Don’t you just love Middle Eastern plant-based food traditions? Hummus, tabouleh, falafels…bring ‘em on! Kofta is another classic dish that hails from the Middle East. Typically made from ground meat mixed with vibrant spices fashioned into patties, balls, or cylinders, this vegan version swaps out the meat for red and brown lentils to create truly savory delicious vegan kofta. Just cook up lentils in broth, sauté onions and spices in olive oil, combine it all together with breadcrumbs, shape, and bake in the oven. While you’re baking the kofta, whip up a super easy vegan tzatziki with cultured plant-based yogurt, cucumbers, lemon, and herbs to serve with the red lentil kofta. Serve this Vegan Lentil Kofta with Tzatziki with pita, leafy greens, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and olives on the side for a delicious hearty plant-based meal.
What is Kofta
Kofta is a versatile dish from Middle Eastern countries that contains many spices and seasonings. The word “kofta” traces its roots from the Persian word “kofta” or “kufte”, first recorded in 1665. Typically, this dish is made with ground beef, chicken, pork, or lamb, but in this vegan version lentils are used instead of meat. The unique flavor of kofta comes from spices such as cumin, coriander, cumin, parsley, and more. The combination of these ingredients creates a flavorful blend in the dish. Kofta can be shaped into flat patties, round balls, or even molded onto a skewer. Different cooking methods can be used for kofta, it can be pan-fried, grilled over an open flame, and baked. Kofta is a delicious dish enjoyed by various cultures around the world. While I love Middle Eastern food traditions and have spent time learning about the food culture in this region, I am not a true expert. Check out the work of Rahaf at Olive Tree Nutrition to learn more about these foodways. And listen in on our Plant Chat about the Mediterranean diet here.
Nutrition Notes
This vegan lentil kofta recipe is packed with nutrition, including plant protein, fiber, numerous vitamins and minerals, and phytochemicals with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action. The cultured yogurt tzatziki also provides probiotic foods to your diet. Plus, this recipe features baked lentil koftas, so it’s very light in added fats (you can skip the oil and sauté the onions in broth), and it contains no added salt or sugars. So it can easily fit into your whole foods plant based, vegan, or vegetarian lifestyle. And really, anybody—carnivores to flexitarians—will love this nutritious, flavor-packed recipe. You can easily make it vegan by using gluten-free breadcrumbs, too.
Description
This savory, nutrition-packed, easy Vegan Lentil Kofta with Tzatziki celebrates beautiful, delicious Middle Eastern foodways. You can create this lentil kofta recipe without added oils, salts, or sugars, and gluten-free to fit into many diet preferences.
Lentil Kofta:
Vegan Tzatziki:
- 1 cup plain, unsweetened vegan cultured yogurt (i.e., soy, almond, coconut, make your own here)
- ½ small lemon, juiced
- ½ small cucumber, peeled, shaved
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
- Pinch salt (optional)
- Pinch black pepper
Serve with (as desired):
- Leafy greens
- Cucumber slices
- Tomato slices
- Onion slices
- Olives
- Lemon slices
- Place brown and red lentils in a medium pot, add broth, cover, and cook over medium heat until very tender, about 25 minutes. Drain any excess liquid. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small sauté pan or skillet and cook onions and garlic for five minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan or skillet, along with parsley, mint, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and red chili flakes and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes while stirring to toast spices. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place cooked lentils in a large mixing bowl and mash with potato masher until smooth. Add onion-garlic-spice mixture, tomato paste, and bread crumbs and mix well to make a smooth mixture. Cover and place in refrigerate to chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Remove kofta mixture from refrigerator and scoop up about ¼ cup of mixture per kofta. Shape with hands into a cylindrical shape (or may shape into round patties). Should make 12 kofta. Arrange on baking sheet.
- Place baking sheet in the center rack of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until sightly browned on surface and firm.
- While kofta is baking, make tzatziki by mixing together yogurt, lemon juice, cucumber, garlic, parsley, mint, salt (optional), and black pepper in a small bowl. Chill until serving time. Makes six 1/4-cup servings (or about 1 ½ cups) of tzatziki.
- To serve, arrange two kofta with ¼ cup tzatziki on each plate. Alternatively, arrange kofta on a serving platter with leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives and lemons (as desired), and serve tzatziki in a small bowl on the side.
Notes
Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Make this recipe with no added salt, oil, and sugar by omitting the olive oil and salt, and sautéing onion and spices in broth.
Make your own cultured soy yogurt for this recipe here.
- Prep Time: 6 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 179
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 362 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Protein: 9 g
Top 10 Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Plant-Based Recipes
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