Impossible Kofta Meatloaf with Spiced Yogurt and Tomato-Cucumber Salad
This plant-based meatloaf boasts all the flavors of spiced kofta, and is paired with a bright salad and creamy yogurt sauce.
Serves4
Prep25 minutes
Cook40 minutes
Alternative meats are everywhere these days, from the grocery store to our favorite burger joints. If you’re curious about trying them out at home, meatloaf is a smart and easy place to start: moisture, flavor, and low-key cooking are built right in, making it practically impossible to mess up.
This kofta-inspired meatloaf is my favorite variety, because the warm spices make it taste more like traditional beef, and the yogurt sauce and juicy salad add even more moisture to the plate. Here’s how to do it.
A Plant-Based Meatloaf Made with Impossible Burger
We developed this recipe with Impossible Burger, the ground meat alternative you can find on burger menus across America. If you’re having trouble tracking it down in your grocery store, use Impossible’s website to find local sellers. You can also make this meatloaf with Beyond Beef, or Lightlife Plant-Based Ground Beef — you’ll need 24 ounces, which is typically two packages of these alternative meats.
While meat alternatives are pretty easy to work with (you basically treat them the same way you would ground beef), you’ll want to avoid over-mixing or overcooking them, just as you would the real thing. Keep an eye on the meatloaf in the oven and start taking its temperature after 35 minutes. You want the thickest part of the meatloaf to reach 160ºF.
While the meatloaf bakes, make a simple tomato-cucumber salad and a spiced yogurt, which takes this meatloaf from basic to brilliant. You can serve slices of the meatloaf atop a smear of the yogurt, or you can very thinly slice the meatloaf and serve it in a naan or pita wrap with the salad and spiced yogurt. Either way, it will be delicious.
Impossible Kofta Meatloaf with Spiced Yogurt and Tomato-Cucumber Salad
This plant-based meatloaf boasts all the flavors of spiced kofta, and is paired with a bright salad and creamy yogurt sauce.
Prep time 25 minutes
Cook time 40 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the meatloaf and salad:
- 1
large shallot
- 1
large lemon
- 4 cloves
garlic
- 1
small bunch fresh parsley
- 1
small bunch fresh mint
- 1 1/2 pounds
Impossible Meat, Beyond Beef, or Lightlife Beef
- 1/4 cup
plain, dried breadcrumbs
- 1
large egg
- 3 tablespoons
olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon
ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon
ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon
dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon
cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1
medium English cucumber
- 1 cup
cherry tomatoes
For the spiced yogurt:
- 1 cup
plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon
ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon
garlic powder
Instructions
Make the meatloaf:
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
Halve a large shallot and mince one half. Transfer the minced shallot to a large bowl. Thinly slice the remaining half and transfer to a medium bowl. Finely grate the zest of 1 large lemon over the minced shallot and set aside. Juice the lemon over the sliced shallots, toss to coat, and set aside.
Mince 4 garlic cloves, finely chop the leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh parsley (about 1/2 cup) and 6 large mint leaves, and add everything to the large bowl. Add 1 1/2 pounds Impossible Meat, 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper if using.
Mix with your hands until well-combined. Transfer onto the baking sheet and shape into a rough 5x7-inch loaf that’s about 3-inches thick.
Bake until the outside is browned and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160ºF, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the salad and spiced yogurt.
Make the salad:
Halve 1 medium English cucumber lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick half-moons. Halve 1 cup cherry tomatoes. Add the cucumber, tomatoes, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to the bowl of sliced shallots, and toss to combine. Coarsely chop the leaves from the remaining 1/2 bunch parsley (about 1/2 cup), and toss into the salad.
Make the spiced yogurt:
Place 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
When the meatloaf is ready, let cool for 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into 1-inch thick pieces. To serve, spoon 1/4 cup spiced yogurt onto each plate and spread into a thin layer. Top with 2 to 3 slices of meatloaf and the cucumber salad.