Juicy, lean, and inviting Turkey Kofta recipe. A healthy recipe that packs lean protein, savoury flavours, and satisfying wholesome ingredients the entire family will enjoy.
This post is sponsored by Canadian Turkey as part of the BBQ Bootcamp Campaign. My Kitchen Love has been compensated monetarily, we only support brands we love and cook with at home.
Possibly the best way to grill and serve dinner – healthy flavourful grilled turkey kebabs with savoury yogurt, fresh vegetables, and grilled pita. My family and I officially loved it.
What made these turkey kebabs so good? It’s almost challenging to figure out where to start with so many good pieces. The main event of Turkey Kebabs was so crazy good. Lean, wholesome ground turkey with all the right herbs and spices that had s coming back time and time again.
That being said, this turkey kofta recipe is perfect for families and kids because it doesn’t t have any spiciness to it and yet, are so juicy and mouthwatering.
We loved piling the pita high with grilled turkey, fresh veg, and lemon garlicky yogurt.
What are kofta balls made out of?
Kofta balls are made from a meat protein (usually a combo of beef and lamb, but I used Canadian turkey here for a lean and reliable substitution), parsley, bread crumbs, and other spices like allspice, cinnamon, and cumin.
To make this kofta recipe gluten-free, simply sub the bread crumbs for one large egg. Both act as a binding agent and I used bread crumbs as a more traditional recipe. In addition, this recipe would be amazing with rice in lieu of the pita.
To me, the best kofta recipe has all the right flavours and remains juicy. That’s what makes ground turkey meat the best partner for grilling. Turkey has great flavour everyone enjoys (kids especially!) and it’s perfect for pairing with other flavours like the savoury herbs and spices in this kofta recipe.
Top with kid-friendly savoury yogurt (condiments are always the answer for kids) and lots of fresh chopped vegetables and we have a winner that will take us through grilling season nicely.
Why else choose turkey? It’s the perfect meat to buy in a pinch as turkey is usually good bang for your buck and it packs a nice nutritional punch too. I like subbing turkey for other meat proteins to make them, not only more kid approachable, but also to save a few dollars here and there.
Some of my favourite weeknight turkey meals include this Turkey and Lentils (slow cooker alert!) and this one pot Turkey Tetrazzini.
Turkey recipes primed for the grill:
- Turkey Burger with Greek Yogurt
- Grilled Turkey Tenderloin
- Avocado Turkey Burgers
- Greek Turkey Burgers
- Grilled Taco Turkey Burgers
Juicy flavourful Turkey Koftas recipe with savoury yogurt, fresh vegetables, and pita.
- 2 lbs ground turkey thigh*
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
- 2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (sweet or hot)
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 English cucumber, quartered
- 1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 5 pitas or naan bread
- 2 cups thick plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 lemon zest and juice
- 2 tsp finely chopped mint leaves
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
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Soak 10 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
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In a large bowl combine turkey, onion, parsley, mint, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Mix** until all ingredients are well blended.
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Using a 1/3 cup measuring tool, make 10-12 oval shaped patties and pierce with a soaked toothpick through the middle. Place in fridge while grill preheats.
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Preheat grill to high heat. Add Turkey Koftas to the grill and reduce temperature down to medium. Cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping once after 8 minutes, or until meat has reached 165°.
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Place all sliced/chopped fresh vegetables on a plate.
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Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
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Grill for 1-2 minutes per side or serve with cooked rice if preferred.
* I find that ground turkey thigh is juicer and holds up to grilling, but extra lean ground turkey breast meat will also work here.
** I find that using my hands to mix all the ingredients together works the best for making any form of patty.
Enjoy! xo
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My husband followed your recipe to a “T”. Samantha, this was so fresh , tasty and dare I say, healthy! We look forward to trying more recipes from you.
Yay! I’m so glad to hear this. It is a healthy dish that we adore. I made it many time this past summer. Thank you for the lovely note!
YUM! Made a big batch today to go along some falafel I had in the freezer and they were a big hit! Any chance you’ve tried freezing these and do you recommend a heating instruction if so?
That’s great! I haven’t tried freezing them, but I would guess that it would be similar to a meatball. So I’d reheat at similar temperature that they were cooked (straight from frozen) or you could thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat for a shorter period of time.
I have never had this before. It looks wonderful! It sounds like a recipe my husband would! Excited to give it a try!
I hope he enjoys it!
Made these, they were great. I used fat-free greek yogurt which was a bad move on my part 🙁 stick reg tasty yogurt.
oh shoot, but good to know! Glad the Kofta was delish 🙂
It looks like an easy and delicious dish to make for everyone.
I am sure they will love this! Thanks for sharing!
They sure will 🙂
I have never tried this before, but sounds like a delicious new recipe to try! Thanks for the share!
Pleasure!
Tried this recipe and really enjoyed the koftas….super juicy, tasty and the yogurt sauce went so well! Will defo make again!
Agree that the yogurt is so yummy!
Made these and really they were so tasty and juicy….the yogurt sauce was super good accompaniment….will defo make again!
So happy you enjoyed them 🙂
I just made these tonight. I loved them! I used romaine lettuce wraps and my husband used pita flatbread. Was wonderful! The spices were just right, not too heavy but you can definitely taste them. I skipped the mint leaves since I’m not a fan of them. I used some leftover tatziki sauce and hummus along with all the suggested toppings. Will definitely make this again. Thank you!
You’re most welcome 🙂 Love the idea of lettuce wraps for them too.
Wow! Another Turkish dish that everyone will gonna love! It looks amazingly delicious and very yummy! A perfect and complete meal that everyone will gonna love and enjoy eating!
All the right flavours in this Kofta recipe!
I have not tried something like this before. Sounds super tasty! Excited to give it a try – thanks for the recipe share!
Hope it’s a success!
Spices were very nice in the koftas. I used extra lean ground turkey (so probably no thigh) and it worked fine.
Glad you enjoyed the flavour profile. Thank you for the note regarding using a leaner type of meat – others and I appreciate it.