Juicy Spicy Turkish Meatballs

My all-beef Turkish Meatballs are slightly spicy and bathed in a tangy yogurt sauce with fresh herbs. These juicy meatballs are classically served with white rice or bread, but you can go bold and serve it with pasta too.

Next time you’re craving meatballs, you need to try this Juicy Spicy Turkish Meatballs recipe! Moist, flavor-packed and bathed in a yogurt sauce, these are the perfect comfort food dinner.

So my parents have been visiting for a couple of weeks now, and I’ve been spoiled and pampered like a little kid. I’ve been shamelessly enjoying it.

My best friend would call and tell me I need to grow up, but I argue back and tell her they’ll leave soon and I’ll be all alone again. It’s not like they live next door, they live MILES and MILES away.

And since now they’re staying with me, I’ll totally take advantage of that. Totally. And part of the advantage means some of my mom’s amazing food!

Today she chose to make us those juicy and spicy meatballs which have a Turkish blend of spices and a spicy tomato sauce that’s lightened up with a touch of tangy yogurt. Pure meatball decadence.

Why these Turkish meatballs are a must-try:

These are definitely not your average meatballs recipe and it’s not your grandma’s meatballs. Unless your grandma was Turkish like mine.

So it’s an all-beef meatball with plenty of flavor, bathed in a spicy, slightly tangy yogurt sauce with a handful of fresh herbs. These juicy meatballs are classically served with white rice or bread, but you can go bold and serve it with pasta too.

For the record, I’ll admit that I’m not a meatball person. Ok, maybe I shouldn’t make such a bold confession when I’m writing a food blog.

But at the same time, I’m sure if you’ve been following my blog for a while, then you could be wondering why where how is there no meatball recipe here. So here’s a breakthrough. I seriously devoured these Turkish meatballs.

Seriously. Here are my reasons:

The meatballs are juicy and chewy NOT crumbly (if you love crumbly meatballs, then look away lol).

These Turkish meatballs DON’T taste like onions and they have a ton of flavor and spice. The meatballs are NOT stewed or boiled in tomato sauce, they’re nicely crisped and seared first until nearly cooked through then they’re coated and cooked for a little bit in a sauce.

So forget the classic Italian-American meatballs with marinara. Instead, open your taste buds for a spicy blend of nutmeg, allspice, cilantro, parsley, dill, onion and garlic beef meatballs.

These meatballs are seared for a perfect crisp and then cooked in a tomato, onion, garlic, green chili sauce that’s flavored with bay leaves, herbs and a touch of yogurt. Drooling yet? 🙂

How to make Turkish Meatballs:

To make the meatballs, place all the ingredients (except the ground beef) in a food processor and process until smooth.

Then take this mixture and place it in a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef to it and mix well. Then shape the mixture into 1-inch size balls and place them on a baking sheet.

In a large saute pan, add the olive oil and heat for a few minutes on medium high until it’s hot. Then add the meatballs and start searing them.

Don’t move the Turkish meatballs at all for the first 2 minutes so they can sear and get a nice crust. Then try swirling and shaking the pan slightly back n forth and to the sides to swirl the meatballs all around.

Using a wooden spoon or spatula, try to toss the meatballs evenly so they’re seared on all sides. This takes about 7 minutes.

How to make the sauce:

Now the sauce. Onion, garlic, green chilli, dill, parsley, tomatoes and bay leaves. Then a touch of yogurt to brighten up the sauce.

If you’ve never had yogurt sauces before, you are MISSING OUT! The trick to sustain a nice thick and creamy yogurt sauce without having the sauce separate is to add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the yogurt before cooking it. This trick is magic!

You definitely won’t taste the starch, you’ll just get the creamy dreamy feel of it.

If you’re out of yogurt, then you can use light cream or half n half. But I strongly urge you to try the yogurt, it pairs beautifully with the sauce.

Remove the meatballs to a clean plate and to the same pan, add the olive oil, onion, garlic, and green chili to make the sauce.
Saute these over medium heat until soft and fragrant, then add the tomatoes, spice and bay leaves. Cover the pan and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes.

