finding time for cooking

for the time-starved or curious culinary adventurer

  • Recipes By Type
    • Appetizers, Dips, & Snacks
    • Bread Recipes
    • Breakfast Goodies
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes & Veggies
    • Sauces, Spices, & Other Basics
    • Snacks
  • Drinks: Cocktails & More
    • Best Cocktail Gifts: For the At-Home Bartender or Mixologist
  • Foods I’m Obsessed With
    • 30 Minutes or Less…for the Time-Challenged Cook
    • What Bread To Make (Based on Your Time)
    • Gluten-Free Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Super Healthy
    • Cooking for One
    • Soup
    • Unleavened Bread Recipes
  • About Me
    • Get In Touch!
    • How-Tos
    • Kitchen Tools I’m Obsessed With
    • Recipes Index
    • Food and Travel—Two of My Favorite Things
    • Bunion Surgery Recovery Tips

Pakistani Kima

April 17, 2017

Full disclosure:  I have no idea if this recipe is truly Pakistani, nor do I know what “kima” is.

But I *do* know that it’s delicious, filling, healthy, and easy.  That’s a dinner grand slam in my books.

30-minute Pakistani Kima, full of veggies, protein, and aromatic spices, and comes together for a healthy & easy dinner

My sister has been making this for her family for quite a while, and she made it for us while I was visiting my parents a couple years ago.  I fell in love with the incredible aroma and flavors of the spice combination.  It’s truly what makes this dish special.

30-minute Pakistani Kima, full of veggies, protein, and aromatic spices, and comes together for a healthy & easy dinner

But it has a lot more going for it.  It’s chock-full of veggies, across the color spectrum (something that I’m usually desperately needing).  It’s also super satiating, with a one-two-three punch of the fat in the butter (don’t skimp on this), the lean ground beef, and the fiber-full vegetables.

It clocks in at around 320 calories per serving (if you make 6 servings out of the batch), which is great if you’re trying to keep your calories down but not feel hungry all the time.

30-minute Pakistani Kima, full of veggies, protein, and aromatic spices, and comes together for a healthy & easy dinner

And best of all, this recipe is super easy to make, a one-pot standby.  It only takes about a half-hour total, and only requires you to do some vegetable chopping and throw everything into a pot.  I made two desserts while putting this together a couple weeks ago, because I didn’t have to spare any brainpower for it.  So I’m kind of in love.

In general it helps to prep your veggies if you have time.  But sometimes when I’m strapped for time I get the onions going and then just chop everything else as fast as I can.

Melt the butter in a large pot or giant skillet (I mean really big; I use a big pasta pot), and add the diced onion. Cook for 3 minutes, or until starting to become translucent.

Then add the ground meat and cook until well-browned.

Once the meat is mostly cooked, add the curry powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and garlic salt and stir well.  Congratulate yourself on how amazing your house smells.

Once the meat is browned, add the diced tomatoes (drain off liquid first if you’re using canned), the diced sweet potatoes, green beans and any additional spices if needed (like salt to taste; I prefer to salt at the end though).

Partially cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes have softened.  When you first cover it, you’ll feel like there’s not enough liquid to cook everything, but be strong!  Don’t add any liquid right now.  You can check it after 10 minutes and if it still doesn’t have enough liquid you can add a couple tablespoons of water or broth, but I’ve literally never had that be the case.

Pakistani Kima is aromatic, easy, healthy, and satiating...an easy 30-minute dinner

Once the sweet potatoes are soft, remove from the heat, stir, and let it sit for a few minutes to get the liquid absorbed a bit.  Serve right away, but it makes great leftovers as well.

Pin this image!

Pakistani Kima is aromatic, easy, healthy, and satiating...an easy 30-minute dinner

Pakistani Kima

  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 1 pound of ground beef (or venison, buffalo, etc.)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can or jar of diced tomatoes (organic, no BPA), drained or 2-3 medium fresh tomatoes (juicy, not roma)
  • 1/4 cup of butter (1/2 stick)
  • 1 tablespoon of curry powder or more to taste
  • 3-4 medium sweet potatoes, diced into bite-size pieces
  • 1 pound of fresh or frozen green beans
  • 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and garlic powder (or more to taste)
  • Optional:  I have added some shredded cabbage as well, and backed off on the green beans a little, and I think my sister has used broccoli or broccolini instead of beans.  It’s a very adaptable recipe.
  1. Melt the butter in a large pot or giant skillet (I mean really big; I use a big pasta pot), and add the diced onion. Cook for 3 minutes, or until starting to become translucent.
  2. Add ground meat and cook until well-browned. While cooking (once the meat is getting mostly cooked), add the curry powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and garlic salt and stir well.
  3. Once the meat is browned, add the diced tomatoes (drain off liquid first if you’re using canned), the diced sweet potatoes, green beans and any additional spices if needed.
  4. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes have softened.  When you first cover it, you’ll feel like there’s not enough liquid to cook everything, but be strong!  Don’t add any liquid right now.  You can check it after 10 minutes and if it still doesn’t have enough liquid you can add a couple tablespoons of water or broth, but I’ve never had that be the case.
  5. Once the sweet potatoes are soft, remove from the heat, stir, and let it sit for a few minutes to get the liquid absorbed a bit.  Serve right away, but it makes great leftovers as well.

