You guys know I’m a sucker for meat on a stick…
I’ve been experimenting with various recipes I’ve seen where the meat is ground and formed into a ball and put onto a skewer, much like putting a meatball on a stick. I had some ground turkey the other day and knew I wanted to do a skewer with it and found inspiration on Skinny Taste with Gina’s “Persian Turkey Kofta Kebabs”.
The word Kofta actually refers to the meat being ground versus in chunks.
I switched the bread crumbs for almond meal/flour to make it Paleo friendly, as well as only a slight variation on sizes/types of ingredients. The flavor on these was so tasty on their own but would also be great with a Tzaziki style dipping sauce. I just coated mine in Sriracha because everything is better with Sriracha. I served these with a grilled eggplant that was finished drizzled in olive oil, oregano, and grated parmesan. Delish!
Turkey Kofta Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ¼ cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch fresh herbs or parsley (I used basil and oregano)
- 2 tbsp almond meal (if you are not eating Paleo you can do bread crumbs)
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp coriander
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika (if you can’t find smoked paprika, regular paprika is okay)
- ¼ tsp chipotle powder (or chili powder)
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- Bamboo Skewers- soak ahead of time
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes so the flavors can meld together.
- Next, spoon into heaping tablespoon portions (about 1/8th cup size) and roll into little turkey logs or oval shapes.
- Roll all the ovals (I jokingly called them “turkey turds” as I was rolling them) until finished with the meat.
- Now, place two ovals onto each skewer. (presoak the skewers for at least 30 minutes).
- Preheat your grill to medium heat, about 350 degrees.
- Oil the grill grates so the turkey will not stick. Grill the meatballs on each side for about 3-4 minutes, or until nice char marks form. Kebabs are ready to pull off the grill when an internal read thermometer (I recommend the Thermapen) reads 170 degrees.
I served these kebabs with a grilled eggplant to continue the Mediterranean theme.
These would be great paired with a salad, your favorite veggies- the skys the limit here! What’s your favorite way to do meat on a stick?
I served these kebabs with grilled eggplant that were finished with olive oil, oregano, grated parm and sea salt and pepper. Quite the Mediterranean inspired meal!
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These look great, Robyn. We did a beef version that was very good but these turkey ones would give them a run for the money.
Robyn, did you see your recipe is in the June 2015 edition of “Martha Stewart Living” magazine page 85. She changed it up a little but looks pretty much like your recipe.