Turkey Kofte with Sumac Onions
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Turkey Kofte with Sumac Onions Recipe
Updated October 2025
At a Glance
Turkey kofte is a Turkish-style spiced meatball or kebab made with ground turkey, onions, herbs, and warm spices. It’s shaped into patties or oblong shapes and can be grilled, baked, or pan-seared. This is a leaner version of traditional kofte that’s served with sumac onions, a Turkish-style salad.
Turkey Kofte with Sumac Onions
Juicy, lean, and flavourful, this healthy recipe is full of lean protein and wholesome ingredients. Inspired by traditional Turkish or Middle Eastern kofte, this turkey kofte recipe is made on the grill and ready in just 30 minutes. Serve with sumac onions as well as your favourite Middle Eastern sides for a globally-inspired dish the whole family can enjoy!
What is Kofte?
Kofte (also sometimes spelled “kofta” or “köfte”) is a variety of meatballs commonly found in Middle Eastern cuisines. The word comes from the Persian word “kūfta”, meaning “to grind”. Since these meatballs are made with ground meat, the variation on the word makes a lot of sense.
For these kofte, we’ve chosen ground turkey. A lean source of protein, it’s combined with onion, parsley, egg, breadcrumbs, and seasoning for these tender, juicy patties. If you don’t like turkey, you can also use ground beef, ground lamb, or a mixture of the two in this kofte recipe. (Ground chicken can also be used for a leaner protein source.)
How to Cook Kofte
For this turkey kofte recipe, we’ve opted to cook them on the grill over medium-high heat. Shaped into oblong patties, this is a simple convenient method of cooking when the weather allows it.
However, if you don’t have access to a grill (or simply don’t feel confident using one), there are other ways to cook this traditionally inspired Turkish dish.
- Oven: Preheat your oven to 450° If using wooden skewers for kebabs, soak them in water for 20 minutes. (This will prevent them from burning in the oven.) You can also simply shape them into patties as we’ve done in this recipe. Brush a wire rack with oil. Load meat mixture onto skewers and place skewers on top of wire rack on aluminum-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through (the ideal temperature will vary based on which meat you use). Remove from oven and tent skewers or patties loosely with foil for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- Stove Top: Heat cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add seasoned kofte patties and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through.
Ingredients in Kofte
Ground Turkey: With its lean protein and accessibility for most diets, we’ve opted to use ground turkey in this recipe. If you’d prefer to use a different ground meat, you can do that, too! Ground beef, ground lamb, and even ground chicken can be used in this kofte recipe.
Onion: A flavour bomb, we love using onion in this recipe. You can use either red or white onion. Want to avoid onion tears and get finely diced onion at the same time? Grating onion is an easy cooking hack!
Breadcrumbs: A binding agent for these turkey kofte meatballs, we used Farm Boy™ Panko Breadcrumbs in this recipe. They’re light, crispy, and don’t make these kofte dry or too heavy.
Sumac: Sumac is a seasoning that’s popular in Middle Eastern recipes. It has a tangy flavour with an earthy sweetness and notes of floral and citrus. There is really no other seasoning that compares, so we highly recommend picking it up.
Paprika: A mild spice with a lighter flavour, you can substitute this ingredient for smoked paprika or chili powder if you don’t have regular paprika on hand.
Cumin: Smoky and earthy, cumin adds depth to these turkey kofte. Faintly peppery, this spice is a common ingredient in chilis, curry powders, and other dishes in Middle Eastern cuisines.
Parsley: Light and herbaceous, parsley provides a fresh note to this recipe. Be sure to use the fresh version rather than the dried variety.
What to Serve with Turkey Kofte
Tzatziki: Instead of finishing this recipe with Greek yogurt, you can try tzatziki instead. Cool and creamy, our Tzatziki is made with sour cream, cucumber, garlic, and mint. We like it dolloped on top of the turkey kofte or spread along the inside of our Flame Baked Original Naan when making a wrap.
Grilled Eggplant Salad: If you’re already firing up the grill to make this recipe, why not use it to make a side dish, too? A grilled eggplant salad would be a delicious side. Simply grill a whole eggplant until the skin begins to blister, scrape out the insides, and season with red wine vinegar, garlic, olive oil, and fresh chopped parsley. This salad can be served warm, cold, or room temperature.
Tabbouleh: Bright, refreshing, and herbaceous, tabbouleh compliments the rich flavours of this kofte beautifully. Our Tabouleh is made fresh daily in small batches. This authentic parsley salad is filled with tomatoes, onions, lemon, and cracked wheat. It’s hearty and nourishing, but not too heavy. It works as both a side and an ingredient in transforming this kofte into wraps. It’s an internationally inspired dish we think you’ll love!
Pilaf: We love a starchy side to accompany turkey kofte. While rice pilaf is a traditional choice, we’ve put a fresh twist on classic pilaf. We have two different recipes that would both work wonderfully with this dish. Our Festive Quinoa Pilaf is made with fibre-filled quinoa and seasoned with garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and sage. It’s finished with toasted pecans, pomegranate arils, and goat cheese. Or, perhaps you’d like to try our Jewelled Mixed Grain Pilaf. This dish is made with barley, farro, quinoa, and wild rice before being finished with dried apricots, golden raisins, roasted pistachios, pomegranate arils, and goat cheese. Whichever you choose would take this kofte recipe from an easy weeknight meal to dinner party-ready.
Fattoush Salad: A Lebanese salad that’s bursting with crisp veggies, fresh herbs, and fried pita bread chips, Fattoush Salad is a natural companion to turkey kofte. It’s light, crunchy, and incredibly easy to make, and seasoned with spices similar to the ones used in this recipe.
Baba Ganoush: Baba ganoush is a Middle Eastern-style dip made from roasted eggplant. It has a rich, smoky taste that isn’t prevalent in a lot of other dips, making it a must-try. Our Baba Ganoush is made with simple ingredients like eggplant, tahini, lemon, sea salt, and garlic. Enjoy it on the side of this kofte paired with pita, chips, or fresh veggies.
Sumac Onions: The side we’ve made for this kofte recipe is sumac onions. These seasoned red onions are a simple, no-cook side option that’s part salad and part pickle. They have a bright, punchy, tangy flavour and are a classic Turkish side dish. Simply mix the ingredients listed below for sumac onions and allow to marinate for 5 or so minutes until the flavours meld. Sumac onions are also a great condiment for burgers, shawarma, sandwiches, and wraps.
More Turkey Recipes from Farm Boy
Looking for more recipes made with turkey? Check out any of the dishes below!
Homemade Turkey Barley Noodle Soup
Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Kale
Turkish Style Stuffed Vegetables
Holiday Turkey, Brie, & Cranberry Melt
Savoury Turkey, Mushrooms, and Greens Crêpes
Turkey Satay with Creamy Peanut Sauce
More Middle Eastern-Inspired Recipes from Farm Boy
Looking for more Middle Eastern-inspired recipes? Check out any of the dishes below!
Grilled Halloumi with Figs and Honey
Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Spicy Toum
Vegan Roasted Red Pepper & Harissa Dip
Ingredients
- Turkey Kofte
- 900 g ground turkey or ground lamb, ground beef, or ground chicken
- 1/3 cup grated white or red onion
- ¾ cup Farm Boy™ Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ Tbsp Farm Boy™ Sumac Seasoning
- 2 tsp Farm Boy™ Organic Paprika
- 1 tsp Farm Boy™ Organic Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp chopped parsley
- Sumac Onions
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onions
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tsp Farm Boy™ Sumac Seasoning
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- Toppings
- 4 Lebanese cucumbers cut into spears
- 2 ripe heirloom tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1 cup Farm Boy™ Organic Plain Yogurt
- 1 pack Farm Boy™ Flame Baked Original Naan
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, grated onion, Farm Boy™ Panko Breadcrumbs, Farm Boy™ Sumac Seasoning, Farm Boy™ Organic Paprika, Farm Boy™ Organic Ground Cumin, salt, pepper, egg, olive oil, and chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly, until mixture is uniform and sticky, about 8 minutes. (Alternatively, you can use a hand blender to mix.)
- Portion meat into individual oblong-shaped patties, about 2” long and ½” thick. Place patties in refrigerator while you prepare the sumac onions and ready the grill.
- Preheat grill over medium-high heat.
- While grill is heating, in another medium bowl, combine sliced red onions with chopped parsley, Farm Boy™ Sumac Seasoning, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
- Grease grill grates and remove patties from fridge. Cook patties on grill for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook on the second side until internal temperature reaches 160°F. Remove patties from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve patties while still warm on warmed Farm Boy™ Original Flame Baked Naan. Top with sumac onions, cucumber spears, and tomato slices. Drizzle with Farm Boy™ Organic Plain Yogurt and serve immediately.