Veggie Koftas on skewers – a Middle Eastern “meatball”

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A couple of weeks ago we had friends over for dinner who I knew were a bit skeptical of plant-based eating. Marty actually admitted that he thought he might have to go home afterward and “have a bunch of nuts or something to fill up.” 😂 I wanted to make something that would feel meaty and filling enough for them to feel satisfied. Plant-based eaters never want friends to feel like they just get a salad when they come for a meal. I had been working on this Veggie Kofta dish and decided it would be perfect to serve. It was delicious served in a pita, with cucumber, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce with a side of rice.

Koftas are traditional in Middle Eastern countries and are similar to a meatball. They are often made with lamb and egg, and mixed with herbs. For a healthier version, I choose to omit those ingredients using plant-based ground round and flax eggs. The real flavour comes from the garlic and onion and variety of spices incorporated. You can get creative with them – I used cumin, cayenne pepper, dill, coriander, ginger and cilantro. I also had Sumac, a middle eastern spice, and cardamom, so I included those.

These Veggie Koftas are easy to make and can be prepared in advance to be cooked in the oven, air-fryer or on the barbecue. They taste great with rice and a Greek salad, or in a pita with cucumber, tomatoes and my garlicky Tzatziki Sauce.

How do I make Koftas?

I don’t usually use prepackaged products in my recipes, but in this case, I felt it was easiest. I am sure many products could be substituted but I chose to use Big Mountain Lion’s Mane Mushroom Crumble. I also used two Gardein Plant Supreme burger patties. You just place all of the ingredients into a bowl, and with clean hands squeeze it all together until mixed!

Form the mixture into long sausage shapes and poke a pre-soaked skewer through them. Place the skewers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees.

This dish goes well with my kale Caesar salad! The recipe is here. Check it out! Also great with brown rice – add on tzatziki sauce! Recipe here!

Veggie Koftas

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Serves: Makes 8 koftas Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes 40 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 pack (300 grams) Lions Mane Mushroom Crumble (Big Mountain Foods)
• 1 pack (2 patties- 226 grams) Gardein Plant Supreme, or other plant-based burgers like Beyond Meat or black bean or mushroom burger
• 3 tablespoons onion, diced finely
• 3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped finely
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons of ground flax and 6 tablespoons of water mixed and allowed to sit for 5 minutes)
• 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sumac (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 4 cloves of cardamom, ground (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pitas - package of 8
• ADDED TOPPINGS:
• - tomatoes, diced
• - cucumbers, sliced
• - tzatziki sauce - recipe link below
• - hummus - recipe link below
• - romaine, chopped
• - pitas

Instructions

1. Soak 8 six inch skewers in water while you assemble the koftas.  This will prevent them from burning in the oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
3. Mix together flax egg in a small bowl and let sit to coagulate.
4. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients.  Add or omit spices based on what you have.  If you do not have fresh dill, you can use dried.  The fresh herbs taste delicious in this dish so I’d suggest using them.  If you don’t like cilantro you can use parsley and or mint!
5. Add the flax egg into the bowl.  Wash your hands very well.  Using either your bare hands, or clean gloved hands, mix all ingredients, squeezing until well combined. 
6. Form into long sausage like shapes, approximately 5 inches long and inch and a half thick.  
7. Press a soaked skewer through the center of each kofta. 
8. Place the koftas on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes depending on thickness.  Exterior should be starting to brown and it should be cooked through. 
9. Once cooked, make up pitas adding the koftas, tzatziki, red onion, diced tomatoes and cucumber and chopped romaine.  Rice tastes great served on the side topped with more tzaziki sauce!  Recipe here. 

 

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