Adana Meatballs

By Sue Li

Updated May 28, 2025

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(665)
Comments
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These meatballs are a take on classic Turkish kebabs in which the ground meat mixture is usually skewered and grilled. Here, the mixture is bulked up with bell peppers and onions — which keeps the meatballs plump and moist — and spiced with cumin, then formed into orbs and baked for a quick weeknight or even party-night meal. The ground meat option is flexible: Using all beef is a great option, rather than using half beef and half lamb. (But don’t swap in ground chicken or turkey, because both have added water and the mixture will be too wet to form meatballs.) You can serve the spread of meatballs, garlicky yogurt and herb salad alongside warm pita bread for guests to make their own sandwiches, or with fluffy rice.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 entrée servings or 6 appetizer servings (including 24 meatballs)

  • 1 small red bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced, divided

  • 5 garlic cloves, divided

  • ½ pound ground lamb

  • ½ pound ground beef

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin 

  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more as needed

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

  • 2 cups parsley leaves and tender stems

  • 1 cup mint leaves

  • 2 teaspoons sumac

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

2 grams carbs; 15 milligrams cholesterol; 90 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 121 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In the bowl of a food processor, combine the bell pepper with half the sliced onions and 4 of the garlic cloves; pulse just until the vegetables are finely chopped but not puréed.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and add the lamb, beef, cumin, crushed red pepper, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix the ingredients with your hands or a flexible spatula until thoroughly combined. (The vegetables will be watery after they are chopped in a food processor, so you want to make sure the meat mixture is combined very well, until it’s almost sticking to the bowl as you mix.)

  4. Step 4

    Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the parchment with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Using lightly oiled hands, form about 24 small meatballs (roughly 1 heaping tablespoon each) and place on the oiled parchment, spaced about 1 inch apart. Transfer the meatballs to the oven and bake until they are golden brown and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    While the meatballs bake, in a small serving bowl, whisk together the yogurt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Grate in the remaining garlic clove, season with salt and set aside for serving.

  6. Step 6

    Soak the remaining sliced onion in a medium bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain, dry thoroughly with paper towels and transfer to a large bowl. Add the parsley, mint, sumac, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, and season with salt. Toss to combine and transfer to a serving bowl.

  7. Step 7

    Serve the meatballs with the salad and garlic yogurt.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
665 user ratings
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Comments

JohnnytheCook

I followed the recipe exactly as written and was really pleased with the results. I served it alongside the included salad and yogurt sauce, which complemented the main dish perfectly. To round out the meal, I added some crumbled feta, lightly steamed green beans, fluffy rice, warm pita bread, and fresh watermelon slices.

SD mom

Baking köfte (meatballs) is unusual in Turkish cooking but this recipe turned out great and it’s a healthier, less messy and convenient alternative. I served it over jasmine rice. Sumac is key to the onion garnish. Watermelon to finish the meal. Whole family was happy.

LiaPet

Really good! Grilled instead of baking, the smoky flavor added a nice note. For the onions, I did not add the herbs. Served with a chickpea, avocado, tomatoe and cucumber salad (added the herbs here) and homemade pita.

Elaine K.

Since the type of salt was not specified, I used table salt in the meatballs. I should have used 1 teaspoon instead of 2 teaspoons. As I bit into a meatball, first I tasted salt, then hot pepper and then the meat mixture. As I ate, my mouth got used to the salt and it was better but this was too much salt.

Marjorie

I can't imagine using a food processor for peppers and onions except in a gazpacho. A good knife is the way to go for this recipe.

MN Home Cook

Possible additions and subs: minced fresh parsley; roasted garlic ( 1 - 2 cloves ); ground alleppo pepper and / or smoked paprika in place of red pepper flakes to reduce heat.

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