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    Home » Recipes » Beef and Lamb Recipes

    Kofta Tahini Recipe

    Published: Jan 17, 2023 · Updated: Jan 28, 2023 by Saif Al Deen Odeh with 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Kofta Tahini is a Middle Eastern ground beef kofta recipe that is poured into tahini sauce & baked in the oven. This Arabian kofta is way better than your ordinary kofta since it is juicy, saucy, and meaty. It is traditionally served and eaten with pita bread, but you serve it with rice too.

    Beef Kofta tahini recipe served in a baking pan
    Jump to:
    • What is this recipe about?
    • Recipe Ingredient
    • What to serve this Kofta with?
    • Step by Step Instruction
    • Variation
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • 📋 Recipe Card
    • 💬 Comments

    If you are familiar with my recipes, you will know that as a half-Arab (Jordanian), I love Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. I was born in the Middle East and food is part of my culture and life. They are one of the most nutritious, flavorful, and delicious cuisines in the world.

    I have eaten and made many delicious kofta dishes. And based on my experience, there are many different versions or variations of koftas. For example, there are Lebanese, Jordanian, Iranian, or Turkish versions of kofta which are all amazingly good and delicious.

    In this post, I made a Palestinian / Jordanian version of kofta, which is not a typical kofta that you see on Television, or Youtube, where they cook it in a charcoal griller. But rather it is mixed and poured into tahini sauce.

    What is this recipe about?

    Beef Kofta tahini recipe served in a baking pan

    My Arab relatives call it Kofta bi Tahini (كفتة بالطحينية) which mean the kofta ( spiced ground meat) is cooked in a tahini sauce.

    To give you a background on how it is made, the ground meat (beef or lamb) is mixed with different herbs and other seasonings, which is then transferred into a baking pan and poured with tahini sauce. After that, it is transferred into the oven where you broil it for 10 to 15 minutes or until the top side became brown.

    When checking the ingredients, you might wonder why I am not adding any spices. That is because the beef or lamb itself has already a rich flavor, which I enhanced with chopped onion and parsley. Of course, it is also mixed with tahini-lemon mixture sauce which makes it better.

    Recipe Ingredient

    Here are the ingredient to make this delicious Kofta bi Tahini recipe:

    Ground meat: I am using ground beef which is 80% Lean and 20% fat.

    Herbs: I use chopped parsley and red onion to help enhance the flavor of the kofta

    White Flour (Optional): This is not needed but I sometimes use it to help bind the ground meat together when cooking in the pan.

    Tahini Sauce: For making the sauce, here are the 4 ingredients you need:

    • Tahini Paste
    • Hot Water
    • Lemon
    • Salt

    What to serve this Kofta with?

    Beef Kofta tahini recipe with two slices of pita bread served in a plate

    Traditionally, we serve this delicious baked kofta tahini with Kuboos Pita Bread and Arabic salad or any salad of your choice, like Tabbouleh salad.

    Because this recipe contains a lot of sauce, you can eat it with rice which I like to serve with my homemade Middle Eastern Vermicelli rice

    Step by Step Instruction

    To cook this tahini kofta recipe, there are three things to do: Seasoning the Ground Meat; Making the Tahini Sauce; and Cooking & Baking.

    I. Seasoning the Ground Meat

    • Firstly, I combine the ground beef, chopped onion & parsley, white flour (optional), salt and black pepper into the large bowl. Use your clean hand to mix together.
    • After that, I placed it in the baking pan, and use my hand to flatten the ground beef into a round layer.
    • Make sure the ground beef mixture covered the entire pan since when cook it, it will shrink in size.

    II. Making the Tahini Sauce

    • To make the sauce, I combine the tahini paste, lemon juice, hot water, and salt in a plate bowl.
    • Use the spoon to mix until it turns into a thick sauce. Once done, set it aside.

    III. Cooking & Baking

    • Before cooking in the gas stove, I covered it with foil. Make sure you add some holes in the foil so the steam can exit from it when cooking.
    • Simmer the ground beef mixture for 10 minutes or until there is less juice.
    • Pour the tahini sauce and mix gently before turning off the fire.
    • Lastly, I transferred it into the oven, and broil it for 10 to 15 minutes or until the top layer became brown.
    • Serve it with rice, pita bread, and salad.

    Variation

    Beef Kofta Kebab- This is an Arabian style Beef Kofta Kebab Recipe which is mixed with minced beef, and other spices & herbs. This recipe is cooked either in the oven or charcoal grill. It doesn't contain any sauce but it is served with yogurt garlic sauce.

    Chicken Kafta- It is similar to beef kofta kebab but is made using ground chicken rather than beef or lamb. It is best to serve and eat with yogurt sauce and khubz / kuboos.

