This collection of Meatball and Köfte Recipes to Start the Week is perfect for anyone who picks up a pack of mince on Monday and wants more than one plan for it. There are grilled ones, baked ones, air fryer ones and a few with no meat in them at all, so the list covers most nights and most budgets. The one that takes the most work is sitting at number 11. Save the list before you start scrolling.
İzmir Köfte
Lightly fried beef köfte baked in one tin with potato wedges and green peppers in a garlicky tomato sauce. The sauce thickens around everything as it cooks, so the meat and the side come out of the oven together. It is worth making a bigger tray, because the leftovers are better the next day.
To learn more: İzmir Köfte
Lamb Kofta Recipe
Ground lamb, a handful of spices and 25 minutes, shaped onto skewers and cooked over heat. They come out juicy in the middle with a dark crust on the outside. Use the barbecue, the grill or a pan, whichever is closest.
To learn more: Lamb Kofta Recipe
Mercimek köfte
Red lentils, fine bulgur, onion and plenty of parsley, shaped by hand with nothing fried and nothing baked. One batch fills a platter and costs very little, and they are served cold on lettuce leaves. There is a second meat-free one waiting at number 10.
To learn more: Mercimek köfte
Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
Turkey mince keeps these light, and the air fryer browns them without a pan of oil. They cook while you get everything else ready, which helps on a night when nobody wants to stand at the hob. Keep a few back for the pasta at number 5.
To learn more: Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs
Swedish Meatball Pasta
Homemade meatballs tossed through pasta in a creamy, peppery sauce with sautéed mushrooms. It is a swap from the usual tomato version, and it works for a weekday dinner or for guests.
To learn more: Swedish Meatball Pasta
Inegol Kofte
Ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion and bicarbonate of soda, rested overnight so the texture turns soft. There is no garlic, no parsley and no cumin in these, which is the whole point of them. The short list is what lets the beef taste of itself.
To learn more: Inegol Kofte
Chicken Kofta
Ground chicken with grated onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley and a simple spice mix. Shape the mixture into patties, meatballs or kebabs, then cook it in a pan, the oven, the grill or the air fryer.
To learn more: Chicken Kofta
Meatball Soup
Sulu köfte are small meatballs made with bulgur, egg, onion and herbs, simmered with vegetables in a tomatoey broth. It is a bowl of soup that eats like a dinner, which makes it useful on a damp evening.
To learn more: Meatball Soup
Cig Kofte Recipe
A spicy bulgur dish and one of the best known street foods in Turkey, made here with no meat at all. Nothing gets cooked, so it is all in the kneading and the seasoning. Eat it wrapped in a lettuce leaf with a squeeze of lemon.
To learn more: Cig Kofte Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Patties
Chicken mince patties that crisp on the outside and stay soft in the middle. They fit a bun, a salad plate or a lunchbox, so a batch in the freezer earns its space. Number 11 is the one to save for a day with time in it.
To learn more: Air Fryer Chicken Patties
Icli Kofte (Turkish Kibbeh)
A thin bulgur shell around a filling of ground meat and spices, shaped by hand one at a time into a pointed oval. They can be fried, boiled or baked, and they are usually made in a big batch with someone helping. This is the one to try when there is an afternoon to give it.
To learn more: Icli Kofte (Turkish Kibbeh)
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