Turkish Meatball Stew, Sebzeli Kofte is a hearty dish with peas, potatoes and carrots. All you have to do is first make meatballs, then simmer them in a vegetable stew base with tomato paste.
This meatball stew with potatoes and peas is loved across Turkey. It's a dish that warms the heart and fills the home with its delicious aroma.
Imagine biting into juicy meatballs, surrounded by a savory blend of vegetables. Oh, that is the comforting food at its best!
Turkish Sebzeli Kofte is definitely one of our weeknight dinner recipes. We often enjoy it with Turkish rice pilaf or bulgur pilaf and a bowl of cacik (yogurt sauce with cucumber) on the side.
Kofte (Turkish meatball) is a staple in our kitchen and we make a variety of meatball recipes. Although hearty and rich Turkish Izmir kofte is always our son’s top favorite, we all love kadinbudu kofte (meatballs with rice) and eggplant and meatball kebab too.
We always have some meatballs in the freezer so making this sebzeli kofte (meatballs with vegetables) gets even easier. We skip the first step of the recipe this way.
So if you want, you can double the amount of meatballs, shape them into small balls and freeze for later use. Please read how to freeze them properly in the ‘How to Freeze’ section below.
Are you into comforting stews like this? You know Turkish cuisine is full of them and we have shared several of them here. We are sure you don't want to miss the following dishes:
- Turkish Beef Stew
- Kapuska (Turkish Cabbage Stew)
- Lamb Guvec (Turkish Lamb Stew)
- Turkish Bean Stew
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About The Ingredients
For this easy Turkish meatball stew recipe, you only need a few basic ingredients to create a delicious and hearty meal. Let’s have a look at them.
Meatballs (köfte): For these meatballs, we use a combination of ground meat, spices, egg, breadcrumbs, and pureed onions. This simple mixture gives your meatballs great soft and moist texture and a fantastic flavor!
Vegetables: This traditional Turkish meatball stew is called sebzeli kofte and besides peas, there are two more vegetables used in this recipe: Carrots (havuç) and potatoes (patates).
Tomato paste: It helps deepen the flavor of the entire stew. We highly recommend adding it even if you use pureed tomato. They take the stew to the next level when used together.
Liquid: For this sebzeli köfte recipe, we only use water. But, you can use beef broth instead. If you use another type of ground meat, then use a similar stock, for example, chicken stock with ground poultry.
How to Make It
Let's have a look at exactly how to make Turkish style meatball stew with vegetables in under an hour with only a few simple ingredients.
Make the Meatball Mixture
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pureed onion, crumbled bread, egg, salt, pepper, cumin, and alone oil. Mix the ingredients together until they are well combined. Then, add in the ground beef and make a uniform mixture using your hands.
Don't over-mix the mixture, you will get dense meatballs otherwise. Just mix until everything holds together.
Shape the Meatballs
We make mini meatballs (also known as misket kofte in Turkish), so they pair well with the size of the vegetables in the stew. You can roll them into larger meatballs if you want.
Cook the Meatballs
Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Then, working in small batches, cook the meatballs for about 2-3 minutes per side. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent the meatballs from sticking.
Also, keep in mind that the meatballs don't have to be fully cooked. They just have to be nicely browned on all sides. Remove the cooked meatballs from the pan and place them on a plate.
Make the Stew Base for Sebzeli Kofte
In a separate pan, heat some oil and add the tomato paste. Cook for about a minute and then add in pureed tomatoes. Cook the tomato mixture for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then, add your diced potatoes and carrots. Allow the ingredients to cook together for 5 minutes so that the flavors can blend together smoothly.
Combine Everything
Add in your browned meatballs and hot water. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring every now and then. Once boiling, reduce the heat and allow the stew to simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables become tender but not mushy.
Add in your peas, salt, and black pepper, and cook for another 5 minutes. If you want, you can add some dried thyme too. Remove your stew from the heat, garnish it with some fresh parsley and serve it immediately.
Cooking Variations
The biggest variation of this Sebzeli Köfte recipe probably is the cooking method you can use. We make it in a deep pan or dutch oven. But, you can also make it inside a slow cooker or instant pot.
To make this stew in a slow cooker: Cook the meatballs in a pan as described in the recipe below. Then, simply add all of the remaining ingredients inside of the slow cooker. Cook the stew on the high setting for 4-6 hours or on low setting for 6-8 hours.
To make it in an instant pot: Cook the meatballs in a pan first. (You won't need this if you are using pre-cooked frozen meatballs). Put them in the instant pot. Then add all of the remaining ingredients, and set the pressure to high for 10 minutes. Wait for another 10-15 minutes when it is done. Then let the steam release as you would normally do and carefully open the lid. Give the stew a stir and serve.
What to Serve with Sebzeli Kofte
This Turkish stew with meatballs and vegetables is incredibly versatile when it comes to what to serve with it. Some simpler accompaniments include some type of fresh tomato salad or rice pilaf with raisins. And, you can even use a rice substitute like healthy bulgur wheat.
You can also make a wide variety of bread. We especially love Turkish flatbreads or crusty cornbread to soak up the juices. You can also make dinner rolls or Turkish pide bread.
