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Keema matar, or minced meat and pea curry, is a quick and flavorful way to use up ground meat of any kind. Serve this with a side of choice and you have a complete meal the whole family will enjoy!
Keema matar, or southeast Asian-style beef and peas, is a simple curry dish that can easily become a family favorite. With ground meat, peas, tomatoes, warming spices and a splash of lime juice, this meal is flavorful and comforting.
The ease and speed of preparation makes this a very desirable dinner for busy families – even during the work or school week. It’s simple to make and comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Another perk of keema matar is that it can easily be repurposed for another meal. If you make enough for leftovers, you can easily pack it in your child’s lunchbox the next day.
Add it with warmed rice in a thermos, a fruit or veggie on the side, yogurt and some bread or crackers. See below for more serving suggestions and ideas for repurposing keema matar leftovers.
For more lunchbox recipes for your kids, get our ebook Everyday Lunches with 55 easy lunch recipes!
Also be sure to check out our complete guide to healthy lunches for toddlers, and see tips for serving lunch to kids, quick lunch ideas and easy, kid-friendly recipes.
Serving ground beef and pea curry to kids & picky eaters
Because this recipe uses ingredients that your child might be familiar with, like ground meat, peas and tomatoes, it can be a great way to slowly introduce your little ones to more bold flavors.
If these spices are new to your family or if your child is selective, add in only a small amount of spices the first time you make this recipe. You can increase the amount of spice the second or third time you serve it.
Although this easy keema matar recipe uses ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen, the zesty combination of spices and flavors may be something new for the whole family to enjoy.
Here’s how to prepare this easy weeknight meal of minced beef and pea curry for your family.
Fry cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and ginger in oil over medium-high heat.
Add the ground beef and cook for a few minutes, breaking it down into even pieces.
Add tomato, yogurt, paprika, turmeric and salt and cook for a few more minutes.
Lower the heat to medium and cover the pan for 5 minutes.
Add in peas and water. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
Taste and adjust the spices, then lower the heat and let remaining liquid evaporate.
Remove from heat and add fresh lime juice.
In less than 30 minutes, you can get this quick dinner or lunch to the table for your family!
How to customize this recipe for keema matar
This Indian- and Middle-Eastern-inspired dish is easily customizable based on what you have.
If your family doesn’t eat ground beef, try a different protein like lamb, chicken or turkey in this keema matar recipe.
Vegetarian? No problem! This would also work great with plant-based ground meat. To make this meal vegan, replace the yogurt with a plant based yogurt as well.
Add more veggies! If your little one loves carrots, add some chopped ones in and cook them down in step 1 before the spices and remove from the pan once slightly softened.
You could do those same steps with mushrooms as well or grate them in and cook them down to make them almost like part of the meat! Add them back in at the end of step 2 once the meat is fully cooked through and has been broken apart into smaller pieces.
Toss in fresh cilantro and parsley. Picky eater tip: If you know your little ones may not like the addition of fresh herbs, just add some to your own individual portion when serving.
You can easily adjust the ingredients to fit your family’s preferences.
What to serve with this keema matar recipe
You can serve this beef and pea dish in multiple ways. Serve it with rice, roasted potatoes, bread (like naan or pita) or even in a bun, sloppy joe style.
Note: If you plan to make rice or roasted potatoes, get those cooking first, before you begin making the keema matar. This easy family meal finishes in no time, so once your meal is done, your side should be also!
You can also serve a fresh veggie salad on the side, like a salad with cucumber, tomato and red onion. Or, simply serve chopped cucumbers and tomatoes on the side.
The best keema matar recipe makes great leftovers!
Keema matar also makes excellent lunch or dinner leftovers, so it might even be a good idea to make a little extra.
Here are some great ideas for reusing your beef and pea curry leftovers:
Stuff a tortilla with keema matar to make a quesadilla, and serve it with some sour cream or Greek yogurt and pico de gallo or salsa.
Use it as filling inside of a puff pastry. Gently fold the pastry sheet into a triangle, top with an egg wash to create a crisp, golden crust, and bake it according to puff pastry package directions. Use Greek yogurt as a dipping sauce.
Add some in a pasta dish with a tomato-based sauce. Mix it up with your favorite sauce, add some grated cheese if desired, and you have yourself an ultra delicious bolognese-style pasta!
There are so many reasons to add this recipe to your family’s weekly rotation!
In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, cumin, onion, garlic and ginger powder and gently fry.
Add the ground beef and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until it’s no longer pink and most of the moisture dries up. Break up the meat into small pieces to avoid any irregular lumps of meat.
