Kofta Sandwiches with Tomatoes & Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

These sandwiches are a great weeknight dinner. Using ground turkey or chicken instead of beef, lamb or pork makes them a little bit lighter as well.

After seeing sandwiches served in taco racks at NYC’s Chelsea Market, I used taco racks to assemble these messy sandwiches. Genius! 😉

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food. I used ground turkey instead of ground chicken and added lemon juice, garlic, and herbs to the sauce.

Yield: Serves 4

• 1.25 pounds ground turkey or chicken
• 1/2 white onion, diced small
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley and cilantro
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cucumber, diced large (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1/2 a lemon, more to taste
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 to 4 T minced fresh dill
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2 handfuls of grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise or 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 4 small naan or pitas, warmed
• 1/2 cup fresh mint or cilantro, for serving
• sliced or chopped red onion, for serving, optional

1. In a large bowl, combine ground meat, diced onion, chopped parsley/cilantro, cumin and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
2. Using your hands, form mixture into 8 oval patties.
3. In a medium bowl, toss together cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and dill; season with salt and pepper. Add additional lemon juice, if desired.
4. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium to medium-high. Cook patties until browned on all sides and cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes. (I cooked the meatballs until the internal temperature reached 165 degrees.)
5. Divide patties and tomatoes among warm naan or pitas. (I assembled the sandwiches in taco racks.)
6. Top with cucumber-yogurt sauce and mint or cilantro. Top with red onion, if desired.
7. Fold to enclose (if not using taco racks) and serve.

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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