A quick and easy recipe for tasty wraps filled with juicy spiced lamb koftas, cool garlicky yogurt sauce and crunchy, fresh, minty salad. Just follow a few simple steps and get a mouthwateringly delicious, crowd-pleasing dinner that is sure to have everyone reaching for more.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
✅ 6 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- Packed with flavour - delicious wraps packed with juicy lamb koftas made from Middle Eastern spiced rich lamb mince, combined with garlic and fresh herbs served with a cool yogurt sauce and fresh minty salad.
- Simple ingredients - you'll be able to find everything you need to make this delicious recipe at your local store. No shopping around required.
- Versatile - you don't need to follow this recipe verbatim to make it taste great. Feel free to change up the bread, or serve with rice, try out different salads, sauces and accompaniments. This is a great recipe for using up any salad bits that are lingering in your fridge.
- Easy - just follow a few simple steps and have dinner on the table 40 minutes later.
- Great make ahead meal - you can prep the lamb koftas ahead, store them in the fridge and fry them up later or make a large batch and freeze some for busy days.
- Great for entertaining - this is a super convenient meal for catering to house guests with different preferences. Just place everything on the table and let everyone assemble their own wraps, choosing their fillings and accompaniments to suit their tastes.
🛒 Ingredients and variations:
This lamb kofta wrap recipe uses everyday ingredients that you can grab in your local store.
Yogurt sauce: you can use any plain / Greek yogurt. Lighter / lower fat versions are fine too, the sauce will just have a thinner consistency. Use fresh garlic if you do not have garlic powder. Sauté it in a little oil first to get rid of the bitter flavour of raw garlic.
Salad: you need around 3 cups/large handfuls of salad for 4 wraps. Choose what you want or use it as an opportunity to use up the salad that's in your fridge. I normally opt for lettuce and grated carrot but will often throw in chopped radishes and grated carrot if I have it. Finely chopped red cabbage also works well.
Lamb koftas: ground lamb is the key ingredient, but the recipe would also work with minced beef or turkey. Use store-bought breadcrumbs (panko or normal) to bind the koftas together. You can also make your own. Ensure you use fresh herbs because dry herbs will not produce the same level of freshness and flavour.
To serve: I like to put the yogurt sauce, salad and koftas on the table with some warm wraps and let everyone get stuck in. Pickled chillies and red onions, and sriracha sauce are great accompaniments but entirely optional. Serve with wraps, pita bread or flatbread. Rice is a good shout if you're not into bread. You can also just enjoy the koftas with salad for a lighter option.
🧑🍳 Lamb Kofta Wraps in 5 easy steps
1. Make the yogurt sauce
Mix yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside.
2. Make the salad and lemon dressing
Toss the salad with fresh mint. Make the dressing by mixing olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt in a separate small jug or bowl and set aside.
3. Make the koftas
Place the lamb mince in a large bowl and add, garlic, fresh mint and parsley, breadcrumbs, ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon, salt and black pepper. Mix with your hands and form into 16 koftas.
4. Fry the koftas
Place a large frying pan on a medium to high heat and add oil. Place the lamb koftas in the pan when the oil is hot and fry them until they develop a nice char on all sides. Ensure you turn them regularly.
Top tip: Check the doneness of the lamb koftas. They are cooked when the internal temperature reaches 72C or 162F. You can also check by cutting into one. If the lamb is no longer pink in the middle and hot to touch then it's ready to go.
5. Serve
Warm the wraps according to packet instructions. Toss the salad in the lemon dressing. Place the lamb koftas, yogurt sauce, and salad on the table with the wraps and optional pickled chillies and red onions. Let everyone get stuck in and assemble their own wraps.
👍 Top tips for perfect Lamb Kofta Wraps
- Use fresh herbs - the koftas will lose a lot of the delicious flavour and freshness if you swap them for dry herbs.
- Ensure your pan is hot before frying - wait for oil to get hot before you fry the koftas. You'll then get a nice crispy char and avoid greasy koftas. If in doubt, place one kofta in the pan first to test. If it sizzles then you're good to add the rest, if not then you need to let the oil heat up for a little longer.
