There are organs that get all the glory—liver, heart, even tongue. But spleen? If you can find it, it’s often overlooked. Maybe it’s the name. Maybe it’s that most of us don’t even know what a spleen does, let alone how to cook it. Middle Eastern Stuffed Spleen has an simple filling of ground meat, rice, garlic, onion, herbs, and warm spices like cumin and paprika. It’s stuffed and baked, then sliced for an approachable dish.
What is Spleen Anyway?
Spleen is part of our housekeeping lymphatic and immune system. It removes old red blood cells and catches bacteria, viruses, and other intruders. It stores platelets and red blood cells for emergencies, produces infection-fighting white blood cells (lymphocytes), and helps regulate blood production through hormone signaling to the marrow.
So it’s no surprise that eating spleen can support your immune system, too. It’s rich in selenium, iron, B12, and niacin, and it contains special peptides believed to strengthen your natural killer cells. A 100g portion offers more than 100% of your daily vitamin C—a rare find in the world of animal foods.
How Different Cultures Cook Spleen
 In Japan, spleen is grilled yakitori-style and served with fiery mustard. In Germany, you’ll find Miltz—spleen stuffed with vegetables and herbs—or Miltzwurst, a spleen-based sausage. Italy has milza, famously served in Sicily’s pani ca meusa sandwich, often wrapped in caul fat and grilled until golden.
In France, spleen has been included in rustic pot-au-feu, paired with marrow bones, rump, and chicken. The British have used it chopped with bacon and onion for gravy. And across the Middle East and North Africa, it’s fried, stuffed, sautéed with garlic and lemon, or simmered with warm spices like cinnamon, cumin, and paprika.
Middle Eastern Stuffed Spleen
Like liver and kidney, spleen is a super nutrient-dense, red-meat organ cut. Since most of us have been raised with bland grain-based or processed-food diets, the strong mineral flavors of these organ meats can be new and overwhelming – even as adults. Spleen is similar to liver and kidney, but also different with a more spongy texture and nuanced flavor akin to blood pudding.
For my first foray into spleen (half a spleen actually), I turned to a traditional Moroccan preparation called tihane farcie (stuffed spleen). The meat, rice and herb stuffing felt approachable and familiar. It had spices and bright flavors like olives and preserved lemon to complement the meat – and the result was spiced and satisfying as hoped.
The spleen is oddly soft and pliable when raw. It can stretch to many times its size. The meaty center has thin connective pieces that easily give when gently stuffing. The raw spleen doesn’t have a strong smell, but getting my hands deep inside left the thick fragrance of blood. Wash thoroughly with lemon juice (or wear gloves). I stitched the spleen shut with twine (separated into a thinner string) and roasted it for nearly an hour before slicing and serving.
After roasting, the outer membrane had thickened, yet peeled off from each slice easily. If I had leftovers, I probably would have pan-fried the slices in butter. Yet, with a family of six, we finished it in one go. If you’ve never cooked spleen before, this is an approachable, nutrient-dense place to start.
Middle Eastern Stuffed Spleen
Notes
Stuffed spleen can be served warm or cold. Reheat slices with butter in a pan or a warm oven. Slices can be frozen and individually defrosted.
Ingredients
For the stuffing
- 2 lbs 70/30 ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups rice
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 preserved lemon, deseeded and chopped
- 3/4 cup green olives, chopped
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 T tomato paste
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 tsp cumin
- 5 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp cayenne
For the spleen
- 1 beef spleen
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- large needle & twine / basting thread
Instructions
For the filling
- Prepare filling by combining all ingredients - ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, preserved lemon, green olives, parsley, cilantro, beaten eggs, tomato paste, salt and spices - and mixing well. (May be made in advance.)
For the spleen
- Preheat your oven to 400*F.
- Gently slit the spleen and insert your (covered) hand, pushing to open the cavity gently - doing your best to prevent tears in the outer membrane.
- Small handfuls at a time, fill open cavity with the meat and rice stuffing. Use your outer hand to push and direct the stuffing to the ends of the spleen.
- While stuffing the spleen, add the hard-boiled eggs evenly throughout. Fill with as much stuffing as you can. (Leftover filling can be eaten later, warm or cold.)
- Sew the spleen shut with loose stitches. Patch any holes with loose stitches and then press and mold the filling inside for evenness.
- Place the spleen on a roasting dish and roast in your pre-heated oven for 50 minutes, or until browned and little to no juices are released when poked. While cooking, rotate the pan halfway through baking and baste the spleen with pan-juices.
- Allow the spleen to cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with fresh herbs.
This looks amazing! Want to try this!
Definitely – it’s a fun dish to make. If you try it out, let me know how it goes for you!