One of the first dishes that young Lebanese living abroad would try in their own kitchen is kafta bi-sinniyeh. It is not complicated, it is fast, and it has all the flavours of home.
Kafta basics: minced meat, onions, parsley and spices. Not much to it, yet you can prepare your kafta in many different ways. Kafta bi-siniyyeh is only one variation of baking it with potatoes and tomatoes. In my book, I make it my mother’s style, patties seared in the frying pan and then cooked with green peppers and tomatoes. You may also fry or chargrill kafta burgers and enjoy them with a garlicky yoghurt sauce. My friends expect those juicy kafta patties when we invite them for a barbecue, and won’t be satisfied with a rich platter of steaks and sausages anymore!
In my cooking courses kafta didn’t come short at all. We prepared kafta halabiyyeh with lots of onions and sumac as well as kafta with pomegranate molasses. Kafta has often proven to be an excellent option when you run out of ideas as a cook or as a teacher!
In the original recipe of kafta bi-siniyyeh, you evenly spread your kafta in a baking dish, cover with the potatoes and tomatoes. Recently I have started to make patties and arrange them with potatoes and tomatoes in the baking dish. It does not only look much more attractive but it also makes serving accurate and neater.
Sahtein!
Basic recipe makes 12 patties
Recipe is easy to double
Kafta bi-siniyyeh - Baked Kafta
Ingredients
- 500 g beef or lamb minced meat
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 small onion 100 g, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 4 medium potatoes 400 g, peeled, rinsed and thinly sliced into circles (0,5 cm)
- 3 medium tomatoes 400 g, rinsed and thinly sliced into circles (0,5 cm)
- 300 ml tomato sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper to season
Instructions
- Rinse parsley leaves and let drain well. Finely chop the parsley with the onion in a food processor (or by hand). Add the mixture and the spices to the meat in the large bowl and mix well with your hand.
- Spread the kafta evenly in a greased baking dish (20x30 cm) and cover with the potatoes and tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little salt and cover tightly with aluminium foil. Or you make 12 patties and arrange in baking dish with the tomatoes and potatoes.
- Preheat oven (250°C, 480°F) and bake on middle rack for about 45 minutes. Season the tomato sauce with the salt and pepper and pour over the kafta. Bake, uncovered, for another 15 minutes and serve hot with ruz mfallfal.
I made this dish and it came out as delicious as it looks!
Thank you for trying it!
This is fantastic! My the kefta finally turned out like my mom makes it. It looked and tasted great!
Glad you liked! It makes me very happy to know I cook like your mom 🙂 Alf sahtein!
Made this and it was so so so delicious! I absolutely love kafta but usually only cook it on the bbq. This way is just as good and makes a great addition to my main dish recipes. I added a bit of tomato paste and a touch of water to the tomato sauce for flavor. Turned out fabulous. Can’t wait to eat the left overs tomorrow!
Kafta is my favourite! I am glad you loved it. Of course you can add water and tomato paste if you like more sauce. That’s great! Thank you for trying the recipe 🙂
I just made this last night, haven’t had this in years my grandma used to make it. Thank you for the recipe !
Hi Elana, thank you for trying the recipe!
Thank you for the recipe! I love kafta, and this is a wonderful new way to enjoy it!
Glad you liked it! Bon appétit!
My husband loved it so much !!!!! I’m making it again for him.
Great news! Thank you for trying the recipe 🙂
Hi, sorry but is the tomato sauce a tomato paste or the sauce u would use for fries?
Hi Serena, this is the thick tomato sauce you buy in jars, usually comes in 500 ml jars or packs. You can also use chopped plum tomatoes available in tins and add tomato paste to thicken. But definitely not Ketchup if that what you meant with fries.
I thin you mean tomato passata, yeah? I am planning to make this tomorrow – looking forward to it; thank you!
Hi,
Yes! Looking forward to your feedback!
You mean the pasta sauce that we use in jars ?
Hi, yes. But without flavours of oregano for example.
I will make this tonight. My mother in law was from Lebanon and her recipe looks like yours. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you
Hi Debbie,
Can’t wait to hear your feedback! Thank you 🙂
I usually don’t right a review.. but this recipe was amazing that I couldn’t help it!! It was the best kefta I ever made thank you so much!!
Thank you so much for this lovely feedback! Alf sahtein 🙂
Made this last night. It was ridiculously delicious — and just like teita used to make it <3 🙂 Merci!
Glad to hear that! Alf Sahtein! As for the Djaj I have one, but I am still lacking a good photo. You need to be a bit patient. If you have subscribed to the blog, you will get a mail once I do 🙂
I am confused, the description is different from your photos… can you please clarify?
Hi Yasmin, sorry for the confusion, but if you go to the post before the recipe you see photos of the patties and in the last paragraph I say that I am making kafta that way. It is the same recipe. You can make it both ways.
Really enjoyed making this. My wife and I, during COVID, gained a ton of weight. We are on a hard core diet, so we’re cooking a whole lot of Leb food. The best 🙂 Thanks for this. When off teh diet, we’ll actually add the potatoes. But that’s later!
Glad to hear that! Lebanese food is really healthy, and if you eat moderately, you can easily lose weight. Good luck!
Good! Loved it!
Great! Thank you for the feedback! Happy Holiday Season!
Kafta turned out perfect, just like my mom’s! Wait … you are my mom 🙂 Love you <3
Love you, too <3 <3 <3
Do I pour red sauce from the start of baking or 45 min later ?
Hi, you pour after 45 minutes.
Are the salt and pepper considered part of the spice mixture to be put in with the meat or are they to be put into the red sauce only?
Hi, they are for the sauce only.
Thank you. I will be making it today.
Great! You can spread the meat or make patties. The photo with the patties is with 1 kg meat. Leftover kafta always tastes good. Good luck and keep me posted!
Excellent!
Thank you!
I try to make this today as a dish for Iftar of my employer. I hope and pray that they will like it. I make the patties with tomatoes and potatoes.
It is foolproof and they will love it! Double the recipe if you are more than 4 people. Good luck!
Hi,
Is the tomato sauce the same as tomato paste? Like the one that comes in the jar?
Hi, no it isn’t. I mean the thick tomato sauce you buy if you don’t want to use plum tomatoes.
Hello! LOVED this recipe and I’ll be making it again soon. Can you prepare ahead and refrigerate overnight to cook the next day?
Hi, glad you liked it! Thanks for the feedback. I would prepare the meat mixture and refrigerate. If you are tight on time, may be peel potatoes and reserve in water in the fridge as well. Don’t keep raw kafta more than 1 day in the fridge.