Vegetarian Kofta That Tastes Like the Real Thing

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner, while ground pork is often less expensive.

yogurt

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: sour cream

Greek yogurt provides a similar texture with more protein.

pita bread

🥗Healthier: whole wheat pita

💰Cheaper: flatbread

Whole wheat pita is healthier, while flatbread is often cheaper.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Avocado oil has health benefits, while vegetable oil is cost-effective.

Combine ground Beyond Meat, diced onion, bread crumbs, and cilantro. Season the kofta kebab mix with spices, salt, and pepper and check for consistency; if all ingredients stick together and patties can be easily formed, avoid using egg. Note that some brands of vegan "meat" are drier than others; in that case, you may use 1 flax egg to bind them.

Transfer to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Using wet or well-oiled hands, shape the vegetarian kebabs into about 10 oval elongated shapes.

Preheat the oven to a high grill setting (if your grill uses temperatures, 400-450F is best). Place a cookie drying rack on top of a baking sheet. Arrange the kebabs on the cookie rack. Place the sheet on the highest oven level closest to the grill. Grill each batch for 5 minutes on each side, turning them over carefully in the middle.

Serve kebabs sprinkled liberally with additional chopped parsley and tahini on the side. The traditional Israeli way of eating them is in a pita with some Israeli salad, zaalouk, and tahini sauce.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens