Best Turkish Meatballs Recipes

TURKISH MEATBALLS (KOFTA)

Steps:

• Tear up bread slices into the bowl of a food processor; process into fine crumbs. Add ground lamb and egg; process until blended. Add parsley, garlic, cumin, mint, allspice, salt, and pepper; process until evenly combined.
• Roll lamb mixture into small meatballs.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook meatballs in batches, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon.

TURKISH MEATBALLS (KOFTA)

Steps:

• Make the bread crumbs by breaking up 2 slices of stale but not dried out whole wheat bread into the bowl of a food processor.
• Whizz until finely crumbed.
• Add the ground lamb and the egg, and process until blended.
• Add the spices, garlic and parsley.
• Process the meat well to achieve a fine texture.
• Roll the mixture into small meatballs (I use a melonballer) or finger shaped patties using dampened hands.
• You may cook them at once, or refrigerate the mixture for several hours.
• (If your meat is very fresh, you can divide it in half and wrap part well in plastic for the next day's meal.) Heat the oil in a heavy skillet, and fry the balls or patties until cooked through and evenly browned.
• The meatballs should be stirred several times, the patties turned once.
• Remove them with a slotted spoon to drain.
• Serve the meatballs hot or at room temperature as an appetizer.
• Lovely with a yogurt or tahini sauce, on a bed of rice or in a pita.

TURKISH SPICED MEATBALLS WITH POMEGRANATE YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make Sauce:
• Put yogurt in a paper towel-lined sieve set over a bowl and keep covered and chilled 8 to 12 hours.
• Boil pomegranate juice in a small heavy saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Keep warm off heat, covered.
• Make Meatballs:
• Soak whole slices of bread for 30 minutes in a mixing bowl filled with water, then fold and squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible.
• Pulse onion in a food processor until finely chopped, then add parsley and pulse again until finely chopped. Add lamb, bread (torn into pieces), allspice, red-pepper flakes, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pulse, stopping and scraping down sides, until combined. (Do not overblend.)
• Roll level tablespoons of meat mixture into balls (about 42), arranging them on plates or on another sheet pan.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line a large, rimmed sheet pan with foil.
• Heat olive oil and vegetable oil together in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oils shimmer (put one meatball in to test; it should sizzle). Brown meatballs all over in batches of 10 to 12, turning occasionally with a spoon or shaking skillet (lower heat if oil begins to smoke), about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer, as browned, to lined sheet pan.
• Once all meatballs are browned, transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake until meatballs are cooked through (cut one open to look, or use an instant-read thermometer; it should register 160°F), 10 to 15 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels.
• Spoon drained yogurt into a small serving bowl and drizzle with pomegranate syrup, then swirl it in briefly with a spoon. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over top. Spear each meatball with a toothpick and serve yogurt alongside for dipping.

KOFTE - TURKISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a bowl add all the ingredients and lightly combine mixture. Set aside in the fridge for the flavors to meld at least 2 to 4 hours.
• Form the mixture into balls then roll between your palms into sausage shapes.
• Add a little olive oil on a cookie sheet covered with foil and bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until Kofte is cooked through.
• Serve with pita bread and a salad.

CHEF FLOWER'S TURKISH CYPRIOT FRIED MEATBALLS - KIBRISLI KOFTE /

Steps:

• Peel and finely grate potatoes, place them in a bowl and sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon salt, set aside.
• In a separate large bowl, place ground/minced chicken or beef, onion, parsley, egg, cinnamon, mint, salt and black pepper.
• Potatoes have excess liquids and with this recipe you need to remove all the excess liquids. In a large strainer, kneed all liquids out of the grated potatoes with only leaving the potatoes flesh.
• Then add the potato with the rest of the ingredients and mix them together. If the mixture is a little sticky you may need to add more potatoes.
• With your hand mould the kofte into a small long patty about 5cm x 2cm (2 inch x 1/2 inch) then place them on a tray, repeat this until all the mixture is finish. When placing the kofte's on a tray do not allow them to touch each other as they may stick together.
• Heat oil in a frying pan or deep fryer add kofte one by one in the pan without touching each other. Flip them over once they are brown and then let the other side brown. Remove onto serving platter, then repeat this step until all kofte's are finished, then serve.
• Could be served as finger food, entree or a main dish with Turkish Cacik (yoghurt sauce) and garden salad.

