🥬 Lentil köfte

Name: Lentil köfte
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Turkey
Ingredients: 200 g red lentils; 150 g fine bulgur; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chili flakes; 1 bunch parsley and 4 spring onions, chopped; Juice of 1 lemon, salt; Lettuce leaves to serve

Origin: Turkey

330kcal

per serving · 200 g

165kcal

per 100 g

14 gProtein7 g / 100 g

9 gFat4.5 g / 100 g

48 gCarbs24 g / 100 g

Mercimek köftesi are soft, vegan patties of red lentils and fine bulgur, kneaded with sautéed onion, tomato paste, spices and plenty of parsley. The patties themselves are not fried: the hot lentils simply soften the bulgur. The mixture is shaped by hand into small ovals, and they are eaten wrapped in lettuce leaves with a squeeze of lemon, as a meze or light meal.

Diets

✓

Vegetarianno meat or fish in a typical recipe

✓

Veganno meat, fish or animal products in a typical recipe

✓

No pork

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

Contains glutenbecause of: bulgur

Not keto24 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Gluten

What it is made of

red lentilsbulguroniontomato pasteparsley

Recipe

6 servings50 min

Ingredients

200 g red lentils
150 g fine bulgur
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chili flakes
1 bunch parsley and 4 spring onions, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, salt
Lettuce leaves to serve

Method

Simmer the lentils in 600 ml water for 15 minutes until soft and the water is absorbed.
Take off the heat, stir in the bulgur, cover and leave for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile fry the onion in the oil until soft, then stir in the tomato paste and spices.
Knead the onion mixture into the lentils and bulgur, then add the herbs, lemon juice and salt.
Shape into small oval patties and serve on lettuce leaves with lemon.

How to make it lighter

Cut the oil to one tablespoon — each tablespoon is about 120 kcal.
Wrap each köfte in a large lettuce leaf to add volume without many calories.
Count portions: 4–5 small köfte make a sensible serving.

History

Lentil köfte is a home-style dish of modern Turkish cooking, often made for women's gatherings, picnics and as a meatless alternative to raw çiğ köfte. No reliable record of its first appearance exists; today it is a staple of Turkish home cooking and meze tables.

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Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →