Kafta Bil Sanieh (Lebanese Kafta Bake)
Lebanese Meatloaf if you will. Kafta, succulent ground beef seasoned with onion, parsley and middle eastern spices like cumin and sumac, formed into patties and baked in a rich tomato sauce with caramelized tomatoes and onion and perfectly cooked potatoes. Super simple and delicious weeknight dinner baked in one dish and done.
I love my Le Creuset Heritage Casserole dish for recipes like this one that require the food to be covered while baking. I try not to use Aluminum Foil in my cooking or to cover my food; instead I opt for parchment paper which doesn’t leach aluminum. This is especially important when dealing with foods containing acid, like vinegars, citrus and tomato sauce which cause the aluminum foil to break down.
Organic Ingredients, serves 5
Kafta
2 Lbs Grass Fed Ground Beef, (85% lean, 15% fat) or there about
3 Tbsps. Minced Onion, ie. very finely chopped onion (approx. 1/2 a large onion)
3 Tbsps. Very finely Chopped Parsley
2 Tsp. Celtic/Himalayan Salt, ground
1 Tsp. Black Peppercorns, ground
1 Tsp. Ground Aleppo Pepper
1 Tsp. Cumin
1 Tsp. Sumac
1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Sauce
1 x 28oz/794 gram/1 Lb 12 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Better than Buillon Chicken Base
1/4 Cup Hot Water (to dissolve Buillon)
3 Cloves Garlic, peeled
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper
Bake
2 Large Russet Potatoes
3 Medium Vine Tomatoes
1/2 Onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch crescents (Use the left over onion from the kafta)
Sea Salt, to taste
*Have 1 extra Russet Potato and 1 extra Tomato on hand in case you need to bulk up your baking dish.
To make Kafta, mix all Kafta ingredients in a large bowl well. Taking approx. 1 heaped tablespoon at a time, form meat mixture into a ball, and then press into a round patty and set aside.
Peel Russet Potatoes and cut into thin rounds; season Potato rounds with a little Salt on both sides. Cut Tomatoes into thin rounds; season Tomato rounds with a little Salt on both sides. Arrange Kafta, Potatoes and Tomatoes into your baking dish as pictured below. You want your baking dish to be completely filled up tightly so that everything stays in place while baking. If you have any space left, slice up another potato and/or tomato and pile those in. Nestle the Onion in and around the dish. You could also slice and extra Onion into rounds and add it into the layers.
Cover your baking dish and bake in a 475f oven for 45 minutes.
To make Sauce, dissolve Boullion in 1/4 cup Hot Water. Combine Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Better than Buillion Chicken Base in a food processor and blitz for a minute. Add the Crushed Tomatoes and blitz for one minute more.
Uncover your Kafta and pour Sauce into baking dish and continue to bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes longer. Serve as is, or with Basmati Rice or with warm Pita Bread.
Kafta rounds
Kafta lined up with potatoes and tomatoes. Slice potatoes thin as pictured for even cooking
With Onions nestled in, ready for oven. Cooked covered on 475f.
45 minutes later
Ingredients for Tomato Sauce
Pour Sauce on top, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes longer
Done
Serve with Rice or Bread or on its own
Sahtain!