Original recipe here

Leave a Comment CATEGORIES // Family Secret Recipes, Recipe Experimentation, Super Healthy

« A Healthier Take on Strawberry Shortcake for a Big Group
Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Corba) »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

Welcome to my little corner of the internet! I created this blog for people who love cooking & baking but are challenged to find the time and energy to do it. Recipes run the gamut from super healthy to indulgent, but the focus is on using REAL food no matter what.

Follow Along!

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Recent IG Adventures!

I honestly feel bad not having shared this with yo I honestly feel bad not having shared this with you sooner, because I am addicted to this intense & indulgent dark chocolate "nice cream" right now. 

Made using frozen bananas and dutch-process cocoa powder, it feels rich, complex, & satisfies any sweet craving I have, but is naturally free of gluten, dairy, and processed sugars. It takes like 3 minutes and 3 ingredients to make--wins all around!

To get the recipe/technique, tap the link in my IG bio (@findingtimeforcooking) and tap on this photo! 

#darkchocolate #nicecream #healthydesserts #dairyfreedessert
This easy strawberry mint syrup is a perfect way t This easy strawberry mint syrup is a perfect way to "level up" your summer cocktail game...and use up the mid-summer strawberry bounty. Making your own simple syrup is crazy easy, and only takes a few minutes! 🍓

To get the recipe, tap the link in my IG bio (@findingtimeforcooking) and click on this photo! #simplesyrup #strawberrymint #summercocktails #strawberries
Be still my heart! This traditional Irish brown br Be still my heart! This traditional Irish brown bread is so easy to make, packed with whole grains, & instantly transports me back to breakfasting in a cozy B&B in Ireland 😍

See how to make it yourself by tapping on the link in my IG bio & picking this photo —> @findingtimeforcooking 
#irishbrownbread #irishfood #breadbaking #bakingfromscratch
I’ve got the 10-minute side dish you need in you I’ve got the 10-minute side dish you need in your life…air fryer green beans a.k.a green bean fries!! I don’t even like green beans but this dish makes me a believer…and has been a lifesaver recently when I don’t want to turn my oven on in this brutal heat 🙄

Tap the link in my IG bio & click on this photo to get the recipe! —> @findingtimeforcooking 
#greenbeans #greenbeanfries #airfryer #healthyrecipes
This gin-based “hard” cherry limeade is the pe This gin-based “hard” cherry limeade is the perfect summer nostalgia…now all I need is some cheddar poppers from Sonic ☀️😜

Tap the link in my IG banner to get the (super easy) recipe! —> @findingtimeforcooking 

#cherryliqueur #cherrylimeade #summercocktails #sanguemorlacco
Getting to the perfect salted peanut butter chocol Getting to the perfect salted peanut butter chocolate shortbread cookie was QUITE the journey...but I absolutely love this final version.  Even better, the dough log keeps in the freezer so you can slice off a few cookies any time a craving strikes! 

Tap the link in my IG bio to get the recipe! —> @findingtimeforcooking 

#peanutbuttercookies #cookies #bakingfromscratch #sliceandbake
An easy 10-minute spiced chickpea scramble that is An easy 10-minute spiced chickpea scramble that is full of flavor (I *always* accidentally make it too spicy), versatile, and a great plant-based lunch option. For me on a gut health/candida diet, this has become a go-to recipe when I need something fast!

Check out the recipe by clicking on the link in my IG bio & tapping this photo! 

#chickpeas #veganrecipes #plantbased #candidadiet
This basil gin smash is the summer cocktail you NE This basil gin smash is the summer cocktail you NEED! It’s delicious, ultra refreshing, & so easy…just a couple ingredients (critically, good fresh basil), 1 minute to shake, & you’ll be sipping tart herbaceous goodness.

Click the link in my IG bio & tap this pic to see the (crazy easy) recipe! —> @findingtimeforcooking  #summercocktails #ginsmash #freshbasil #gincocktail
I’ve got savory, carb-y goodness comin’ at ya I’ve got savory, carb-y goodness comin’ at ya today, and who doesn’t love that?! A really good authentic focaccia requires at least 18-24 hours to make, but this "quick" Rosemary & caramelized onion version can be done in around 4 hours and is SO good!

See the recipe by tapping the link in my IG bio & choosing these pics! —> @findingtimeforcooking 
#focaccia #easyfocaccia #breadrecipe #bakingfromscratch
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Popular Posts

Lemon Shallot Chicken

*Sigh* Being a Grown-Up… (Vegetable, Black Bean, & Brown Rice Skillet)

No-Bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars: A Family Fave

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

Swedish Vanilla Cardamom Bread

Recent Posts

  • Sweet Potato “Toast” with Guacamole &#…
  • Celebrating 10 Years of DELICIOUSNESS!
  • The Most Addictive, Indulgent-Feeling Dark Chocola…

Categories

  • Appetizers, Dips, & Snacks
  • Bread Recipes
  • Breakfast Goodies
  • Cooking for One
  • Desserts
  • Drinks: Cocktails & More
  • Eating Out
  • Family Secret Recipes
  • Food-Related Miscellany
  • Foods I'm Obsessed With
  • Gluten-Free Recipes
  • Go-To Recipes
  • How-Tos
  • Kitchen Gear
  • Main Dishes
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Recipe Experimentation
  • Sauces, Spices, & Other Basics
  • Side Dishes & Veggies
  • Snacks
  • Soup
  • Super Healthy
  • Travel and Food
  • Uncategorized

Privacy Policy & Disclosures

Copyright & Terms of Use

Copyright 2022 Finding Time For Cooking

0 shares