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İzmir Köfte: Roasted Turkish Meatballs with Vegetables Recipe

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★★★★★

4.9 from 74 reviews

İzmir köfte is a traditional Turkish dish featuring roasted minced beef meatballs cooked with vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and green peppers in a rich tomato and red pepper paste sauce. The meatballs are tender and flavorful, baked to perfection alongside softened vegetables, creating a hearty and satisfying meal perfect for family dinners.

Ingredients

Scale

Meatballs

  • 400 g minced beef
  • 2 slices stale bread (crust removed, whizzed until you have breadcrumbs)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 garlic clove (peeled and shredded or finely chopped)
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (Italian parsley)
  • 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Vegetables & Sauce

  • 500 g potato (peeled or well rinsed and cut into ½–1 cm thick slices)
  • 1 large carrot (peeled or well rinsed and cut into ½ cm thick slices)
  • 4–6 Turkish green peppers (sivri/çarliston biber), cut into large chunks
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp Turkish sweet red pepper paste (tatlı biber salçası)
  • 400 ml water
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Parboil Potatoes: Place the potato slices in lightly salted boiling water and cook until just softened but still firm, about 8–12 minutes. Drain well and set aside to prevent sticking.
  2. Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 180 °C (356 °F) to get it ready for roasting the meatballs and vegetables.
  3. Prepare Meatballs: In a bowl, combine minced beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, parsley, pul biber, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly by hand until well incorporated. Shape the mixture into 8 to 10 evenly sized meatballs and flatten slightly for even cooking.
  4. Make Tomato Sauce: In a separate bowl, whisk together tomato paste, sweet red pepper paste, olive oil, and boiling water in 2 to 3 rounds to ensure smooth consistency. Season the sauce with salt and pepper according to your preference.
  5. Assemble in Oven Dish: Spread the parboiled potatoes and sliced carrots in the bottom of a suitable ovenproof dish, ensuring the potatoes don’t stick together. Arrange meatballs and green pepper chunks on top. Pour the tomato sauce evenly over everything, coating all ingredients thoroughly.
  6. Roast: Place the dish in the center of the preheated oven. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until meatballs are completely cooked through and the vegetables are soft and tender.
  7. Rest and Serve: Once cooked, remove from the oven and let the dish cool slightly for about 5 minutes before serving warm to enjoy the full flavors.

Notes

  • Using stale bread for breadcrumbs improves texture, but fresh breadcrumbs can be used as a substitute.
  • Parboiling the potatoes ensures they cook evenly with the meatballs without becoming mushy.
  • Adjust the amount of pul biber (Aleppo pepper) for desired spice level.
  • For a richer flavor, you can substitute part of the beef with lamb.
  • This dish pairs well with a side of rice or crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce.

Keywords: İzmir köfte, Turkish meatballs, roasted meatballs, Turkish cuisine, tomato sauce meatballs, baked meatballs with vegetables

Find it online: https://lieblingsmahlzeit.com/izmir-kofte-roasted-turkish-meatballs-with-vegetables-recipe/