Slow-Cooker Kofte in Tomato-Lime Broth

By Ali Slagle

Updated April 6, 2022

Slow-Cooker Kofte in Tomato-Lime Broth
Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
4 hours 10 minutes
Rating
4(961)
Comments
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While you’re at the beach, at work or doing anything at all, these bright, light, brothy meatballs can be stewing in the slow cooker. They are made in the style of kofte (from the Persian word meaning “grind”), in which ground meat is combined with lots of herbs and ground spices. Yogurt adds moisture and tang, but you don’t need another binder or to brown the meat first. As the meatballs slowly cook, their juices mingle with the tomatoes to create a rich but tart broth. Eat with grains (bulgur wheat, farro, rice), couscous, noodles or pita. For a stovetop version, see the Tip.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1lime
  • 4garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 1cup chopped dill, mint, parsley or a combination, plus more for serving
  • ½cup full-fat Greek yogurt (about 4 ounces)
  • 1½teaspoons ground turmeric or another warm spice, like baharat, paprika, cumin, coriander, allspice or a mix
  • Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
  • 2pounds ground lamb, beef, turkey or a combination
  • 3pints cherry or Sungold tomatoes (about 30 ounces)
  • Granulated sugar, to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

289 calories; 10 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 36 grams protein; 792 milligrams sodium

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

    Use a vegetable peeler to peel the rind off the lime in wide strips. Add the rind to a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, along with the garlic and ¼ cup water. (Reserve the lime.)

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, stir together the herbs, yogurt, turmeric, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add the meat and use your hands to combine. Form the meat into 8 balls (roughly 4½ ounces each) and add to the slow cooker in a single layer. If they don’t fit in one layer, add a few tomatoes to buffer the meatballs from one another, then add another layer of meatballs. Add the cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, then cover and cook on low until the meatballs are cooked through, 3 to 4 hours.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer the meatballs to plates, then remove and discard the garlic and lime peel. Burst most of the tomatoes by smashing them on the side of the slow cooker with a spoon. Squeeze the reserved lime into the slow cooker, then season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar. (The sugar helps compensate for too-tart tomatoes.) Spoon the tomatoes and broth on top of the meatballs, along with more fresh herbs.

Tip
  • To make this dish on the stovetop, cook the tomato sauce first (follow the timing in step 3 here), then add the meatballs and cover to cook through.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
961 user ratings
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Comments

Luxi

Does anyone have any tips on how long this might take an Instant Pot?

JE

Very good. Did not have cherry tomatoes on hand, so used a can of diced tomatoes. Added an egg to the meat mixture because I like my meatballs to not fall apart. When my son arrived, he said it smelled amazing walking up to the house.

Mildred P.

I made this tonight and while it didn't rock my world, it was easy and very tasty; the husband and teen boys liked it a lot and cleaned their plates. I used even amounts of mint, parsley and dill for the herbs; and allspice, turmeric and paprika for the spices. Served with couscous and topped with roasted pine nuts. Next time, I may skin and half some roma tomatoes instead of using the cherry ones, just to have less skin to contend with. Will definitely make again as a weeknight dinner.

Jaimee

FUN and delicious!

Liz

great recipe, broth tastes excellent used non fat yogurt and added egg to meat mixture did 1.5 times spice include coriander, cumin, turmeric

Susan

I made this last night, it was delicious! I made it with lamb, which released a lot of fat during cooking, so I used a slotted spoon to grab the tomatoes out of the slow cooker, then added the lime juice and mashed them, which made a lovely, jammy sauce for the kofte.

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