• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • DIY Projects
    • Homemade Bath and Body
    • Sewing - Fabric Crafts
    • Flower Crafts/Decor
    • Thrift Store/Vintage
  • Gardening
    • Flower Gardens
    • Container Gardening
    • Houseplants
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Landscaping
    • DIY Garden Art
  • Decorate
    • Spring Decor
    • Summer Decor
    • Fall Decor
    • Winter Decor
    • Home Decor Projects
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Dessert
    • Salad Recipes
    • Soups and Stews
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Healthy Recipes
  • Holidays
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
Hearth and Vine
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • DIY
    • ...Flower/Gardening Crafts
    • ... Bath and Body
    • ...Sewing/Fabric Crafts
    • ...Thrift Store/Upcycle
  • Gardening
    • ...Flower Gardens
    • ...Container Gardening
    • ...Indoor Gardening
    • ...DIY Garden Art
  • Decorate
    • ...Home Decor Projects
    • ...Spring Decor
    • ...Summer Decor
    • ...Fall Decor
    • ...Winter Decor
    • ...Room Makeovers
  • Recipes
    • ...Appetizers and Snacks
    • ...Dinner Recipes
    • ...Side Dish Recipes
    • ...Salad Recipes
    • ...Dessert
    • ...Drinks
  • Holidays
    • ...Valentine's Day
    • ...Easter
    • ...Mother's Day
    • ...Halloween
    • ...Thanksgiving
    • ...Christmas
  • Subscribe
  • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • DIY
      • ...Flower/Gardening Crafts
      • ... Bath and Body
      • ...Sewing/Fabric Crafts
      • ...Thrift Store/Upcycle
    • Gardening
      • ...Flower Gardens
      • ...Container Gardening
      • ...Indoor Gardening
      • ...DIY Garden Art
    • Decorate
      • ...Home Decor Projects
      • ...Spring Decor
      • ...Summer Decor
      • ...Fall Decor
      • ...Winter Decor
      • ...Room Makeovers
    • Recipes
      • ...Appetizers and Snacks
      • ...Dinner Recipes
      • ...Side Dish Recipes
      • ...Salad Recipes
      • ...Dessert
      • ...Drinks
    • Holidays
      • ...Valentine's Day
      • ...Easter
      • ...Mother's Day
      • ...Halloween
      • ...Thanksgiving
      • ...Christmas
    • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes

    Cauliflower, Beef & Rice: Middle Eastern Top Rice

    by Patti Estep · Mar 3, 2016

    Jump to Recipe

    This recipe for cauliflower beef and rice also known as top rice is a middle eastern family favorite. A great one-pot meal the whole family will enjoy.

    This is one of those comfort foods your grandmother made when you were a kid. In my family, I had only one grandparent living, and she was a great cook. She came over to the U.S. from Lebanon and brought with her many amazing middle eastern dishes. Most of them had rice as the staple starch. To this day, I love just about any rice dish, but of course, I don't usually pass up pasta, potatoes, and fresh-baked bread either. This recipe was called Top Rice because you flip the pot upside down and have the beef and cauliflower sitting on top of the rice.

    Top Rice aerial ~ Middle Eastern Top Rice ~ gardenmatter.com

    Lebanese Top Rice

    As you can see I haven't quite got the hang of the perfect looking top rice. Mine tends to topple a little after coming out of the pot.

    The color comes from adding a little ground turmeric to the water. This is something we were taught to do for any rice dish. I don't think it makes much of a flavor difference, but it looks good, and with all the health benefits I've been reading about turmeric, I figure it can't hurt.

    Though my top rice doesn't look perfect, it really does taste great. So, if you like the idea of beef, cauliflower, and rice you should definitely give it a try.

