Jordanian Beef Kefta

Hello everyone, how is your weekend going? I hope that you’re enjoying pool time.

My kids are on the Summer break, and this next school year, I’ll have 3 kids in 3 different schools… 3 different schedules. I hope, I don’t drown with all their activities.

Now, that they’re home 24/7 for the next month or so, before music camp and pre-season practices begin, I’ll have to cook more than previous months… I love it, though!

I don’t mind making them happy with the food that I’ve made, that’s what moms do, right?!

Anyhow, a few weeks ago, a friend of mine, with Jordanian heritages, shared her recipe for Kefta.

I’ve made Kofta before, but in the form of meatball, and I might say it was slightly different, probably cause they were from different parts of the world, but the way she made it, well, it was much easier, and Y’all know that I am all for an easier way.

She used simple ingredients — ingredients that most of us already have, and I watched her do her magic. Seriously, I can’t ask for a better friend/s!

One thing that I never used in Koftas before, one that I’ve grown up with didn’t have Allspice. Maybe that made the whole difference in the taste.

My kids, went bananas over this meal, over the taste and requested for me to make it again.

There are a few things that I changed from her recipe, like instead of tomato slices I’ve used an unseasoned tomato sauce because my kids don’t like when tomatoes are cooked and mushy and I’ve used less onion, but that’s the only two things that I’ve changed. 

Of course, many of you know that Kofta, Kafta, or Kefta is a dish from the Middle East, and prepared with lamb or beef, however, it is also very much popular in Greece, India, Serbia, Croatia, Turkey etc.

Some even mix the ground lamb, veal, and pork together to get the ultimate taste that all three provide.

Most of the time you would see it in a form of meatball or wrapped around the bbq stick like kebabs, then there are Koftas in a sauce that I grew up with and they are called “ćufta/ћуфта”(chuFta)

Ok! Peeps, let’s get cooking…

I serve this with my delicious salad:

Summer Salad Recipe

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Jordanian Beef Kefta

A simple and delicious recipe for Jordanian Beef Kefta

Course Main Course

Cuisine Jordanian

Keyword Middle Eastern, beef, baking

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Author Sandra | Sandra’s Easy Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 Lb. Ground Beef 75%lean/25%fat
• 1 Yellow Onion split in half
• 2 tsp. Minced garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. Flat Leaf Fresh Parsley Italian Parsley, chopped/(curly parsley could be used instead, too)
• Kosher Salt and Ground black pepper to taste (about two TO two and a half teaspoons salt and 2 tsp. Black pepper)
• 2 tsp. Allspice
• 1 tbsp. Oil + for brushing the baking pan
• 1/2 cup Unseasoned Tomato Sauce /Or thinly sliced Tomato

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Half the Onion and cut about 1/4 of that half into thin slices, then the rest of the onion shred with a hand vegetable shredder OR chop, mince garlic and chop parsley, then add it to the meat.
3. Add seasoning to the meat, salt, ground black pepper, and allspice.
4. Drizzle Oil (any on hand) on top of the meat mixture and mix with your hands (use gloves if you wish).
5. Now you can make meatballs, or simply brush a bit of oil on the bottom of the baking pan, then press down the meat mixture, from one corner to the other until it is equally spread.
6. With two fingers, (index and middle) make little lines, from one end to the other. This will speed cooking process and in a way looks like boneless riblets.
7. Spoon over tomato sauce, and spread equally on the top of the meat mixture, then place those thin onion slices on top, a sprinkle with a little more parsley and let it bake. OR USE fresh tomato slices, which you just place on top of the meat, it’s recommended for tomatoes to be peeled if you wish to use it instead of the sauce. Sprinkle with just a dash more of salt and pepper, and allspice, just to season onion and tomato sauce/tomatoes.
8. Bake for about 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven. It will shrink from all the sides of the pan.
9. Serve with rice or potatoes… Salad, and yogurt or even sour cream.