My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Juicy Baked Kofta Meatballs
These baked kofta meatballs are very juicy, and so quick to make. With only a 12 minute baking time, you can make a big batch and use them in so many ways, or freeze some for later. I add one additional ingredient to my classic kofta recipe when baking in the oven to make sure they are not dry!
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Middle Eastern Kofta: Grilled vs. Baked
I have stayed away from baking kofta for a long time, because I was always looking for a very juicy kofta and knew that the oven tends to dry out ground beef. My classic middle eastern kafta recipe is one that I usually skewer and grill on a BBQ or a cast iron grill.
But because I am busy, I wanted to make a big batch of kofta meatballs as quickly as possible. I discovered that adding breadcrumbs, which is an ingredient not typically used in classic kofta (but used in Italian style meatballs), is what will keep these meatballs extra juicy when baked in the oven.
The addition of breadcrumbs to ground beef helps it retain its moisture because the breadcrumbs soak up the moisture and keep it locked in. When kofta is grilled – it cooks very quickly and does not lose its moisture, so you don’t need to add breadcrumbs. But when it bakes, it’s in a hot environment and can dry out, so breadcrumbs are the solution!
Another fun twist on kofta are these kofta smash tacos. And if you are more of a chicken person, then try my chicken kofta recipe or my greek-style chicken meatballs with feta, which also use breadcrumbs to infuse more moisture into the chicken.
Types of Ground Beef
I cook with ground beef so much, and typically always buy lean or extra lean ground beef. For this recipe, a higher content of fat in the beef helps keep the meatballs extra juicy, which is why I use lean beef.
If you only have extra lean ground beef, just add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the kofta mixture to increase the fat content slightly. If you use regular ground beef, they will be more oily – but still delicious!
How I Make My Baked Kofta Meatballs
First – gather your ingredients: lean ground beef, onions, parsley, garlic, a few spices, and breadcrumbs. For spices, if you don’t have middle eastern seven spice, you can substitute with allspice. For the breadcrumbs, I prefer Italian style as opposed to panko.
If you have a small food processor, it comes in handy to blitz up the onions, garlic and parsley into a finely chopped texture. If you don’t have one, you can finely chop everything by hand.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Process the onions and garlic first, then add the parsley. This ensures the parsley doesn’t chop too finely and release a lot of liquid.
To a medium bowl, add the beef, all the chopped vegetables, all the spices and the breadcrumbs. Mix it very well – you can use gloves and just get in there with your hands.
Next, shape the kofta into meatballs. I suggest using a measuring spoon and get roughly 1.5 tablespoons of the mixture. Making sure the meatballs are uniform in size is important so they all cook evenly.
If you make them larger or smaller than the 1-inch meatballs in this recipe, make sure you adjust the cook time. Smaller meatballs will need a few minutes less, larger meatballs will need a few minutes more.
Lay the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet and space them at least 1 inch apart. If they are too close together, they will steam and release a lot of moisture.
Bake them for 12-14 minutes. Check one meatball at the 12 minute mark to ensure it is cooked on the inside. Do not over bake them or they will dry out.
Serving Suggestions
I love throwing these meatballs into a bowl with some bread, my white sauce, and a salad. But there are so many ways to use them. Here are some ideas:
- Make meatball wraps with pita bread, tahini sauce or white sauce, and chopped fresh vegtables
- Serve over yellow rice or vermicelli rice, with tabouli or fattoush on the side.
- Drop them into a stew like my dawood basha, or even into soups like this vermicelli soup if you want to add more protein.
- Use them over pasta to make classic spaghetti and meatballs – my kids love this! Yes kofta flavours go well with Italian recipes!
Freezing Instructions
This recipe makes just over 30 meatballs, so I usually serve about half of them for our dinner that day, then freeze the other half.
If freezing after baking: allow the meatballs to cool completely, then place them in a freezer bag. Only put one portion size in one bag, because you’ll have to thaw the whole bag (they end up sticking in the freezer but will un-stick once thawed out). Thaw in the fridge overnight, then on the counter for an hour or so, then continue to use them in your recipes. To get them perfectly hot and delicious, I just heat them in the oven for 5 minutes, or in an air fryer.
If freezing before baking: lay them on a parchment lined sheet and flash freeze for 1-2 hours. Once they’re solid, move them to a freezer bag. Use them within 3 months from frozen.
Recipes to Serve with Kofta Meatballs
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Juicy Baked Kofta Meatballs
Ingredients
- 900 grams lean ground beef (2 lb)
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 cup parsley, loosely packed
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons seven spice, substitute allspice
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Peel and quarter the onions, and peel the garlic cloves. Blitz the onions, parsley and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. You can also chop finely by hand if you don't have a food processor.
- Combine the ground beef, finely chopped vegetables, spices and breadcrumbs in a bowl. Mix well until all ingredients are well combined.
- Shape into meatballs, roughly the size of 1 heaped measuring tablespoon. Meatballs should be uniform so they can cook evenly. I go for a roughly 1-inch meatball.
- Place the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Do not place them too close together, ensure they are spaced at least 1 inch apart.
- Spray the meatballs with vegetable oil. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Test one meatball to ensure it is fully cooked. Optional: broil for a few minutes to brown the tops.
- Serve immediately. Top with shawarma white sauce.
Notes
- You can use extra lean ground beef, but if you do, I suggest added 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the mixture to help them stay juicy.
- If you shape the meatballs really small, they will take less time to cook, so be sure to adjust your timing.
- You can also shape them into kofta shapes. Just ensure all of them are uniform in size so they cook evenly.
- You can allow the meatballs to cool and then store in freezer bags and use them in so many ways!
Delicious recipe. Loved how juicy the meatballs turned out and the freezer hack.
Would this be ok with 80/20 ground beef? Could not find 90/10 meat today
Yes that should be just fine! Let me know how it goes!
I made this for the first time last week and here I am today making it again. This is a perfect foolproof recipe for delicious meatballs and is so versatile. It will definitely be a staple in our house. Thank you so much for making a busy mum’s meal prep a little bit easier!
I’m so happy to hear that – I rely on this recipe so much for my “busy mum meal prep” too! Thanks so much for leaving your review Esta 🙂
Another scrumptious recipe! The flavor is amaaaazing and the steps to prepare, simple. I am slowly making my way through the recipes on this blog and in Amina’s book Souk to Table and she does not disappoint! I am disabled and cannot make recipes that require lots of time in the kitchen. Her recipes give you abundant deliciousness with a minimum of fuss.
Thanks so much for leaving me a review Liz, it makes my day! So happy that my recipes have been easy for you to make. Wishing you the best!
So easy to make and so packed with flavour! I love these especially with shawarma white sauce. This is a must make!
So glad you loved the Kofta meatballs Amaal! They’re so great for meal prepping too!
Tried this recipe for the first time and we absolutely loved it! We enjoyed them in rice bowls with veggies and later added them to pasta sauce and it was perfect. I love that they baked so softly in the oven without drying out!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It will become a staple in my meal prep 🙂
I am so glad you enjoyed it Mona! This is one of my go-to recipes for a quick weeknight yet delicious meal.
Absolutely delicious! This was my first time making middle Eastern kofta and I’m so happy I tried it! Can’t believe how tender and juicy they were! Thank you so much for sharing!