    Patti signature

    More Middle Eastern Dinner Recipes

    • Lubee - Green Bean and Beef Stew
    • Kusa - Stuffed Zucchini
    • Eggplant and Beef Stew
    • Bamieh - Okra and Beef Stew

    Middle Eastern Top Rice

    This recipe for cauliflower beef and rice also known as top rice is a middle eastern family favorite. A great one pot meal the whole family will enjoy.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Dinner Recipes
    Cuisine Middle Eastern
    Servings 4
    Calories 465 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound top round steak cut into small pieces or ground beef/lamb
    • 1 onion finely chopped
    • 1 head of cauliflower broken into 2 inch florets
    • 1 cup long grain rice
    • 1/8 t cinnamon
    • dash of turmeric

    Instructions
     

    • In a heavy saucepan, brown beef and onions in olive oi.
    • Add cinnamon, salt and pepper
    • Add cauliflower and let brown for 1-2 minutes
    • Add rice.
    • Mix turmeric with 2 1/4 cups water.
    • Add water to saucepan
    • Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to low for about 20-25 minutes.
    • Remove from heat for a few minutes.
    • Remove lid and cover with a large plate.
    • Quickly turn upside down and unmold onto the plate.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 465kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 52gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 110mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4g

    Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

    Tried this recipe?Tag @hearthnvine on Instagram
    « Wildly Delicious Chocolate Torte
    Make a Mini Moss Garden Centerpiece »

    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nadia Aboussouan

      August 27, 2020 at 6:23 pm

      When you cook anything middle eastern with meats, add a little allspice. Also, if you cook your makloubeh in a container with no handle, it is much easier to turn over after it rests for a few minutes before and after turning it.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        August 28, 2020 at 6:43 am

        Thanks for the tips Nadia.

        Reply
    2. Jen

      July 08, 2016 at 8:56 pm

      Hi Patti-
      I found your recipe by googling and it looks delicious. I'm wondering how much salt and pepper you use. I look forward to making it, thanks for sharing!
      -Jen

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        July 09, 2016 at 8:05 am

        Hi Jen,

        You know it's one of those pinch of this kind of things. Probably about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
        Of course you can always add a little more at the table.
        So glad to hear that you are going to try it. It's delicious and if you are patient (I'm not) you just might be able to un-mold it from the pot to display a beautiful dish.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply
    3. Marie H

      March 03, 2016 at 7:06 am

      Oh, this sounds so yummy. I love the color that turmeric adds. I once made chicken pot pie from scratch. My gravy looked a little lackluster; so I thought, ummm, turmeric. That was the most virulent yellow gravy I've every made. LOL Light touch is all you need!

      I haven't been reading long enough to know your background. Lebanese or middle eastern foods are one of my favorites. In the Detroit area we have so many great places to go out for yummy meals. One of my favorite dishes is Mejedra. Do you have a recipe for it?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        March 03, 2016 at 7:44 am

        Hi Marie,

        I'm not fan of lentils so I'm sorry to say that I do not have a recipe for Mejedra. My father was Lebanese and his mother used to have us over for dinner every Wednesday. I'd say 95% of the dishes she made were middle eastern. All delicious. My mother was Irish and German decent but loved to cook, and learned how to make a lot of middle eastern dishes from my grandmother and aunt. Unfortunately they are all gone now and though I have learned how to cook a handful of dishes I wish they were still here.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Patti Estep Profile Picture

    Hi!

    I'm Patti

    Join me to create lots of fun DIY projects, including crafts, gardening, home decor, and tasty recipes

    More about me

    Popular Posts

    • Baked zucchini bite on a slated tray with a bowl of horseradish sauce.
      Make Tasty Zucchini Bites in Under an Hour
    • Three tin cans in descending sizes hanging from twine.
      DIY Wind Chimes with Tin Cans
    • Blue jean crossover bag
      DIY Crossbody Bag from Jeans
    • Ham barbecue sandwich on plate
      Chipped Ham Barbecue Sandwiches - A Pittsburgh Favorite
    • Echievera planter
      What to do With a Stretched Succulent
    • Make a Mason Jar Oil Candle Lamp with botanicals and essential oils. ~ gardenmatter.com
      DIY Oil Candle - Gifts for the Holidays

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About
    Contact
    Privacy Policy
    Disclosure Policy

    Sign Up Here!
    for our
    newsletter &
    special offers

    Follow Me

    facebook
    Pinterest
    instagram

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Hearth and Vine

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required