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Description
This sheet-pan dinner incorporates elements of koftas, fattoush and shepherd’s salad, but what ties it all together is a tahini sauce made feisty with hot sauce. Some spicy tahini sauce goes into the chicken meatballs, so they stay moist as they roast alongside torn pita, then more sauce gets drizzled over the entire dish, where its fire and creaminess is a welcome contrast to the mixture of cucumbers, avocados, mint, lime and toasted pita. Feel free to adapt the salad based on what you have; other crunchy vegetables, like snap peas or fennel, would be great, as would some chickpeas or briny feta or capers.
Ingredients
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3pitas, torn into roughly 1-inch pieces 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) 3limes 1/2cup stirred tahini 1 to 2tablespoons hot sauce, plus more to taste (see Tip) 1/2teaspoon ground cumin 1pound ground chicken or turkey 1pound cucumbers (preferably Japanese, Persian or mini, seedless cucumbers), cut into roughly 1/2-inch pieces 2large avocados, cut into roughly 1/2-inch pieces 1cup mint leaves, torn if large
Directions
Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a parchment-lined sheet pan, toss the torn pitas with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Finely grate the zest of 1 lime (about 1 teaspoon). In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the tahini, hot sauce, lime zest and cumin. At this point, you want it a tad too spicy, so add more hot sauce, if needed. Transfer 1/4 cup of the spicy tahini to a large bowl, along with the ground chicken and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix with your hands to combine. Using oiled hands, form 12 meatballs (2 heaping tablespoons each) and place among the pita. (It’s OK if the pita is not in a single layer.) Roast on the bottom rack until the pita is well toasted and the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly. While the meatballs and pitas roast, wash and dry the large bowl. To it, add the cucumbers, avocados and a big pinch of salt. Add ¼ cup lime juice from the zested lime and another lime; stir to coat and set aside. Add water to the remaining spicy tahini until it’s pourable. Season to taste with salt. (See? Not too spicy anymore.) Cut the remaining lime into wedges. Add the pitas, mint and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil to the cucumbers and avocado. Stir gently to combine and season to taste with salt and lime juice. Eat the salad with the meatballs, a drizzle of the tahini, lime wedges and even more hot sauce, if you like.
Notes
You can use any hot sauce or paste you like, from harissa to Tapatío, but avoid those with a lot of vinegar, like Frank’s or Tabasco, which could make the dish too sour on top of the lime.
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