Add the tomato, yogurt, paprika, turmeric and salt and continue to cook for 2 minutes, until the tomatoes begin breaking down and the liquid begins to boil.
Lower the heat to medium, cover and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes.
Uncover the skillet, stir in the peas, and add ¼ cup water.
Cover the skillet and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the peas and meat are cooked.
Adjust the salt and spices to your preference, lower the heat again and allow the additional liquid to evaporate.
Remove from heat and squeeze in lime juice.
Notes
Keema is versatile and can be served in a bun, eaten with bread, or served over rice.
This keema recipe also tastes great mixed in with a favorite pasta recipe with tomato sauce.
This meal tastes best hot.
Ingredients with a “W” next to them are WIC-eligible items. WIC is the supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children in the United States. It provides food to families with pregnant or postpartum women and young children. WIC-eligible items will vary based on location.
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About Kids Eat in Color
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Janan Sarwar is a recipe developer, publisher and pharmacist. As a mother of three daughters, she co-founded @GlobalTiffins, an Instagram account that captures helpful lunchbox ideas from around the world. She aspires to develop and publish global cookbooks to bring people together through food. She has experience with Fusion, Bengali, Pakistani and Middle Eastern cuisines and has recipe development expertise for gluten-free, keto, pork- and alcohol-free cooking. Janan is an advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and resides in Louisville, KY with her family.
This free veggie exposure shopping list and menu planner will give you ideas for bringing more veggies into your home (AND help you get your little one closer to eating them!).
Keema matar, or minced meat and pea curry, is a quick and flavorful way to use up ground meat of any kind. Serve this with a side of choice and you have a complete meal the whole family will enjoy!
What is “keema matar”?
Keema matar, or southeast Asian-style beef and peas, is a simple curry dish that can easily become a family favorite. With ground meat, peas, tomatoes, warming spices and a splash of lime juice, this meal is flavorful and comforting.
Related: Does your child dislike beef? Here’s how to help your child learn to like beef.
Beef keema matar for families
The ease and speed of preparation makes this a very desirable dinner for busy families – even during the work or school week. It’s simple to make and comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Another perk of keema matar is that it can easily be repurposed for another meal. If you make enough for leftovers, you can easily pack it in your child’s lunchbox the next day.
Add it with warmed rice in a thermos, a fruit or veggie on the side, yogurt and some bread or crackers. See below for more serving suggestions and ideas for repurposing keema matar leftovers.
For more lunchbox recipes for your kids, get our ebook Everyday Lunches with 55 easy lunch recipes!
Also be sure to check out our complete guide to healthy lunches for toddlers, and see tips for serving lunch to kids, quick lunch ideas and easy, kid-friendly recipes.
Serving ground beef and pea curry to kids & picky eaters
Because this recipe uses ingredients that your child might be familiar with, like ground meat, peas and tomatoes, it can be a great way to slowly introduce your little ones to more bold flavors.
If these spices are new to your family or if your child is selective, add in only a small amount of spices the first time you make this recipe. You can increase the amount of spice the second or third time you serve it.
Is your family struggling with picky eating? Get our experts’ top tips for dealing with picky eating in your home. For more help, download our free picky eater guide.
Ingredients in this keema matar recipe
Although this easy keema matar recipe uses ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen, the zesty combination of spices and flavors may be something new for the whole family to enjoy.
These keema matar ingredients include:
Ground beef is a good source of iron. Read our blog to more iron-rich foods for kids.
How to make keema matar for your family
Here’s how to prepare this easy weeknight meal of minced beef and pea curry for your family.
In less than 30 minutes, you can get this quick dinner or lunch to the table for your family!
How to customize this recipe for keema matar
This Indian- and Middle-Eastern-inspired dish is easily customizable based on what you have.
You can easily adjust the ingredients to fit your family’s preferences.
What to serve with this keema matar recipe
You can serve this beef and pea dish in multiple ways. Serve it with rice, roasted potatoes, bread (like naan or pita) or even in a bun, sloppy joe style.
Note: If you plan to make rice or roasted potatoes, get those cooking first, before you begin making the keema matar. This easy family meal finishes in no time, so once your meal is done, your side should be also!
You can also serve a fresh veggie salad on the side, like a salad with cucumber, tomato and red onion. Or, simply serve chopped cucumbers and tomatoes on the side.
The best keema matar recipe makes great leftovers!
Keema matar also makes excellent lunch or dinner leftovers, so it might even be a good idea to make a little extra.
Here are some great ideas for reusing your beef and pea curry leftovers:
There are so many reasons to add this recipe to your family’s weekly rotation!
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