I’ve never met a meatball I didn’t love. Whether it’s Chicken Teriyaki, Cheesy Turkey or Meatloaf Meatballs, these are just a few that I whip up for dinner and even freeze for busy nights. When you’ve hit meatball overload, though, and want to switch things up you have to consider this Beef Kofta and Lemon Yogurt Sauce recipe. It’s essentially a meatball jazzed up with a bunch of spices, sautéed and then skewered making it a ton of fun to dip and enjoy, especially for kids. Let’s be honest here, everything tastes better (even bananas) on a stick! I’ve made these with turkey and lamb, but ground beef is by far my favorite. When Kenya and Chloe were both toddlers I found that ground meat was an easy answer to introducing them to meats. There’s nothing “spicy” about these, just tons of addictive flavor.
I serve the Beef Kofta with Lemon Yogurt Sauce that has just the right amount of zip and zing from fresh mint (that at this point is bursting out of our garden) and lemon juice to make it the perfect consistency. You can totally serve these on a stick with the dip or in pita, flatbread or lavash with fresh tomatoes to accompany the kofta. If you don’t have skewers you can make them into patties, rolls or even burgers before cooking. They’re a special Middle Eastern dish that’s easy to toss together on a week night or any time you want to have your family’s eyes pop with a new and exciting dish!
Photos by Matt Armendariz
Beef Kofta with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup chopped mint
- 1 small lemon, for the juice
- 4 middle eastern flatbreads
- 1 small persian cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 tomato, sliced
Instructions
- Place the beef, onion, garlic, paprika, coriander, cumin, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl and mix to combine well.
- Form the meat into 8 equal sausages.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and saute the kofta sausages for 6 minutes, turning every 2 minutes to brown evenly.
- While the kofta are cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, mint, lemon juice, and remaining salt.
- Serve the kofta in a flatbread with the lemon yogurt sauce, cucumber and tomato slices.
I loved this! I’m in my second trimester and have been craving this. It was a hit with my six year old as well. She dipped everything in the yogurt. The picky three year old didn’t love it (although I made it with him in mind), but he doesn’t like many meat dishes, so I’ll probably still make it again. Followed the recipe exactly, but subbed ground lamb because we had it. Thanks again for another yummy recipe! Weelicious has been in our regular rotation for six years!
So glad to hear these were a hit!
This recipe is fantastic. My kids had seconds. I used 85/15 ground turkey and added an egg which may or may not have been unnecessary. I used a shallot instead of a small onion. I served it with raw cucumber and red bell pepper salad with feta on top. We used the yogurt sauce as dressing. We used lettuce leaves instead of flatbread. I think it would have gone great with some Bubbies Pickles.
Thanks!
Into the sauce, Step 4!
Where did you add the other 1/2 teaspoon of salt??
Yes! It would be great on so many dishes!
The lemon yogurt sauce sounds amazing… something I’d serve over salad too.