Ghormeh Sabzi – Persian Herb Stew

Ghormeh Sabzi is a classic Persian herb stew made with fresh parsley, cilantro, green onions, fenugreek, spinach, kidney beans, and dried Persian limes. Slowly simmered with tender meat, this flavorful Iranian stew is traditionally served with fluffy Persian rice.

And if you are new to Persian cooking, you can learn more about Persian food.

Add us as a Google Trusted Source

There are certain foods and aromas that bring back strong childhood memories for me. Being Persian, even half Persian, meant food was a big part of our family life. We ate dinner together every night.

Family gatherings were even bigger affairs, with tables overflowing with food. Back in Iran, we’d meet at my grandparents’ apartment for weekly family meals. As I walked up the stairs and down the hallway, I could smell my favorite stew: khoresteh ghormeh sabzi.

Now, whenever I make this stew for my own family, that familiar aroma takes me right back to my grandmother’s weekly dinners.

Laura’s tips

Why this recipe works

• Flavor: Ghormeh Sabzi is a staple in Persian households, but every cook has their own combination and proportions of herbs. My version uses parsley, cilantro, chives, fenugreek, and spinach for a flavorful, herb-packed stew. Fresh herbs give this dish its signature flavor, while dried Persian limes add a distinctive tangy taste.
• Texture: A food processor makes quick work of chopping all those herbs. You can certainly chop them by hand, as I’ve done, but the food processor saves a lot of time and effort.
• Make ahead: Ghormeh Sabzi takes some work, especially when you’re washing and preparing all the fresh herbs. The good news? It’s an excellent make-ahead meal, and I think the flavors get even better the next day.
• Versatile: You can make this stew on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Use beef stew meat or lamb and beef shanks, or try the meatless variation included in the recipe.

Ingredients you need

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)!  Read my full disclosure policy

• Stew meat: You can make this stew with beef stew meat or lamb shanks. Here in the US, beef stew meat is more readily available and affordable. I like to cut my own stew meat from a London broil or chuck roast. For a vegetarian version, a dear friend of mine uses baby portobello mushrooms.
• All purpose flour: I add a little flour to help thicken the stew, but it’s completely optional and can be omitted if you prefer.
• Onions: I use regular yellow onions, but you can also use white onions.
• Beef broth: Traditionally, this stew is made with water, but I like to use beef broth for extra flavor. You can also use vegetable broth, especially if you’re making the stew vegetarian.
• Fresh herbs: The main herbs in this stew are fresh parsley, cilantro, and green onions. The combination and proportions of these herbs help give Ghormeh Sabzi its distinctive flavor.
• Other greens: I also add frozen spinach because it’s already cleaned and chopped, which saves time! I’ve also used fresh kale and Swiss chard, with the stems removed. You can skip the extra greens and use another bunch of parsley instead.
• Fenugreek: adds a distinctive, slightly bitter, earthy flavor to Ghormeh Sabzi. I use dried fenugreek because I haven’t been able to find fresh fenugreek where I live in the US.
• Persian dried limes: Limoo Omani add a distinctive sour, earthy flavor to this stew. Persians use these dried limes whole in soups and stews. As they cook, they soften and release their flavor into the broth. Some people enjoy breaking up the softened limes in their bowl, but I prefer to discard them after cooking.
• Lemon juice: I also add lemon juice for another layer of sour flavor. The combination of dried limes and fresh lemon juice gives the stew a more complex tang.
• Red kidney beans: I love using large red kidney beans in this stew, but small kidney beans work, too. Some cooks use pinto beans instead. I like the convenience of canned beans, but you can also use dried beans as long as you cook them before adding them to the stew.
• Extra virgin olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil to sauté the ingredients, but you can substitute another cooking oil.
• Turmeric: Dried turmeric is a staple spice in the Persian kitchen.
• Pantry staples: Salt and pepper

