Named for the Aegean city of İzmir, this regional favorite is built around köfte, potatoes, tomatoes and green peppers. Official Turkish culinary sources show both stovetop and oven finishes. This version lightly browns the potatoes and meatballs before baking them together, preserving the familiar arrangement while giving home cooks clear doneness cues.
İzmir Köfte — Recipe Card
Turkish meatballs baked with potatoes, tomatoes and mild green peppers
Makes 6 servingsUS cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make İzmir Köfte
Soak the bread
Put the torn bread in a small bowl, cover with the cold water and leave for 5 minutes. Squeeze it very firmly in your hands and discard the soaking water; the bread should be moist but not dripping.
Mix and knead
Add the squeezed bread, lamb, onion, parsley, egg, salt, cumin, black pepper, allspice and pul biber to a bowl. Knead by hand for 5 minutes, until the mixture feels tacky and holds together without cracks.
Shape and chill
Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions, about 60 g (2.1 oz) each. With damp hands, shape each into a compact oblong meatball about 8 cm (3 inches) long. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Brown the potatoes
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Heat 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the potato wedges in two batches for 6–8 minutes per batch, turning until lightly golden outside but still firm inside. Arrange them in a 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13-inch) baking dish.
Brown the meatballs
Add 15 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil to the skillet. Brown the chilled meatballs for 4–5 minutes total, turning carefully so two or three sides color. They will still be raw in the center. Arrange them between the potato wedges.
Build the tomato sauce
Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining 15 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil and the garlic; stir for 20 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the grated tomatoes and warm water, scrape up the browned bits, and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the sauce around the meatballs and potatoes. Tuck in the tomato wedges and mild green peppers.
Bake until tender
Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, the sauce has thickened slightly and the centers of the meatballs reach 71°C (160°F). Rest for 5 minutes before serving so the sauce settles.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-meatballs-and-potatoes-izmir-kofte. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
Make it work in your kitchen
Ingredient Substitutions
These swaps change flavor or texture as described. Keep the original ingredients for the closest version of the dish.
Pul biber
Use the same amount of mild paprika for color and a gentler flavor. For heat, add a small pinch of chili flakes, then taste; chili flakes can be much hotter.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Meat choice
The referenced official version uses lamb. The same 500 g (17.6 oz) weight of ground beef, or a beef-and-lamb blend, also works; choose meat with roughly 15–20% fat and keep the 71°C (160°F) doneness target.
Bread and gluten
The base recipe contains wheat bread and is not gluten-free. Do not serve it as gluten-free unless the bread and every packaged seasoning or tomato product have been replaced with verified gluten-free-labelled products and cross-contact has been considered.
Heat level
Mild. Use mild sivri biber or Anaheim peppers and mild pul biber. For less heat, omit the pul biber; for a hotter tray, replace one mild pepper with a hot Turkish green pepper and use 2 g (1 teaspoon) hot pul biber.
Food safety
Keep raw meat separate from vegetables and wash hands and utensils after shaping. Ground meat should reach 71°C (160°F); reheat leftovers to 74°C (165°F).
How to store and reheat İzmir Köfte
Refrigerate within 2 hours in shallow covered containers and keep at 4°C (40°F) or below for up to 4 days. Reheat only the portion needed, covered, until the meatballs and sauce reach 74°C (165°F). The potatoes soften after freezing, so refrigeration is preferred.
İzmir Köfte: questions and answers
Can I prepare İzmir Köfte ahead?
Yes. Shape the raw meatballs and refrigerate them, covered, for up to 24 hours. Cut and brown the potatoes and assemble the sauce shortly before baking so the potatoes do not discolor or absorb excess liquid.
Why are my meatballs breaking?
Squeeze the soaked bread and grated onion well, knead until the mixture turns tacky, and chill the shaped meatballs for 15 minutes before browning. Turn them only after the first side has formed a crust.
Can I skip browning?
You can, but the flavor and shape will be different. Arrange the raw meatballs and potato wedges in the dish, brush the potatoes with the full amount of oil, and allow about 40–45 minutes in the oven; still verify 71°C (160°F) in the meatballs and tenderness in the potatoes.
What should I serve with it?
A crisp shepherd's salad, cacık or plain yogurt balances the tomato sauce. Bread is useful for the sauce, while the potatoes already make the dish substantial.
