Lebanese-Inspired Turkey Kofta Meatballs

Yum

These spiced meatballs are packed with flavor and can be ready in about 30 minutes. They pair perfectly with pretty much any starch and a variety of vegetables. These are great for weeknights and special occasions.

My advice: make extra. I ‘accidentally’ eat half every time I make these, before I actually sit down to eat.

Why you should make Lebanese-Inspired Turkey Kofta Meatballs

• They’re a flavorful dinner main: this is truly a dish that ‘puts the team on it’s back,’ meal-wise. Only got plain couscous and frozen veggies? All good—you and your family won’t even notice because these meatballs are that good.
• They’re fake fancy: complex flavor doesn’t mean complex to make. The spices do most of the work. Chop a few garlic cloves, shallots, ginger and parsley leaves and mix everything together. Form balls, and pop ‘em in the oven. That’s it.
• They’re quick: These meatballs cook in about 25 minutes, giving you just enough time to prepare a starch and quick veggie.
• No fancy equipment needed: If you’ve got a cutting board, sharp knife, mixing bowl and baking sheet, you’re good to go. No skewers needed.

What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Turkey Kofta Meatballs?

• Ground Turkey
• Parsley
• Shallot
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Lemon
• Spices (salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper)

How Do I Make Turkey Kofta Meatballs?

1. Chop herbs and aromatics. Set your oven to 400 degrees. On a cutting board, chop clean parsley leaves (about half a cup), off the stems. Mince about 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger (peeled), 3-4 large cloves of garlic and half of a large shallot.
2. Season your meat. Season cold meat (fresh out of the refrigerator) with salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper). Keeping the meat cold with help the balls stay together as you’re forming them. Add aromatics on top.
3. Mix and form balls. Prepare a large baking sheet with olive oil or parchment paper and set aside. Use a utensil or clean hands to thoroughly mix and distribute all ingredients. Divide meat into 4 equal pieces. Divide each of the 4 pieces into 2 to form 8 pieces and make 3 balls out of each piece.
4. Bake. Bake meatballs for about 20-25 minutes until cooked through, keeping a close eye not to overcook.
5. Serve & Enjoy.

What Is Lebanese Kofta?

Our favorite source of info, Wikipedia, describes Kofta as some form of ground meat (could be a ball, or a loaf, etc), which is mixed with garlic, onions and spices. Kofta as a general dish can be found in the cuisines of many cultures, and actually, in Lebanese culture, it’s called Kafta. However, that term doesn’t rank quite as high in SEO, unless you’re specifically looking for the Lebanese variety, and I’m not in a position to be passing up blog traffic, so…here we are.

According to The Feel Good Foodie, Lebanese Kafta is typically made with ground beef, onions parsley and spices. You can check out her site for an authentic recipe.

How and Why Is This Recipe Different?

While authentic Kofta or Kufta, is definitely worth a try, I used an authentic recipe as a base and made some tweaks based on what I like and my own dietary restrictions:

• No Onions: Because having too many onions gives me migraines, I swapped onion for shallot, which has a lightly sweeter and more mild flavor
• Added Garlic: Because I also can’t include too many shallots, I’ve also added garlic to this recipe (which can be found in Kofta recipes in other cultures)
• Added ginger: this can definitely be omitted if you don’t have it, but this adds a bit of freshness to the meatballs
• Tweaked Spices: although I have a robust spice rack, I also don’t buy anything I will likely only use for one dish, so I adapted the spices to what I’m likely to have in my cabinet at any one time. I also really like cinnamon in dishes like this, so I added that in.
• Lemon: to add some brightness and freshness—it also helps pair these especially well with the yogurt sauce.
• They’re meatballs instead of meat sticks: Lebanese kofta is usually in an oblong shape vs. a perfect sphere, but I liked how easy it was to form these balls and make them uniform. Also, there’s no need to worry about having skewers to cook them evenly.

What can I eat Turkey Kofta Meatballs with?

These meatballs go great with pretty much anything because they’re that good. Top them with a cucumber yogurt sauce (or just buy yourself some pre-made Greek tzatziki at the store—it’s not the same, but it does the trick, if you’re in a bind). Serve them with:

• Couscous
• Chickpeas
• Quinoa
• Potatoes
• Roasted red peppers