We often have a bowl of homemade yogurt on the side as well.
Storing
To store any leftover sebzeli kofte, you can simply allow it to cool completely at room temperature. Then, place it inside an airtight container and store it inside the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When reheating, you might need to add a little water.
And, if you decide to freeze it, just cover the container with a layer of aluminum foil. This will help protect the stew from freezer burn. It will keep well for up to 3 months.
Alternatively, you can freeze the meatballs only. After shaping them into mini balls, place them on a baking sheet or a small tray that fit into your freezer. Make sure they are in a single layer. Put the baking sheet in the freezer and let it sit there for 30 minutes.
Then remove from the freezer and put the frozen meatballs in resealable bags. Make sure you write the date on the bags. They keep well for 4-5 months.
When you are ready to cook them, you can thaw them in the refrigerator overnight. But you really don’t need to. Just cook them frozen as you would normally do. And follow the remaining steps as described in the recipe below.
Tips
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan when you are browning the meatballs. If you do, the pan will not get hot enough and the meatballs will end up being steamed, rather than fried. This will give them a bland color and semi-cooked flavor. Not the nicely browned and caramelized meatballs you are looking for!
- Remember, the aim of frying the meatballs is simply to give them some color on the outside. They don’t have to be completely cooked. They will finish cooking once they have been added to the stew.
- You can use either a heavy-bottom oven-proof pan to make these meatballs or a dutch oven.
- If you want to save yourself some time, you can also pre-make these meatballs and freeze them. Once you are ready to use them in this stew, you can simply thaw them for a couple of minutes, then add them directly into the stew.
- You can also buy pre-made frozen meatballs if you don’t want to make meatballs from scratch.
- Adjusting the consistency of sebzeli kofte is incredibly easy! Simply add more water to make it saucier (runnier) and add less to make it thicker. The exact amount of water you will end up using will also depend on the amount of heat you use.
FAQs
Yes, you can make a vegetarian version by omitting the meatballs. It is another popular version in Turkey and tastes really good.
Yes, you can! Just add them towards the end of cooking since they are already soft.
Yes, Kofteli Bezelye tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld together. Just prepare as usual, cool, and store in the refrigerator. Reheat when ready to serve.
As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!
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📖 Recipe
Sebzeli Kofte - Turkish Meatball Stew with Vegetables
INGREDIENTS
For Meatballs:
- 1 medium onion pureed
- 1 slice bread crumbled (or 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs)
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 500 g ground beef (10% fat)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil to fry meatballs
For Stew:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup pureed tomato
- 2 medium potatoes diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 cups water hot
- ½ cup peas fresh, canned or frozen
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Meatballs:
- In a large bowl, combine pureed onion, crumbled stale bread, egg, salt, black pepper, cumin and olive oil. Add in ground beef and using your hand, mix just until everything is combined.
- Shape it into mini balls.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan.
- Cook the meatballs in batches over medium high heat, shaking the pan occasionally. 2-3 minutes per side. Don’t overcrowd the pan. They don’t have to be cooked completely. They are good if all the sides are brown.
- Put the cooked meatballs on a plate.
Stew:
- Heat oil in a pan. Add in tomato paste and cook it for a minute. Add in pureed tomato and cook together for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in diced potatoes and carrots and cook them for 5 minutes.
- Add in the meatballs.
- Pour hot water, stir and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add in peas, salt and pepper and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, garnish with parsley and serve.
NOTES
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan when you are browning the meatballs. If you do, the pan will not get hot enough and the meatballs will end up being steamed, rather than fried. This will give them a bland color and semi-cooked flavor. Not the nicely browned and caramelized meatballs you are looking for!
- Remember, the aim of frying the meatballs is simply to give them some color on the outside. They don’t have to be completely cooked. They will finish cooking once they have been added to the stew.
- You can use either a heavy-bottom oven-proof pan to make these meatballs or a dutch oven.
- If you want to save yourself some time, you can also pre-make these meatballs and freeze them. Once you are ready to use them in this stew, you can simply thaw them for a couple of minutes, then add them directly into the stew.
- You can also buy pre-made frozen meatballs if you don’t want to make meatballs from scratch.
- Adjusting the consistency of the meatball stew is incredibly easy! Simply add more water to make it saucier (runnier) and add less to make it thicker. The exact amount of water you will end up using will also depend on the amount of heat you use.
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Jennie L. says
With the temperatures falling and autumn approaching, it's time for soups and stews. This was perfect for a cool fall day. I served it with the soda bread from this site. Thanks for another great recipe!
Mely@MexicoinMyKitchen says
You know what? We have a very similar dish but instead of Bulgur we use rice to make the meatballs and also add mint. And as you mention is a very complete meal.
Have a great weekend.
Mely
PS. I already emailed a copy of your recipe for flour cookies to my friends. Those cookies are so good!
Monet says
What a great idea to add bulgher to your meatballs. They look and sound so good. I'm sure they are especially hearty and flavorful. Thank you for sharing this delicious meal. I hope you have a beautiful Friday. The weekend is nearly here!
Feast on the Cheap says
Looks wonderful!