Izmir Kofte – Baked Turkish meatballs with Potatoes in tomato sauce

Izmir Kofte – Baked Turkish meatballs with Potatoes in tomato sauce

Safira

Izmir Kofte – Baked Turkish meatballs with Potatoes in tomato sauce - Izmir Kofte is a popular Turkish one pot Kofte and vegetable dish. The Kofte or Meatballs are made with Ground Beef or Lamb. This is a super easy recipe that does not require much effort to make. Often served in Turkish Meze Restaurants known as Lokanta, this recipe originated in the Turkish city of Izmir.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 20

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Greek, Turkish

Servings

Calories 425 kcal

Ingredients

Meatballs (Kofte)

500 g Lamb Mince or Beef (20% Fat)
1 Onion Grated, Juice squeezed out
1 ½ tablespoon Breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
2 Garlic Cloves Crushed
2 teaspoon Cumin Powder
1 teaspoon Paprika I use Smoked
2 tablespoon Aleppo Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Parsley Flat Leaf, Chopped
1 Egg
2 tablespoon Kofte Spice or Kebab Spice mix (Optional)

Veg

2 tablespoon Oil Olive or Vegetable
2 large Potatoes Peeled and cut into thick wedges
2 Sivri Peppers Cut into chunks (Or use Padron or Bell Peppers)

Tomato Sauce

250 g Tomatoes Pureed ( I used Plum Tomatoes from a tin) or use 3 small chopped Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
2 tablespoon Turkish Pepper paste Biber Salcasi or add more Tomato paste
2 Garlic Cloves Crushed
1 tablespoon Pomegrante Molasses
125 ml Stock Chicken, Lamb or Veg (I use a cube crushed in boiled Water). If your Stock comes pre salted, omit the Salt in the Sauce.
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder

Instructions

Step 1 - Make the Kofte
Add all the ingredients for the Kofte in a bowl and mix and knead together for 5 minutes. Then shape into 15 equal sized oval shaped Kofte/Meatballs.
Step 2 - Prep the Veg
Peel the Potatoes and cut into thick slices, then pat dry.
Top and tail the Peppers and cut into equal sized pieces - around 1 inch pieces.
Step 3 - Fry the Potatoes and Kofte.
Add Oil to a pan and shallow fry the Potato wedges for 2-3 mins per side. Then fry the Kofte for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and add to oven dish.
Step 4 - Make the Tomato Sauce
In the same pan that the kofte were fried in, add tinned Tomatoes, Tomato puree, Turkish Pepper Paste and Garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add Molasses, Stock, Salt and Pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 - 15 minutes over medium heat till the mixture has thickened.
Step 4 - Add Potatoes and Kofte to dish
Pour the Tomato mixture over the Kofte and Potatoes. Then scatter the Peppers on top.
Step 5 - Bake the Izmir Kofte
Bake at 180 C/350 f/Gas Mark 4 for 30-40 minutes or until the Kofte are cooked through and the Potatoes are tender.

Notes

Variations

Add other Veg

Add other Veg such as Tomato slices, Aubergine Slices and Courgette Slices in-between the Kebabs.

Make More Sauce

You can add another 100g of Tomatoes to create more Tomato Sauce.

Expert Tips

Potatoes - Cut the Potatoes into thick slices so that they don’t turn to mush in the Oven.

Fat Ratio - Make sure that you use Meat with a high Fat ratio for juicy Kofte.

Shape Kebabs - Use wet hands to shape the Meatballs. It stops the meat from sticking to your hands.

Serving Suggestions

Izmir Kofte is usually served with Rice Pilaf (Turkish style Rice with Vermicelli) or Bulgur Pilaf.

It is accompanied with Cacik (Turkish Cucumber and Yoghurt dip), Shepherd Salad and soft flat Bread like Bazlama.

Storage

This recipe can be made and assembled up to 3 days ahead.
Just keep it covered in the fridge.

The entire dish can be frozen for up to 2 months (as long as the dish is freezer safe).

Nutrition

Calories: 425kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 19gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 1101mgPotassium: 861mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 577IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Izmir Kofte, Kofte, Meatballs

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