Köfte

This is hands down our absolute favorite Turkish dish and dinner in general. Honestly, you can never go wrong with köfte. Köfte is why I was never a huge fan of hamburgers because I always thought why have a hamburger when I could have a Turkish spiced hamburger instead. The flavors are to die for and this is always the first dish I make when we have new guests over for the first time. It never fails to be a favorite by all. Here is everything you’ll need:

Ingredients:

• 1 LB of Organic Ground Beef

• 1 Yellow Onion

• 6 Garlic Cloves

• 1 Egg

• 1/2 C Fresh Parsley

• 1/4 C Bread Crumbs (can also use nutritional yeast for GF option)

• 1 T Cumin

• 1 T Blackpepper

• 1 T Thyme

• 1.5 T Sea Salt

• 1 T Red Pepper Flakes

• 1 T Aleppo Pepper (or Paprika)

• 1 T Baking Soda

• Juice of Half a Lemon

Directions:
Put the onion, garlic, parsley, and egg through a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add in the beef, the mixed veggies, and the spices. Throughly mix everything together by hand. If you hate touching raw meat I highly recommend grabbing a glove or a husband to mix it for you! Then cover the top with aluminum foil or a plate and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. The longer, the better. I prefer making this is the morning and letting the flavors soak in for a few hours.

When you are ready to cook them - round the meat mixture into balls. I personally use a 3 in cookie scoop. Then flatten the balls to more of a patty shape but a little fatter.

Oven bake:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. I like to bake these on a grill rack - 7 minutes on each side OR cast iron skillet (make sure you put some olive oil on the bottom) for 15 min.

Air Fryer:
Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Cook for 10-12 min.

Pro tip: Always serve with fresh tzatziki! The two flavors together are unmatched!

P.S. Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make this because I love seeing you all make my recipes! @stay.wellwithmel - I also have a step-by-step reel of how to make this here