Kafta
-
Prep Time30 mins
-
Cook Time15 mins
-
Serving4
-
Ready In45 mins
Kafta is a Lebanese kabob made with ground beef, parsley, onions and some spices. This dish can be eaten raw which is very popular in Lebanon, or cooked (grilled or sautรฉed).
What is Kafta?
Kafta is a Lebanese kebab or meatball made up of only four ingredients. It is very popular with slight variations, throughout all of the Middle East. In Lebanon, we know it as kafta, but in other parts of the Middle-East, it is more known as kofta. This Lebanese version is made up of ground beef, finely chopped parsley, chopped onions and a spice blend (7 spices, salt and pepper.)
There are so many delicious ways to cook this meatball, and to incorporate it into dishes. One very popular Lebanese dish is kafta bi soneye (kafta casserole),in which the meatballs are baked with potatoes, and other vegetables in a red sauce and served with white rice.
In todays recipe, I am going to share with you how the basic kafta recipe is made. Kafta can be prepared ahead of time and frozen raw to cook at a late date. It freezes well for up to 3 months.ย
Sautรฉed vs. Grilled
In this recipe, I have included directions on how to both sautรฉ the kafta in a skillet and how to grill it on both an outdoors or indoors grill. Grilled kafta is a staple at any Arab summer barbecue, along with shish tawouk, and meat shish kebab. The meatball mixture is shaped onto a wooden or metal skewer. They can also be shaped into 1-1.5 inch thick fingers without skewers and grilled for about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
To sautรฉ them in a skillet, I like to shape them into about 4-5 inch long fingers, or mini patties. I sautรฉ them with a little bit of oil for about eight minutes or so, until cooked through. I add thickly sliced onions and tomatoes to the kafta before it is fully cooked, and sautรฉ until tender.
Kafta is delicious served with hummus, fattoush or tabbouli, rice or pita bread.
Grilling Method:
Grill on medium heat for 7-10 minutes. Make sure to keep flipping to get grill marks on all sides.
STEP 1
Finely chop a medium/large onion and ยฝ bunch of parsley.
STEP 2
Put the ground beef in a large bowl for mixing. Add chopped onion, parsley, 7 Spices, and remaining ingredients. Mix well using hands.
STEP 3
Form kafta into patties or fingers.
Skillet Method
If cooking in a skillet, sautรฉ in a large skillet on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Flip the kafta over and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the kafta and a large sliced onion and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until the onion is tender. Lastly, add a sliced tomato and cook for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Check out the video below!
Kafta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- 1 cup Chopped Onions
- ยฝ bunch Parsley
- 2 tsp. Seven Spices
- 1ยฝ tsp. Salt
- ยฝ tsp. Black Pepper
- 1 tb. Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Finely chop a medium/large onion and ยฝ bunch of parsley.
- Put the ground beef in a large bowl for mixing. Add chopped onion, parsley and remaining ingredients. Mix well using hands.
- Form Kafta into patties or fingers.
- If grilling, grill on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Make sure to keep flipping the kafta to get grill marks on all sides.
- If cooking in a skillet, Saute in a large skillet on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Flip the Kafta over and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the Kafta and a large sliced onion and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until the onion is tender. Lastly, add a sliced tomato and cook for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Recipe Reviews