Turkey Kofta Bowl

Mediterranean flavors abound in this healthy and delicious Turkey Kofta Bowl. The turkey meatballs are packedp with fresh ingredients and spices that will make your taste buds dance! Topped with spicy herbed Zhoug sauce on a bed of hummus accompanied by tomato, cucumber, and onion salad

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Refrigeration: 30

Total Time: 1 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 777kcal

Author: Meiko Temple

Ingredients

Turkey Kefta

¼ onion grated or finely minced, see note 1
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoons mint sprigs chopped
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, chopped
1 lb 85/15 ground turkey
¼ cup bread crumbs
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sumac optional
½ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Cooking Spray

Zhoug Sauce (aka Zhug, Shug, or Skhug)

3 jalapenos roughly chopped (see note 2)
3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro roughly chopped & long stems removed
4 fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cardamon
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon red chili flakes optional
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Tomato cucumber salad

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 english cucumber approx 1 cup, sliced & quartered
1/4 small red onion approx ½ cup, chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon zaatar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Plating & garnish

2 cups prepared hummus
½ cup garlic sauce - toum optional

Instructions

To make turkey kofta

In a food processor add onion, garlic, mint, parsley, and process until very fine like a salsa. Add ground turkey, bread crumbs, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, smoked paprika, salt, sumac, black pepper, and cayenne in a food processor and process until everything is combined.
Take about 2 tablespoons of the mix and mold into sausage shapes or meatballs. If skewering the meat, mold it around the skewer by squeezing tightly and place on sheet pan. Secure kofta shape by covering and refrigerating for 30-60 minutes.

To prepare in the oven

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Lightly spray grill rack or baking rack with cooking spray and place over a sheet pan. Arrange kofta over the rack and bake for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

To prepare on the grill or grill pan

Spray rack with cooking spray and heat grill to medium-high heat.
Grill 5-6 minutes on each side, turning them to cook evening or until the interior temperature registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

To prepare Zhoug Sauce (aka Zhug, Shug, or Skhug)

Pulse garlic and jalapeño in a small food processor until they are in small pieces. Add the cilantro, mint, cumin, cardamom, coriander, salt, chili flakes, lime juice, and pulse 3-4 times.
With the machine running, pour the olive oil through the feeder tube until the mixture is relatively smooth but still has a bit of texture.

To prepare tomato-cucumber salad

To a large bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, zaatar, kosher salt, and pepper. Whisk until combined.
Add in tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion and toss until everything is coated with the dressing.

To assemble bowl

Divide hummus into 4 bowls as the base. Add 4 kofta to each bowl, followed by the salad and the garlic sauce. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Zhoug sauce across each bowl and enjoy.

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Notes

Grating onion is preferred because the result is finer but it does produce alot of excess moisture. I like to grate onion in a large bowl. Then with a spoon, I press the onion to 1 side of the bowl to release the excess juices. I then use a paper towel to pat and absorb the onion juice. This helps create a tighter kofta mix.
To control the final heat level of the Zhoug sauce do the following:

Hot/fiery: keep in jalapeno seeds
Medium: remove half the jalapeno seeds
Milk: remove all the jalapeno seeds