Kid-Friendly Turkish Beef Köftes (Meatballs)

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Ingredients:

  • 1 lbs ground chuck (80/20)
  • 1 cup of bread crumbs (use crumbs of fresh Italian or sourdough bread for best results)
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup of chopped, fresh parsley
  • 1 clove of minced garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
the ingredients for the recipe
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

Cookware

  • Grill or cast iron skillet (you may also use a non-stick pan)
  • Box grater
  • Good quality knife
  • Food chopper (I used a small KitchenAid one)
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Food thermometer (optional but recommended if you want to check the internal temp)
  • Garlic press

Storing:

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 and then grill as described in the recipe.

Instructions:

1. A few hours before you start this recipe, lay out your slides 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 your onion, cut it 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!

chopping an onion
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

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

chopping the ingreients
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

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

bread put in the chopper
Courtesy of Jansu Poi
blending the bread in a processor
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

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

mixing the wet ingredients
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

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

mixing the meat with everything together
Courtesy of Jansu Poi
the finished mixed meat
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

7. Now we get ready to grill! Form small ovals out of the dough and flatten on top. This recipe makes about 20 köftes for me.

meat rolled into balls
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

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

meat being cooked on the grill
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

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 it with your favorite hummus in a pita wrap.

meat after it is cooked and now resting
Courtesy of Jansu Poi
meat after it is cooked and now resting
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

About This Recipe

I’m a mom (to the cutest 1.5 year old), wife (to my high school sweetheart), and manage a page called @mytoddlerskitchen where I share a nutritious, well-balanced meal and snack inspiration for parents with young kids. I decided to start this account because I enjoyed finding creative and simple ways to feed my little one and wanted to share my toddler meals with others. I want parents and caregivers to know they can do exactly what I do – put together healthy and simple plates for their kids without being overwhelmed or feeling the pressure of difficult recipes.

kid being held by mom and dad
Courtesy of Jansu Poi

I was born in Turkey but I’ve spent most of my life in the United States. (I grew up in Texas, and currently live in North Carolina.) I’m a bit of a transplant but I’m proud of where I come from and make many Turkish recipes from our family cookbook. One of my favorite recipes I make is our Simple Grilled Turkish Köfte (which is the term used in Turkish cuisine for meatballs) – and it’s GOOD. I mean really good. Growing up, this was a recipe I had often. I’d help my family prepare the köftes, watch my dad grill, and we’d sit around the dinner table for hours conversing, laughing, and sharing family stories. There was just nothing better than a köfte dinner to me as I was growing up, and that hasn’t changed to this day.

As I said in the beginning, my goal is to keep it simple and healthy when it comes to my toddler plates, but this can still come with its challenges. Feeding a toddler is no easy task – you have to manage picky eating, toddler tantrums, and so much more during meal preparation and mealtime. With this in mind, I was pleasantly surprised when I served these to my son for the first time and watched him devour them! It goes without saying that I love cooking for my son, but there’s something very special about seeing him eat my homemade Turkish cuisine.

I can’t wait for my son to grow older and help me prepare these in the kitchen, just like I did with my family growing up. Until then, I’m excited to share this family recipe with you and hope you enjoy these homemade Turkish Köftes!

mom and dad laughing with their child
Courtesy of Jansu Poi
meat after it is cooked and now resting

Turkish Beef Köftes (Meatballs)

"There’s something very special about seeing my son eat my homemade Turkish cuisine."
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Turkish

Equipment

  • Grill or cast iron skillet (you may also use a non-stick pan)
  • Box grater
  • Good quality knife
  • Food chopper (I use a small KitchenAid one)
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Food thermometer (optional)
  • Garlic press

Ingredients
  

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

Instructions
 

  • A few hours before you start this recipe, lay out your slides 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 your onion, cut it 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 your parsley and chop finely, measuring out a full 1/3 cup to add to your mixture.
  • Using a food chopper, place your dried bread (I used 2 large slices of Italian bread that made a full cup of crumbs) and pulse until the bread is in crumbs.
  • Using a garlic press, press one clove of garlic into your 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 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 it with your favorite hummus in a pita wrap.

Notes

Storing Instructions: 
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 and then grill as described in the recipe.
Keyword Beef Köftes, Kid-Friendly, Meatballs, Turkish

This story was submitted to Love What Matters  by Jansu Poi. You can follow her journey on Instagram. Submit your own story  here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

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