Kofta Burger with Chermoula Mayo
and carrot salad
Kofta is a mixture of ground meat that is seasoned with dried spices and rolled into meatballs or wrapped around skewers. It is often grilled. We took this concept and translated it to burgers that get crunch from fresh cucumbers and the cooling / creamy finish of an herby mayonnaise.
Smarts: You'll just need a bit of the herb sauce known as chermoula for tonight's meal. Set the rest aside to use later in the week.
Tags
Ingredients
Kofta Burger:
- Beef, ground - 1 1/2 lbs
- Cumin, ground - 3/4 tsp
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Cinnamon, ground - 1/4 tsp
- Garlic powder - 1/4 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
- Cardamom, ground (opt) - 1/8 tsp
- Chermoula (ingredients listed separately) - 2 Tbsp
- Mayonnaise - 1/4 cup
- Cucumbers - 6 oz, thinly sliced
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Hamburger buns - 4
Chermoula (for 2 nights):
- Parsley leaves - 3/4 cup
- Cilantro leaves - 3/4 cup
- Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
- Vinegar, red or white wine - 1 Tbsp
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Cumin, ground - 1/4 tsp
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Cinnamon, ground - 1/8 tsp
- Oil, olive - 3 Tbsp
Shredded Carrot Salad:
- Carrots - 12 oz, shredded
- Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
- Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 1 tsp
- Honey - 1/2 tsp
- Harissa (opt) - 1 tsp ( sub any hot sauce)
- Pine nuts - 1 Tbsp
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size:
1 serving
Servings Per Recipe
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories
517
Just a moment...
% Daily Value
Total Fat
23g
36%
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Saturated Fat
6g
29%
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Trans Fat
< 1g
Just a moment...
Cholesterol
108mg
36%
Just a moment...
Sodium
772mg
32%
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Total Carbohydrate
36g
12%
Just a moment...
Dietary Fiber
6g
26%
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Sugars
10g
Just a moment...
Protein
42g
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Choose Cooking Method
Prep
- Make chermoula - (If prepping right before cooking, get grill heating first. This makes enough for 2 nights.) Combine parsley leaves, cilantro leaves, lemon juice (portion for chermoula), vinegar, garlic, cumin (portion for chermoula), salt (portion for chermoula), and cinnamon (portion for chermoula) in the bowl of a food processor. (You can also do this with an immersion blender if you prefer.) Pulse / blend until herb leaves are finely chopped. Add olive oil (portion for chermoula) while blending. Blend until smooth. Taste and season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Shred carrots - If you used the food processor to make chermoula, wipe it out and use the shredder attachment to shred carrots. (You can also use a box grater for this.) (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Make burgers - Combine beef with cumin (portion for burgers), salt (portion for burgers), cinnamon (portion for burgers), garlic powder, black pepper, and cardamom. Form into 1" / 2.5 cm thick patties and make a depression in the center with your thumb (this will prevent them from rounding in the middle as they cook). (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Make chermoula mayo - Whisk together chermoula (be sure to use only the portion for tonight’s meal; reserve the remainder for Wednesday’s meal) and mayonnaise.
- Make carrot salad - Whisk together lemon juice (portion for salad), olive oil (portion for salad), mustard, honey, and harissa. Add carrots and toss to coat. Season with some salt and pepper. Top with pine nuts.
- Cucumbers - Thinly slice cucumbers.
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Make
- Heat grill to 450F / 232C. Clean grates and brush with cooking oil.
- Season the outside of the burger patties with some salt and pepper.
- Place burger patties on heated grill and cook on one side until grill marks appear, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking until cooked to your liking - 2 to 3 minutes more for medium-rare, 3 to 4 minutes more for medium, 5 to 6 minutes more for well-done.
- Toast hamburger buns.
- Assemble burgers by spreading buns with chermoula mayo and filling them with hamburger patties and cucumbers. Enjoy with carrot salad on the side.
Prep
- Make chermoula - (This makes enough for 2 nights.) Combine parsley leaves, cilantro leaves, lemon juice (portion for chermoula), vinegar, garlic, cumin (portion for chermoula), salt (portion for chermoula), and cinnamon (portion for chermoula) in the bowl of a food processor. (You can also do this with an immersion blender if you prefer.) Pulse / blend until herb leaves are finely chopped. Add olive oil (portion for chermoula) while blending. Blend until smooth. Taste and season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Shred carrots - If you used the food processor to make chermoula, wipe it out and use the shredder attachment to shred carrots. (You can also use a box grater for this.) (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Make burgers - Combine beef with cumin (portion for burgers), salt (portion for burgers), cinnamon (portion for burgers), garlic powder, black pepper, and cardamom. Form into 1" / 2.5 cm thick patties and make a depression in the center with your thumb (this will prevent them from rounding in the middle as they cook). (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Make chermoula mayo - Whisk together chermoula (be sure to use only the portion for tonight’s meal; reserve the remainder for Wednesday’s meal) and mayonnaise.
- Make carrot salad - Whisk together lemon juice (portion for salad), olive oil (portion for salad), mustard, honey, and harissa. Add carrots and toss to coat. Season with some salt and pepper. Top with pine nuts.
- Cucumbers - Thinly slice cucumbers.
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Make
- Season the outside of the burger patties with some salt and pepper.
- Heat a grill pan or skillet with cooking oil over high heat. Add burger patties and cook on one side until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking until cooked to your liking - 2 to 3 minutes more for medium-rare, 3 to 4 minutes more for medium, 5 to 6 minutes more for well-done.
- Toast hamburger buns.
- Assemble burgers by spreading buns with chermoula mayo and filling them with hamburger patties and cucumbers. Enjoy with carrot salad on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size:
1 serving
Servings Per Recipe
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories
517
Just a moment...
% Daily Value
Total Fat
23g
36%
Just a moment...
Saturated Fat
6g
29%
Just a moment...
Trans Fat
< 1g
Just a moment...
Cholesterol
108mg
36%
Just a moment...
Sodium
772mg
32%
Just a moment...
Total Carbohydrate
36g
12%
Just a moment...
Dietary Fiber
6g
26%
Just a moment...
Sugars
10g
Just a moment...
Protein
42g
Just a moment...
Reviews
Ratings
Most Helpful
Great flavors. I don't think the carrots needed to be shredded. That seemed to make a lot of extra work for no payoff.
1 Helpful43 reviews
loved this! the burger held together quite nicely! used dried lentils, and I probably should have used 3/4c instead of 1c. the mayo was 😍. the salad was great. I bet these burgers would freeze well so next time I make it I'll be sure to double it!
0 HelpfulI made the paleo version and thought it was great! I skipped the carrots and instead had green beans but if I made it again I might have sweet potatoes with it instead because I felt like I needed more carbs. We all loved the chermoula Mayo.
0 HelpfulLOVED this! Even my 5 year old ate 1.5 burgers which she wouldn't do usually. Next time I will make more burgers for left overs!
0 Helpful