This Lamb Kofta recipe is a flavorful 45-minute meal that’s easy to make for any occasion. Ground lamb is combined with warm spices and fresh herbs, pressed onto a skewer and either grilled or baked. We serve ours on a large platter with chewy naan, garlicky yogurt sauce, sliced cucumber, and tons of fresh herbs.
Table of contents
What is Lamb Kofta
Lamb Kofta is a Middle-Eastern ground lamb meatball sometimes formed onto a skewer and grilled or baked to perfection. The ground lamb mixture is flavored with warm spices like coriander, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon, as well as fresh herbs like mint and cilantro. Depending on region and cooking technique, kofta can be shaped into skewered logs, unskewed logs, patties or meatballs.
Kofta can be made from all different types of ground meat, our beef version is also so delicious. This recipe is made in just 45 minutes, which makes it a great recipe for a weeknight meal or easy for entertaining. When it comes to serving, Lamb Kofta is often served with naan, yogurt-sauces, vegetables, and lots of fresh herbs.
The Origination of Kofta
Many assume kofta is strictly Middle Eastern, but kofta can actually be traced back to a variety of cuisines. It’s even credited for being the original meatball.
Some say Kofta traces back to the Persians who then passed it on to the Arabs. Kofta recipes can even be found in some of the earliest arabic cookbooks. From there, it’s likely that kofta was passed along trade routes to Greece, North Africa and Spain.
Historically kofta is made with ground beef, pork, chicken or lamb mixed with rice, bulgur or mashed lentil. Lamb, however, is particularly popular in the Middle East.
Greek or Balkin varieties tend to use a mix of ground beef, pork or lamb. Alternatively, Indian kofta tends to made vegetarian using potatoes, paneer or even bananas and are served with a curry or gravy. Our recipe is drawing on inspiration fro the Middle East with flavor profile as well as serving recommendations.
Ingredients
- Ground Lamb: I recommend opting for 80% lean, it’s nice and flavorful without being too greasy.
- Shallots: you’ll need 2 medium shallots for this recipe. In a pinch you can use half a small yellow onion.
- Pine Nuts: a classic ingredient in kofta. No need to toast them ahead of time, they will get toasted in the skillet with the shallots and spices before getting mixed with the lamb mixture.
- Garlic cloves: fresh is always best! You’ll need two cloves of garlic for this recipe.
- Warm Spices: kofta is all about the warm spices. You’ll need a handful of spices, so the ingredient list looks long but the majority of it is spices. Coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon and cloves are the spices you’ll need.
- Fresh Herbs: I like to make kota with a mix of parsley, cilantro and mint. Mint is an absolute must.
How to Make this Lamb Kofta Recipe
- Cook the shallots until softened, then add the pine nuts and cook them until toasted. Add the spices and cook briefly to bloom them.
- Combine the shallot mixture with ground lamb and fresh herbs.
- Form the lamb mixture into logs then push a skewer lengthwise through each log.
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet, broiler or grill and cook the lamb skewers until well-browned (basically charred) and cooked through. Ground lamb is pretty fatty, so you won’t need added oil to cook the skewers.
Expert Tips
- Internal Temperature of Lamb: It is recommended by the USDA to cook ground lamb to 160ºF. Follow these cooking temperatures for specific doneness: 120–125ºF for medium–rare, 130–135ºF for medium, 140–145ºF for medium-well.
- For a garlic Greek yogurt sauce to serve, combine ½ cup whole milk or 2% Greek yogurt + ¼ teaspoon grated garlic + salt and pepper to taste
- For a simple slaw to serve, combine ½ small green cabbage shredded + 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil + 2 tablespoons lemon juice + salt and pepper to taste
- To make the kofta nut-free, do not use pine nuts.
- When buying ground lamb, I find most ground lamb is 70/30. If you find leaner, you can use that but add a teaspoon of oil to the cast-iron skillet for cooking the skewers.
- If you’re using skewers, wooden skewers are best for cooking these on the stove top. Depending on how large your cast-iron skillet is, you may need to cut down the wooden skewers to fit.
What to Serve with Lamb Kofta
The combination of lamb, bold spices, garlic, shallot and fresh herbs makes for a filling and satisfying meat dish. Two kofta served with naan or rice, fresh vegetables, yogurt sauce and herbs can easily be a serving. If you don’t anticipate serving these with a starchy side dish, you may want to consider doubling the recipe if you’re serving four.
