I have been really loving a lot of Mediterranean flavors lately and trying to find ways to blend more unique flavors than just my normal chicken and hummus.
There are so many unique variations and proteins you can play with. This week, I have been focusing on beef and chicken specifically as I have been having a lot of seafood lately and wanted to mix things up. Seafood is also a very important part of the Mediterranean way of eating if that is something you are interested in!
For this recipe, I used a lean ground beef combined with in-depth flavors like cinnamon and Baharat or "7 spices," which is a Lebanese blend of 7 different spices (allspice, black pepper, coriander, cloves, cumin, nutmeg, etc). Even if you do not have 7 spices on hand, I would recommend at least cinnamon, black pepper and cumin. That will give you a great start to this meal! Sumac is also a wonderful citrusy spice which I tossed the side salad or "slaw" in.
Fresh veggies are a wonderful addition to this meal. Cucumber is a must add. I also like tomatoes and quick-pickled onions are also fantastic. Enjoy meal prepping this meal and swapping in your own additions as well!
Mediterreanean Beef Koftas
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (lean if possible)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 C parsley, minced
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp 7 spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Prep a cookie sheet/sheet pan with parchment paper
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Put parsley and quarter-chopped onion in food processor and pulse a few times until minced together finely
- Transfer to large bowl and add ground beef and spices
- Use your clean hands or kitchen gloves to hand-mix the meat together with spices until just combined. Try not to overwork
- Divide meat into small portions as shown into an oblong shape
- Place on baking sheet and bake 15-20 min until cooked through