This lamb kofte burger is the perfect burger for when you want something that bit different. Not only are the flavors delicious, but you can cheat a little with ready-made components, or make it more from scratch as time allows.
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I've said before that lamb is definitely one of my favorites, and I particularly like how it is incorporated into many Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern meals. This kofte burger is a simple twist on some classics from the region, and I can assure you the result is delicious.
What's in this lamb kofte burger?
- Lamb kofte - formed into burgers rather than on sticks
- Muhammara - a delicious red pepper walnut dip/spread
- Fattoush - a classic Middle Eastern salad
- Pita bread
As I say, one of the great bits about this is you can cheat a little to speed things up. Or, if you have a little more time make things from scratch. You can find ready-made muhammara at many supermarkets, though it's really quick and easy to make with the recipe above.
While I haven't seen fattoush ready-made, you can certainly find tabbouleh which would also work well.
How to make the burgers
The kofte burgers themselves don't take long to prepare as you simple add everything in a bowl and mix it together. Don't be afraid to get your hands in there to mix it all up!
You can - and in fact I recommend - make them ahead and put in the fridge until needed. The chilling helps them to firm up and for the flavors to mingle. Then it's a quick cook and put them all together.
Serving variations
As mentioned, I have served these in pitas with some fattoush and muhammara. If you haven't had muhammara before, it's a delicious and versatile dip or spread and super easy to make yourself. That way you also get to decide if you want to add a little heat or not.
You can swap this out for tzatziki, hummus or something else if you prefer, but I really would recommend the muhammara here as the flavors are that bit brighter.
A regular bun would work instead of pita, though I do think pita fits better, given the regional flavors. If you want to cut back in carbs, you could use lettuce instead of bread.
This lamb kofte burger is a simple and delicious mix of aromatically spiced lamb, crunchy salad and flavor-packed muhammara all in a soft pita. So change up your burger night soon with this tasty mix.
Try these other tasty, unusual burgers:
- Lamb burgers with feta sauce and minted tomato salsa
- Maple turkey burgers with bacon and apple
- Chicken satay burgers
- Plus get more grilling, salads and other ideas for the season in the summer recipes archives.
Lamb kofte burger
Ingredients
For the kofte burger
- ½ onion grated
- 2 cloves garlic crushed/finely grated
- 2 tablespoon mint finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- 1 lb ground lamb lamb mince
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
For fattoush salad
- 2 romaine lettuce leaves shredded and long slices cut
- 1 radish thinly sliced
- ½ tomato diced
- ⅙ English cucumber quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 2 tablespoon parsley roughly chopped
- 1 radish halved and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon sumac
- ¼ teaspoon honey
- ½ clove garlic grated/crushed
To serve
- 6 tablespoon muhammara
- 4 pita bread (I used slightly smaller rounds here)
Instructions
For the burgers
- Grate the onion, grate or crush the garlic and finely chop the mint and parsley (note quantity is after chopping).
- Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well - I'd recommend using your hands and really knead the mixture kind of squeezing it to get all the ingredients well mixed.
- Divide the mixture in to four and press each quarter into a flattened ball (burger shape) and refrigerate for around 20 minutes or so to firm up a little.
- Heat the grill to a medium heat and cook the kofte a few minutes each side until lightly charred and the meat is cooked through. Alternatively, you can cook them on a grill pan.
For the salad
- Combine the chopped romaine lettuce, radish, tomato, cucumber and parsley in a bowl.
- Whisk together the oil, lemon, sumac, honey and garlic and drizzle over the salad. Toss to combine. (Note can be prepared ahead)
To serve
- Lightly warm the pita, if you like, then split open on one side. Spread one half of the inside of each pita with muhammara and then add a cooked burger and a good handful of salad.
Notes
Nutrition
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This post is part of a giveaway hosted by GirlCarnivore (now closed); opinions remain my own. Head over to burgermonth for full links to all the burgers.
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Missy
These kofta burgers were awesome!! We built the burgers with tzatziki sauce, grilled red onion and feta crumbles. My 15 year old son (who love’s lamb chops) said he would pick these over regular burgers any day. This will be a regular in our summer grilling rotation for sure!
Caroline's Cooking
So glad to hear you enjoyed, and that they win over regular burgers (think they may for me too!). The additions sound tasty, too - they are certainly great to mix and match what you serve with them.
Sophie
What a beautiful recipe. I am very familiar with kofta and similar meatballs. We Indians even make vegan koftas from soy and veggies. Thanks for sharing.
Caroline's Cooking
Thank you! And yes I've made and tried various different styles of kofte/kofta - all have been good! This simple flavoring works so well here with everything else.
Christie
Looks packed with flavors! And that fattoush looks great by itself but on the burger it looks awesome. I have some ayvar that I bet would be great to replace the muhammara. I wouldn't even begin to know where to look for that sauce, but the ayvar I have. Can't wait to try these.
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks! Indeed, we often have fattoush on it's own as a side to other dishes or for lunch. It's funny how you get different things in different places - I wouldn't be able to find ayvar/ajvar here, but would get muhammara (by the way, it's generally next to hummus etc if you do have it). However I made it myself, and recipe will be up tomorrow 🙂