Step-by-step directions

1. Prep the meat. Combine the stew meat with turmeric, salt, pepper and optional flour. Toss until the meat is evenly coated.
2. Cook the onions. Heat the olive oil in then add the diced onions and sauté until they begin to turn translucent. Stir in the turmeric and salt, then continue cooking until the onions deepen in color. Some cooks prefer to cook their onions until caramelized.
3. Add the meat. Increase the heat to high. Once the onions and oil are sizzling, add the seasoned meat. Brown the meat on all sides.
4. Add liquids. Stir in the beef broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Carefully cut slits into the dried Persian limes and add them to the pot. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Once the limes soften, gently press them with a wooden spoon to release any trapped air.

5. Prep the herbs. While the meat simmers, remove the stems from the parsley, cilantro, and spinach, if using. Pay particular attention to thick, woody stems. Wash the herbs and greens, drain them, and spin them dry. A salad spinner works great for this. Working in batches, finely chop the dried herbs and greens in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. I prefer to chop the green onions by hand, but you can add them to the food processor, as well.
6. Fry the veggies. Working in batches, sauté the chopped green onions and processed herbs in a large frying pan. When the greens turn dark green, add the dried fenugreek and cook until well incorporated.

7. Add greens to the stew. Transfer the sautéed herbs to the pot with the meat. Continue sautéing the remaining herbs and greens in batches, adding them to the pot as they finish cooking. Stir in the water and lemon juice, then cover and simmer for at least 1–2 hours, until the meat is tender and the flavors have developed.

8. Add beans. Drain and rinse the canned kidney beans. If you find that rinsing isn’t enough for you, you can soak them in fresh water for a couple of hours, then drain and rinse them again. Stir the beans into the stew and simmer for another hour, or until the meat is tender and the flavors have melded.

Expert tips and recipe FAQs

Adding extra greens. I started adding spinach to my ghormeh sabzi when my kids were little and I was looking for easy ways to get them to eat more vegetables. No one noticed the difference, and frozen spinach was so convenient that it became a regular ingredient in my version of the stew. Later, I started adding kale, too!

Dried Persian limes (limoo amani). The sour flavor in this stew comes from both lemon juice and dried Persian limes. These little shriveled brown limes have a distinctive, tangy flavor that adds depth to Persian stews. You can make the stew with lemon juice alone, but you’ll miss the unique flavor of the dried limes.

I pierce each lime with a sharp knife before adding it to the stew so the cooking liquid can penetrate the skin more easily. You can also use ground limoo omani, but use it sparingly because its flavor is concentrated.

Fresh herbs are best. When cleaning parsley, I usually remove the stems. I’m less picky with cilantro, but I always remove the thick, woody stems. Save those stems in the freezer to use when making stock.

Some Middle Eastern grocery stores sell dried herb mixes specifically for ghormeh sabzi. You can also make your own dried herb mixture, but the flavor and texture will be different from a stew made with fresh herbs.

I prefer fresh herbs, using dried fenugreek as the exception because fresh fenugreek is difficult to find where I live in the US.

How to serve Ghormeh Sabzi. This hearty Persian stew is traditionally served with a generous helping of Persian rice. You can also serve it with Shirazi salad or mast o khiar on the side.

Personally, I like a huge helping of stew with just a little rice and some fresh radishes.

OMG, I’m drooling just thinking about it!

Prefer the pressure cooker? You can also make this stew in an Instant Pot. See my full recipe for instant pot ghormeh sabzi, complete with step-by-step instructions and a video.

Make-ahead tip: Ghormeh Sabzi tastes even better the next day! I often cook it for an hour, let it cool, refrigerate it overnight, and then reheat it and simmer for another hour the following day.