Serve kofta with:
- Naan, rice, or pita
- Sliced cucumber
- Shredded cabbage dressed with olive oil and lemon juice
- Greek yogurt mixed with garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper. Tzatziki would also be a great option.
- A lot of fresh herbs such as cilantro, parsley and mint
I like to pile the skewers on a large platter with all the fixings, that way everyone can make their own plate and enjoy the kofta however they prefer.
Storage
- For the Fridge: Remove the kofta from the skewers and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. These are also great to make ahead as well, they hold up nicely when reheated.
- For the Freezer: It’s also best to remove the kofta from the skewers, placing in a freezer-safe container and freeze for 1 to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating to serve.
- To Reheat: Place in a 300ºF oven for 10 to 15 minutes until warmed through or microwave for a couple of minutes.
Variations
You can customize this kofta recipe to your liking, here are some other suggestions.
- Use onion and garlic instead of shallots and garlic.
- Serve with pita bread instead of naan.
- Use a combination of meats like lamb and pork, or lamb and beef.
- Swap the cayenne for red pepper flakes.
- Serve slices of tomato and cucumber on the side with the naan and yogurt sauce.
More Middle Eastern-Inspired Dishes to Try
A handful of Middle Eastern dishes or Middle Eastern-inspired recipes that pair well with this kofta recipe.
Lamb Kofta Recipe
Description
Ingredients
Kofta
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, chopped (or ½ yellow onion)
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 pound ground lamb, 70% or 80% lean
- ½ cup finely chopped parsley or cilantro
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
- 8 wooden or metal skewers
Serving
- Zucchini Tzatziki or Greek yogurt mixed with a bit of garlic, *see notes
- Naan
- Shredded cabbage tossed with olive oil and lemon juice, *see notes
- Sliced cucumber
- Lots of herbs such as mint, cilantro and parsley
- Ground sumac sprinkled over platter
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat in a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick skillet until shimmering. Add 2 chopped shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add ⅓ cup chopped pine nuts and cook until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Add 2 minced cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons each coriander and cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon cayenne, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon cloves; cook 30 seconds.
- Transfer shallot mixture to a large bowl with 1 pound lamb, ½ cup chopped parsley and ¼ cup chopped mint; mix to combine.
- Divide mixture into 8 even portions.
- Form each into a 4-inch-long log. Push a skewer through the length of each log, leaving a 4-inch tail on one end and a 1-inch tail on the other; form meat around skewer to secure.
- Cook according to directions below using the stove, grill or broiler.
Stovetop Instructions
- Preheat a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes (just wipe out the skillet you used to cook the shallot and spices). Add 4 lamb skewers and cook, turning every 2–3 minutes, until well charred and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the centers registers 145ºF (*see recipe notes below), about 8 minutes total. Transfer skewers to a platter and repeat cooking process with remaining 4 skewers.
Grilling Instructions
- Preheat a grill to medium-high for 5–10 minutes; brush grill grate clean. Arrange lamb skewers over grate and grill, turning every 2 minutes, until charred and an instant-read thermometer registers 145ºF (*see recipe notes below), about 6 minutes total.
Broiler Instructions
- Heat broiler to high with rack set 10-inches from element (middle rack). Arrange lamb skewers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil, turning every 3 minutes, until well-browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 145ºF (*see recipe notes below), 10–12 minutes.
Serving
- Arrange skewers on a large platter. Place a small bowl of yogurt sauce in the middle then arrange naan, shredded cabbage, cucumber, and fresh herbs around the rest of the platter. Sprinkle sumac over top.
Notes
Nutrition
I had never heard of kofta before until I found this on Pinterest. Such a unique and flavorful recipe! I can’t wait to make this for my extended family. What a great dinner to serve a crowd.
I. Love to cook Greek and Middle Eastern dishes – all was good except the cayenne. I noticed my other recipes did not call for this amount or any cayenne. My family voted to withhold it next time or drop down to a pinch, as it added a heat that took away from the other spices. Served it with traditional garnishes and enjoyed.
A great note for other readers should they prefer to skip the heat!