grilled turkish köftes

Last updated: September 2023

A delicious, family-favorite recipe that's been passed down by generations.

What a treasure this recipe is! It’s one that I picked up from my grandma and my husband and I make these at least monthly. It’s not often that a recipe calls for a meatball to be grilled, but trust me on this one — this grilled meatball recipe is truly incredible. The grill brings out all the delicious flavors in the meatball mixture (although you can certainly oven-bake or pan-fry these) and there are two key tricks to this recipe that make them extra delicious.

The two key ingredients? Grated onion (yep — you will literally grate the onion and all of its juices into the mixture) and FRESH breadcrumbs (that you can easily make yourself!).

I hope you love this family favorite of ours!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)

• 1 cup of bread crumbs (use crumbs of fresh Italian/Sourdough bread for best results)

• 1 medium yellow onion

• 1 egg

• 1/3 cup of chopped, fresh parsley

• 1 clove minced garlic

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1/2 tsp cumin

DIRECTIONS

• (if you're using fresh breadcrumbs) - a few hours before you start this recipe, lay out slices of fresh bread at room temperature. This will start to dry the bread and get it ready for you to pulse finely into crumbs for your recipe.

• Peel onion, cut in half, and grate using the larger side of the box cutter. Grating the onion is KEY here because it adds the flavorful onion juice into the köftes!

• Wash parsley and chop finely, measuring out a full 1/3 cup to add to mixture.

• Using a food chopper/processor, place dried bread (I used 2 large slices of Italian bread that made 1 full cup of crumbs) and pulse until the bread is in crumbs.

• Using a garlic press, press 1 clove of garlic into mixing bowl.

• Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and knead the mixture with your hands for about 1 minute.

• Now we get ready to grill! Form small ovals out of the dough (2 inches long, 1 inch wide) and flatten on top. This recipe makes about 20 köftes for me.

• Grill on each side until the internal temperature reaches 160F.

• Let them cool, and enjoy! They pair very well with some rice and vegetables – so you can keep the sides pretty simple! You can also enjoy with your favorite hummus in a pita wrap.

NOTES

• These can stay in the fridge for 2 days in an air-tight container.

• You can freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature OR place in fridge overnight and then grill as described in the recipe.

• You can make this same recipe in the oven - bake at 400F for 18 minutes (flipping halfway through for even bake).

• You can also heat on the stovetop (heat each side) until internal temperature reaches 160F.

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Grilled Turkish Köftes

Yield: 20 Meatballs

Author: Jansu | My Toddler's Kitchen

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 32 Min

A delicious, family-favorite recipe that's been passed down by generations. Adaptable for so many recipes!

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Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 1 cup of bread crumbs (use crumbs of fresh Italian/Sourdough bread for best results)
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of chopped, fresh parsley
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Instructions

1. (if you're using fresh breadcrumbs) - a few hours before you start this recipe, lay out slices of fresh bread at room temperature. This will start to dry the bread and get it ready for you to pulse finely into crumbs for your recipe.
2. Peel onion, cut in half, and grate using the larger side of the box cutter. Grating the onion is KEY here because it adds the flavorful onion juice into the köftes!
3. Wash parsley and chop finely, measuring out a full 1/3 cup to add to mixture.
4. Using a food chopper/processor, place dried bread (I used 2 large slices of Italian bread that made 1 full cup of crumbs) and pulse until the bread is in crumbs.
5. Using a garlic press, press 1 clove of garlic into mixing bowl.
6. Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and knead the mixture with your hands for about 1 minute.
7. Now we get ready to grill! Form small ovals out of the dough (2 inches long, 1 inch wide) and flatten on top. This recipe makes about 20 köftes for me.
8. Grill on each side until the internal temperature reaches 160F.
9. Let them cool, and enjoy! They pair very well with some rice and vegetables – so you can keep the sides pretty simple! You can also enjoy with your favorite hummus in a pita wrap.

Notes

• These can stay in the fridge for 2 days in an air-tight container.
• You can freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature OR place in fridge overnight and then grill as described in the recipe.
• You can make this same recipe in the oven - bake at 400F for 18 minutes (flipping halfway through for even bake).
• You can also heat on the stovetop (heat each side) until internal temperature reaches 160F.

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