Ghormeh Sabzi – Persian Herb Stew

Laura Bashar | Family Spice

Ghormeh sabzi is a classic Persian stew made with fresh green herbs like parsley, cilantro, fenugreek and scallions. It is an aromatic and delicious stew served with fluffy Persian rice.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Persian

Servings 10

Calories 424 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 lb stew meat 1-inch cubes
• 3 teaspoon turmeric divided
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon all purpose flour optional
• 9 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil divided
• 3 cups diced onions
• 2 cups beef broth
• 6 small dried Persian limes
• 26 oz fresh parsley approximately 6 big bunches
• 10 oz fresh cilantro approximately 4 bunches
• 7 oz frozen spinach thawed and squeezed of extra water
• ½ cup dried fenugreek divided
• 8 oz fresh green onions approximately 2 bunches
• 4 cups water
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 20- ounces canned red kidney beans

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, combine the stew meat with 2 teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper, and the optional flour. Toss until the meat is evenly coated.
• Heat 3 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and cook until they begin to soften. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the onions are translucent and beginning to deepen in color. Stir in 1 teaspoon turmeric and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
• Raise heat back to high and when onions and oil are crackling, brown seasoned stew meat on all sides. Once browned, stir in beef broth.
• Scrape bits that have browned on the bottom of the pot and bring broth to boil, then reduce to low heat.
• Cut slits into the dried Persian limes and add them to the pot. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Once the limes soften, gently press them with a wooden spoon to release any trapped air.
• While the meat is cooking, remove the stems from the parsley and cilantro, paying particular attention to the thick, woody stems. If you're using fresh kale or chard instead of spinach, remove the thick stems or chop them finely. If using frozen spinach, be sure to thaw and squeeze out excess water.
• Wash, drain and spin green vegetables dry. A salad spinner works great with this step. Once dried, chop vegetables in batches using a food processor with a metal blade.
• Using a large non-stick frying pan, over medium-high heat add 2 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté half of the green vegetables in the hot oil, stirring in fenugreek.
• Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until vegetables are dark green. Transfer to the pot with the stew meat.
• Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the hot frying pan and sauté the second half of green vegetables in the hot oil. Again, cook until vegetables are dark green. Transfer to the pot with the stew meat.
• Clean and dice, both green and white parts of green onions (I prefer to chop them but you can process them).
• Add 2 tablespoon oil to the hot frying pan and sauté the green onions in the hot oil until onions are lightly browned and greens are dark. Transfer to the pot with the stew meat. Stir in 4 cups water and ¼ cup lemon juice the stew.
• Cover pot, reduce heat of stew to low and cook for at least an hour or two. The longer the stew cooks, the more fragrant and flavorful your stew will be. Ideally, you can serve the stew the next day.
• Drain and rinse the canned kidney beans. If you prefer, you can soak them in fresh water for a couple of hours, then drain and rinse them again before adding them to the stew.
• Drain beans, stir in with the stew and cook for one more hour.
• Serve with Persian rice.

Notes

Cooking suggestions: My family likes our stews with a lot meat in it. Most people serve it with less meat, whether by choice or because of cost. You can reduce the meat to 2-pounds.

You can use large or small red kidney beans, as well as pinto beans.

Instead of spinach you can also use kale or chard, with the stems removed or chopped finely and added to the stew. You can also omit both of these and substitute with an extra bunch of parsley instead.

You can make this stew several days before serving it. In fact, it tastes better this way and most people do not serve ghormeh sabzi the same day they make it! You can also freeze leftovers.

For a vegetarian option, use vegetable broth instead of beef. Instead of stew meat, a vegan friend of mine uses mini portobello mushrooms instead. It is actually very tasty!

You can use already cut stew meat, but I prefer to cut my own. I use London Broil or Chuck Roast. You can also use lamb or beef shanks, as the bones add terrific flavor to the stew.

TO STORE: Store any leftover stew in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 424kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 38gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 651mgPotassium: 1356mgFiber: 8gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 10451IUVitamin C: 113mgCalcium: 207mgIron: 10mg

Keyword ghormeh sabzi, gormeh sabzi, khoreshteh ghormeh sabzi

Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Be sure to tag @FamilySpice

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my eMail list, too!