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pita breads holding browned beef kofta logs, sliced cucumber and plain yogurt sauce, with parsley visible inside the cooked beef
Melissa Hart

Beef Kofta Pitas

Thin kofta cook quickly enough for a weeknight. Fat, round meatballs don't. Grate the onion and squeeze it lightly so its flavor gets through the meat without making the mixture slippery. The parsley belongs inside the beef, where it can cook into the crust. Tuck the hot logs into pita with cold yogurt and cucumber, and you've already handled the side dish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb 85% lean ground beef
  • 1 small yellow onion grated and lightly squeezed
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 2 garlic cloves grated
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 pita breads
  • 1 cucumber thinly sliced

Method
 

  1. Mix the beef, onion, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and cinnamon just until combined. Shape into eight flattened logs, each about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch thick.
  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kofta in one uncrowded layer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until browned and 160°F in the thickest part.
  3. Meanwhile, stir the yogurt and lemon juice together. Slice the cucumber and wrap the pitas in a clean damp towel.
  4. Microwave the wrapped pitas for 30 seconds or warm them briefly in a dry skillet until flexible.
  5. Fill each pita with two kofta, cucumber slices and a quarter of the yogurt sauce. Serve while the meat is hot.