evenly onto one side of each pitta to cover.

Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Cook, meat-side down, for 5 minutes, placing a flat lid (or other flat heavy item) on top of pitta (this helps to keep pitta flat and cook meat evenly). Flip and cook bread side for 2-3 minutes until crisp.

Remove pitta from the pan and top with sauce, lettuce, cucumber and mint leaves. Sprinkle with a little extra za’atar, fold and eat hot.

karen martini's turkish pizza better homes and gardens — *(Credit: Con Poulos)* *(Credit: Con Poulos)*

Frequently asked questions

What is a traditional Turkish pizza?

Traditional Turkish pizza usually refers to lahmacun, a paper-thin flatbread dough topped with a finely seasoned mixture of minced lamb or beef, tomato, red onion and parsley, then baked at high heat until crispy. It’s a staple street food in Turkey, typically served rolled up with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon.

Is pide a Turkish pizza?

Yes, pide is another dish often called Turkish pizza. Unlike lahmacun, which has a thin, cracker-like base, pide has a softer, thicker dough shaped into a long oval or boat shape, with the edges folded up around the filling. Common fillings include spiced mince, cheese, and egg.

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Karen Martini Chef

Melbourne chef, restaurateur and food writer Karen Martini has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years. A passionate ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Research, Karen aims to build the awareness of the silent killer that is often misdiagnosed.