KADIN BUDDU KOFTA (TURKISH MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Combine ground lamb, cooked rice, salt, garam masala, and ground black pepper in a bowl. Transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse until combined, 1 to 2 times. Stir dill into the mixture.
• Shape mixture into 10 meatballs about 2 inches in diameter.
• Beat egg in a small bowl. Pour flour onto a shallow dish. Dip meatballs in the beaten egg; dredge in flour.
• Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook meatballs until golden on all sides, about 10 minutes.

TURKISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Mix meat, bread crumbs, Parmesan, eggs, dry seasonings and half the chopped fresh herbs just until blended.
• Shape into 48 meatballs, each about 1 inch in diameter.
• Place on foil-covered rimmed baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 13 to 15 min. or until done (160ºF). Meanwhile, mix yogurt, feta cheese and remaining fresh herbs until blended.
• Serve meatballs with the yogurt mixture.

TURKISH MEATBALLS - KÖFTE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl with your hands. Do not over mix which will change the texture of the meat.
• Form the mixture into a flattened oval shape.
• The balls can either be grilled or fried in a pan. Cook until done all of the way through.
• You can find the recipe for the Turkish Meatball Spice Blend here: https://www.venturists.net/turkish-meatballs-kofte/.

TURKISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Cook the bulgur by covering it with a cup of boiling water and letting it soak in a covered bowl for about 10 minutes.
• Uncover and let cool for a few minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the rest of the ingredients except the parsley in a mixing bowl.
• Add in the cooled bulgur and use your hands to thoroughly mix everything together.
• Roll them with your hands into balls around the same size as a golf ball and flatten them a little.
• Now you can either bake them in a hot oven for around 10 minutes or fry them in hot oil until they are browned all over.
• Serve with parsley sprinkled on top.

TURKISH SPICED MEATBALLS WITH POMEGRANATE YOGURT SAUCE RECIPE | EPICURIOUS.COM

Steps:

• Make Sauce:
• Put yogurt in a paper towel–lined sieve set over a bowl and keep covered and chilled 8 to 12 hours.
• Boil pomegranate juice in a small heavy saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Keep warm off heat, covered.
• Make Meatballs:
• Soak whole slices of bread for 30 minutes in a mixing bowl filled with water, then fold and squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible.
• Pulse onion in a food processor until finely chopped, then add parsley and pulse again until finely chopped. Add lamb, bread (torn into pieces), allspice, red-pepper flakes, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pulse, stopping and scraping down sides, until combined. (Do not overblend.)
• Roll level tablespoons of meat mixture into balls (about 42), arranging them on plates or on another sheet pan.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line a large, rimmed sheet pan with foil.
• Heat olive oil and vegetable oil together in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oils shimmer (put one meatball in to test; it should sizzle). Brown meatballs all over in batches of 10 to 12, turning occasionally with a spoon or shaking skillet (lower heat if oil begins to smoke), about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer, as browned, to lined sheet pan.
• Once all meatballs are browned, transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake until meatballs are cooked through (cut one open to look, or use an instant-read thermometer; it should register 160°F), 10 to 15 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels.
• Spoon drained yogurt into a small serving bowl and drizzle with pomegranate syrup, then swirl it in briefly with a spoon. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over top. Spear each meatball with a toothpick and serve yogurt alongside for dipping.
• Cooks' notes:
• •Although we call for supermarket-style hot pepper flakes, if you want to be really authentic, substitute Turkish Maras or Urfa pepper, or Syrian Aleppo pepper.
• •Meatballs can be formed 1 day ahead and kept chilled. They can also be cooked 1 day ahead then chilled once cooled completely. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
• •Yogurt can be drained 5 days ahead and kept chilled, covered.
• Pomegranate syrup can be made 5 days ahead and chilled, covered. Rewarm until pourable.