    Chelow Kebab- This is an Iranian dish that is served with saffron added to steamed rice, grilled tomatoes, and spiced-infused ground lamb/beef kebab.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    1. How to store the kofta tahini?

    You can store this recipe in the fridge which can last for up to 5 days. If you want to store it longer, you can keep it in the freezer which will last for up to 1 month.

    2. What other substitution of the ingredients I can use?

    If you don't have parsley, you can use coriander leaves. Furthermore, you can use ground lamb instead of ground beef.

    The rest of the ingredients are important for this kofta tahini which you can't replace with other ingredients.

    3. What Kitchen equipment you will need for this recipe?

    You will an oven where you can bake the kofta. You can use any type of oven and it will not matter at all.

    📋 Recipe Card

    Kofta Tahini

    Saif Al Deen Odeh
    Kofta Tahini is a Middle Eastern ground beef recipe that is poured in tahini sauce and baked in the oven.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine Middle Eastern, Arabic
    Servings 4
    Calories 536 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 500 grams Ground Beef 80% Lean and 20% Fat
    • 50 grams Parsley, Chopped
    • 1 cup Red Onion, Chopped
    • 1 tablespoon White Flour
    • ½ cup Tahini paste
    • 1-1.5 cup Warm Water
    • 4 tablespoons Lemon Juice
    • 1 teaspoon Salt (For seasoning the Ground Beef)
    • ½ teaspoon Salt (For Tahini Sauce)
    • ½ teaspoon Black Pepper

    Instructions
     

    Seasoning the Ground Beef

    • Combine the ground beef, salt, black pepper, chopped parsley and red onion into the large bowl.
    • Use your clean hand to mix it together.
    • Transfer into the baking pan and use your hand to flatten into a round & uniform layer. Make sure the ground beef mixture covered the entire pan.

    Making the Tahini Sauce

    • Pour the tahini paste, water, lemon juice and salt into the plate bowl. Stir to mix
    • Once the tahini paste is fully dissolve and the sauce is thicken, set it aside for later use.

    Cooking & Baking

    • Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. Make sure you put small hole to let the steam exit during the simmering process.
    • Simmer the spiced ground beef for 10 minutes or until there is less juice. Do not overcook the ground beef.
    • Pour the tahini sauce and gently spread evenly.
    • Transfer into the oven and let it broil for 10 minutes or until the top layer became brown.
    • Remove from the oven and let it cool down for 5 minutes. Serve it with rice, pita bread and salad.

    Notes

    • Do not overcook the ground beef since the juices will fully evaporate.
    • To help the ground beef mixture bind together, add 1 tablespoon of white flour.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4gCalories: 536kcalCarbohydrates: 11.8gProtein: 39.4gFat: 37.2gSaturated Fat: 9.7gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 750mgPotassium: 685mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1.8gCalcium: 169mgIron: 8mg
    Keyword Baked Kofta, Kofta bi Tahini, Kofta Tahini
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    u

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kushigalu

      January 24, 2023 at 3:39 pm

      5 stars
      Never tried something like this before. So delicious. Thanks for sharing

      Reply
    2. Nikki

      January 24, 2023 at 4:07 pm

      5 stars
      This kofta tahini sounds incredible! I've dipped kofta into tahini before but never baked them together. Very excited to try this recipe!

      Reply
    3. Cara Campbell

      January 24, 2023 at 4:08 pm

      5 stars
      I've had kofta before, but never with a tahini sauce - absolutely loved it! The flavor was amazing, my whole family really enjoyed it.

      Reply
      • Saif Al Deen Odeh

        January 28, 2023 at 9:48 am

        Thanks for sharing your Cara. Appreciate it.

        Reply
    4. Lily

      January 24, 2023 at 4:12 pm

      5 stars
      What a delicious kofta recipe, that's easily baked in the oven. The flavors are delicious and compliment each other really well! Thanks so much for this recipe.

      Reply
      • Saif Al Deen Odeh

        January 28, 2023 at 9:46 am

        Your welcome Lily. I am glad you love my kofta tahini

        Reply
    5. TAYLER ROSS

      January 24, 2023 at 4:12 pm

      5 stars
      I made this beef kofta for dinner last night and it was incredible! So saucy and delicious. Tastes great with rice!

      Reply
      • Saif Al Deen Odeh

        January 28, 2023 at 9:46 am

        Thank you Tayler. Glad you love it.

        Reply
    6. Natalia

      January 26, 2023 at 9:41 pm

      Baking now and it is already smells great! So exited to try it. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Saif Al Deen Odeh

        January 28, 2023 at 9:46 am

        That's great to know. Let me know how it taste!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Saif! I am a Filipino Jordanian Food cook that love to make and share delicious Halal Friendly Filipino, Asian, Middle Eastern and other foods from around the world 

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