- Check the doneness of the lamb koftas - cut open the biggest kofta to check the middle is no-longer pink and that it is hot to touch or use a meat thermometer to check the koftas have reached 72C or 162F.
🙋 FAQs
Lamb koftas are Middle Eastern spied ground lamb balls, logs or patties. They are often made with garlic, fresh herbs, ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Sometimes breadcrumbs are used to bind them together.
The only difference between a lamb kebab and kofta is the shape. A kebab is larger than a kofta and is cooked on a skewer whereas a kofta is a smaller ball or patty that is cooked on the stove.
Lamb has several nutritional benefits and is healthy when eaten in moderation. It is high in protein, unsaturated fat and contains zinc, iron and vitamin B12.
📦 Storage
The cooked lamb koftas can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make sure you cover them or place them in an airtight container and place them in the fridge as soon as they are cool.
Freezing instructions
Lamb koftas can be frozen for up to 3 months, making them a great candidate for a make-ahead meal. Place the cooked lamb koftas in an airtight container or freezer bag and place in the freezer when cool. Defrost them first or reheat them from frozen in the oven at 180C or 350F covered with foil to keep them moist and juicy.
You can also freeze raw lamb koftas. Place the raw lamb koftas on a piece of parchment paper on a plate or tray so that they are not touching and put them in the freezer. Transfer them to a container or freezer bag once they are frozen. They can be reheated in the oven or fried from frozen or you can thaw them first.
😋 Check out my other tasty dinner recipes
If you enjoyed this lamb kofta wrap, you should check out my other easy dinner recipes. If Middle Eastern inspired recipes are your thing try my Middle Eastern Lamb Mince Flatbread or Dukkah Chicken With Pomegranate Tabohleh.
Did you try this recipe? It would be really great if you could leave a comment and a star rating ⭐️. I would love to receive your feedback and know that other readers find it helpful too.
Don't forget to tag #knifeandsoulrecipes on Instagram or @knifeandsoul on Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
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Lamb Kofta Wraps
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A quick easy recipe for tasty wraps filled with juicy spiced lamb koftas, cool garlicky yogurt sauce and crunchy, fresh, minty salad.
Serves 4. Use the scaling buttons below to double or triple the quantity.
Ingredients
Yogurt sauce:
- 120g (or ½ cup Greek or plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Salad and dressing:
- 360g salad (or 3 cups) - for example lettuce, tomato, radish, red onion, grated carrot
- 3 tbsp fresh mint - finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (approx ½ lemon)
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp salt
Lamb koftas:
- 500g (or 18oz) lamb mince
- 10g (or 2.5 tbsp) fresh parsley - finely chopped
- 10g (or 2.5 tbsp) fresh mint - finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic - crushed
- 20g (or ¼ cup) breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp neutral oil for frying (canola, groundnut or sunflower oil) Note 1
To serve:
- 4 wraps or flatbreads
Optional:
- Pickled chillies
- Pickled red onion
- Sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Combine the yoghurt sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Mix the salad with the mint in a bowl.
- Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, honey and salt in a small jug or bowl to make the dressing and set aside.
- Combine the kofta ingredients (except for the oil) in a bowl using your hands and form into 16 even sized koftas.
- Place a large frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the oil.
- Add the lamb koftas to the pan when the oil is hot and fry until they are nicely charred on all sides. This shouldn't take much more than 5 minutes. Notes 2 & 3
- Warm the wraps according to packet instructions.
- Toss the salad in the dressing
- Place the lamb koftas, yoghurt sauce and salad on the table with the wraps and optional pickled chillies and red onions. Assemble the wraps, and enjoy.
Notes
- Do not use olive oil. It has a lower burn point than other types of oil and will not withstand the heat needed to fry the koftas.
- You might need to do this in batches if you do not have a large frying pan. Avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Lamb koftas are cooked when the internal temperature reaches 72C or 162F. You can also check by cutting into one. If the lamb is no longer pink in the middle and hot to touch, then it's ready to go.
- Category: Lamb
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keywords: Easy spiced lamb kofta wraps with salad and yogurt sauce
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