Lamb and pistachio koftas with tzatziki make the perfect easy lamb dinner recipe for a quick family meal

Looking for a dinner that’s easy, nutritious and guaranteed to get the whole family around the table?

These lamb and pistachio koftas are packed with flavour, served with creamy tzatziki and warm flatbread, and are designed to be just as easy to make for little ones.

Cookbook author and mum-of-two Keira Rumble shared the recipe from her debut cookbook, The Family Table, packed with more than 70 fuss-free recipes for busy families.

Lamb and Pistachio koftas

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 40g flat-leaf (Italian) parsley and coriander leaves
• 120g rocket or baby spinach
• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 75g pistachios
• 500g lamb mince
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp beef liver stock powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tablespoon ghee, for frying cucumber
• Fattoush salad, to serve
• flatbread or tortillas, to serve
• lemon wedges, to serve

For the ttzatziki

• 250g Greek yoghurt
• 1 small Lebanese cucumber, grated
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• sea salt and freshly ground
• black pepper, to taste

Method

1 To make the tzatziki, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, mixing well. Set aside in the fridge.

2 Put the fresh herbs, rocket, garlic, onion and pistachios in a food processor and pulse to form small pieces the size of breadcrumbs. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the minced lamb, ground cumin, stock powder and salt. Use your hands to combine the mixture well.

3 Roll the mixture into large balls — around 150g lamb for adults and a bit smaller for the kids.

4 Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to cook at least two koftas at a time. Add the koftas to the hot pan and use a spatula to flatten them. Allow the koftas to cook for 3-4 minutes, until nicely browned, then flip them and cook for 3-4 minutes more. Repeat to make all the koftas.

5 Serve the koftas on the salad with tzatziki, flatbread and lemon wedges on the side or pile everything into the flatbread and make a wrap.

Keira’s tips

I often skip the shaping and just press the whole mixture into the pan to make one big patty. Once cooked, I break it apart into smaller pieces. Minimal effort, same delicious result!

You can store koftas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer (raw or cooked) for up to 3 months. Defrost raw koftas overnight in the fridge before using, then cook as per the method. Defrost cooked koftas and reheat in the oven, an air fryer or the microwave.

The fattoush salad recipe can be found in The Family Table, published by Hardie Grant.

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