In a small cup, add the cold yogurt and cornstarch and use a spoon to dissolve the starch into the yogurt. Add the yogurt mixture to the sauce and once it starts boiling, add the meatballs back to the sauce.

Cover the pan and let the Turkish meatballs cook all the way through in the tomato sauce for nearly 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add in the fresh herbs, toss the meatballs and serve right away.

Don’t miss out on these meatballs—coming from a person who never appreciated the classic meatballs and yet devoured these.

I’m a meatball convert now and went ahead and created other meatball recipes like these Thai chicken meatballs! Make these soon and see for yourself—enjoy 🙂

Tips for success:

• If you’re out of yogurt, then you can use light cream or half n half.
• The trick to a nice thick and creamy yogurt sauce without having the sauce separate is to add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the yogurt before cooking it. This trick is magic!
• When frying, don’t move the Turkish meatballs at all for the first 2 minutes so they can sear and get a nice crust.

5 from 10 votes

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Juicy Spicy Turkish Meatballs

My all-beef Turkish Meatballs are slightly spicy and bathed in a tangy yogurt sauce with fresh herbs. These juicy meatballs are classically served with white rice or bread, but you can go bold and serve it with pasta too.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Turkish

Keyword spicy meatballs, Turkish koefte, Turkish meatballs

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 267 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (lean or extra lean to your preference, lean is a tad better 🙂 )
• 1 small red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 fresh green chilli (or jalapeños) to your taste—or skip altogether if you don’t like a strong spice
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves
• 2 or more tablespoons of fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons ground rice flour ( or grind 1/4 cup of any type of rice till it’s a fine powder)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Sauce

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small onion minced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 green chilli thinly sliced ( or use jalapeños) or skip altogether for a milder sauce
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup cold plain yogurt (Green yogurt works fine)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 2 more Tablespoons of fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill

Instructions

1. To make the meatballs, place all the ingredients (except the beef) in a food processor and process until smooth. Then take this mixture and place it in a large bowl, add the beef to it and mix well. Then shape the mixture into 1 inch size balls and place them on a baking sheet.
2. In a large saute pan, add the olive oil and heat for a few minutes on medium high until it’s hot. Then add the meatballs and start searing them.
3. Don’t move the meatballs at all for the first 2 minutes so they can sear and get a nice crust. Then try swirling and shaking the pan slightly back n forth and to the sides to swirl the meatballs all around. Then use a wooden spoon or spatula, try to toss the meatballs evenly so they’re seared on all sides. This takes about 7 minutes.
4. Remove the meatballs to a clean plate and to the same pan, add the olive oil, onion, garlic and green chilli to make the sauce.
5. Saute these over medium heat until soft and fragrant, then add the tomatoes, spice and bay leaves. Cover the pan and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes.
6. In a small cup, add the cold yogurt and cornstarch and use a spoon to dissolve the starch in to the yogurt.
7. Add the yogurt mixture to the tout sauce and once it starts boiling, add the meatballs ack to the sauce.
8. Cover the pan and let the meatballs cook all the way through in the tomato sauce for nearly 10 minutes over medium low heat.
9. Add in the fresh herbs, toss the meatballs and serve right away. Enjoy 🙂

Recipe Notes

• If you’re out of yogurt, then you can use light cream or half n half.
• The trick to a nice thick and creamy yogurt sauce without having the sauce separate is to add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the yogurt before cooking it. This trick is magic!
• When frying, don’t move the Turkish meatballs at all for the first 2 minutes so they can sear and get a nice crust.

Nutrition Facts

Juicy Spicy Turkish Meatballs

Amount Per Serving (1 small bowl)

Calories 267 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17g 26%

Saturated Fat 6g 30%

Cholesterol 56mg 19%

Sodium 431mg 18%

Potassium 407mg 12%

Total Carbohydrates 12g 4%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 4g

Protein 15g 30%

Vitamin A 2.3%

Vitamin C 9.6%

Calcium 6.6%

Iron 11.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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