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    Home » Recipes

    Baked Mint Meatballs – Albanian Qofte

    Published: Feb 9, 2021 by Sonila · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

    • 10
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    One of my favorite dishes from my native country of Albania is Mint Meatballs made with ground beef. We call them qofte. These meatballs are usually fried but since having kids, I love to bake them because it seems a little healthier:).

    Albanian mint meatballs made with ground beef. These meatballs are called qofte and you see them served in a round platter garnished with fresh mint and a yogurt based dip.
    Baked Mint Meatballs (Albanian Qofte)

    Some links in my posts may be affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you purchase items by clicking on these links. I will always disclose when a product in a post has been gifted by a company as well as when a post or product is sponsored.

    All About Qoftes (Meatballs)

    Albanian Mint Meatballs with ground beef (or qofte) are a version of kofta. Koftas are known throughout Mediterranean, the Balkans, Middle East etc.

    We usually make these meatballs with ground beef, however there are versions with lamb, chicken, vegetables etc. The most common method of cooking the meatballs is to fry them. However, I’m getting used to having them baked as well. My paternal grandma was from the city of Gjirokastra in Albania and she made the best fried qofte!!

    How Do You Serve Qofte?

    Qoftes (Albanian meatballs) are one of the most versatile dishes you can make. Typically we serve them with a big salad, a yogurt based dip, bread etc. However, in my house I remember sometimes my mom would bake potatoes and qofte simultaneously. See a similar dish here that shows baked potatoes with chorizos.

    You can also serve these mint meatballs with spaghetti, either on their own or in a tomato based sauce.

    The beverage of choice for most Albanians when eating these meatballs is local beer. If you get to visit Albania definitely give Birra Korça, Birra Tirana and Birra Stela a try:).

    Baked Mint Meatballs (qofte) shown next to a big salad and pita bread, plus some serving platters in the background.
    Baked Mint Meatballs Served with Salad and Pita

    Tips & Notes

    If you are going to make these meatballs baked, roll the dough in your hands to make a round shape like a ball. However, if you’ll fry them, make the ball shape then flatten it and coat it in flour before frying to preserve the shape and create a crispy surface.

    Herbs – it’s very important to use fresh mint for these meatballs to give them that characteristic taste. You can use other herbs like parsley and oregano, those can be dry to fresh.

    Ground Beef – while lean ground beef is healthier, if you want a bit more flavor in these meatballs, try to use some ground beef with fat in them. Sometimes, I try to mitigate by adding a tablespoon of olive oil. It helps so the meatballs don’t come out dry.

    All ingredients in a ball before mixing them up. You can see ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, onions, herbs and garlic.
    Qofte Ingredients

    Bread crumbs – it’s important to add some bread crumbs to these mint meatballs. They help the meatballs not crumble and hold the shape. I love the balance they provide to the taste too. My grandma used to add 1 slice of bread in water before making meatballs, then squeeze it in her hand before adding to the bowl.

    Unbaked mint meatballs before going in the oven. They're lined up in a tray.
    Unbaked meatballs before going in the oven
    Qofte - mint meatballs in a platter, garnished with mint and yogurt dip.

    Baked Mint Meatballs – Albanian Qofte

    These baked mint meatballs with ground beef are a version of a traditional Albanian recipe called Qofte which is derivative of kafta. Serve qofte with salad, bread and a yogurt based dip.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Chilling time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 55 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Albanian, Mediterranean
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 416 kcal

    Equipment

    • Food processor

    Ingredients
      

    • 1.5 lbs ground beef
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
    • 1 bunch parsley about half cup chopped fresh parsley
    • 7-8 mint leaves
    • 1 red onion
    • 0.5 cup bread crumbs or 1-2 slices of bread
    • 5 garlic cloves if using minced garlic, use 1 tsp
    • 0.5 tsp salt adjust to taste
    • 0.5 tsp black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Mince garlic, chop onion, chop parsley and mint.
    • Mix thawed ground beef, eggs, olive oil, garlic, onion, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, parsley and mint together. Mix thoroughly until you create a dough like substance. Cover bowl with plastic.
    • Refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors really mix together. Pre-heat oven to 400 degreed Fahrenheit
    • Create small balls with your hands out of the dough. Line them up in a baking sheet. I prefer using parchment paper on the baking sheet.
    • Bake for about 40 minutes. Let cool.
    • Serve with salad and your side of choice. Garnish with additional mint leaves if desired. Enjoy:)

    Video

    Nutrition Label

    Nutrition Facts
    Baked Mint Meatballs – Albanian Qofte
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 416 Calories from Fat 243
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 27g42%
    Saturated Fat 10g63%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 135mg45%
    Sodium 429mg19%
    Potassium 460mg13%
    Carbohydrates 16g5%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 2g2%
    Protein 24g48%
    Vitamin A 931IU19%
    Vitamin C 15mg18%
    Calcium 87mg9%
    Iron 4mg22%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 416kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 24gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 429mgPotassium: 460mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 931IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 87mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword Albanian qofte, Mediterranean meatballs, Mint meatballs, qofte
    Tried this recipe?Mention @mediterranean_latin_love or tag #mediterraneanlatinloveaffair!

    If you would like to save this recipe for later, please save the below image to your boards in Pinterest. Let me know in comments if you have any questions. Feel free to contact me in social media too, especially if you want to show off pictures of your version of this dish:)). Thank you for reading my post!!

    Instagram: mediterranean_latin_love or Twitter: MediterrLatin or Facebook: Mediterranean Latin Love Affair.

    Baked Mint Meatballs – Albanian Qofte

    More Albanian Recipes

    Well, if you like Albanian recipes I have plenty of those:)). Here are some of them but there’s whole gallery you can choose from under Recipes tab.

    • Albanian Stuffed Peppers
    • Albanian Tarator
    • Tavë Kosi
    • Albanian Home Bread

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    • 10

    Filed Under: Albanian, Main Dishes, Mediterranean Food, Recipes

    About Sonila

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anindya Sundar Basu

      March 22, 2021 at 6:20 am

      5 stars
      In Indian cuisine we have different types of Qofte/ Koftay and I will definitely try this one as you have mentioned in the recipe. Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe., I am excited about the mint leaves used here.

      Reply
    2. Deborah

      March 17, 2021 at 12:06 pm

      5 stars
      This meatballs looks so yummy! I, too, prefer baking my meatballs rather than frying them. It’s so easy, too! I bet these would be really good with ground lamb. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    3. Jacqueline Debono

      March 17, 2021 at 5:06 am

      5 stars
      These Albanian meatballs have quite similar ingredients to Italian polpette, except for the mint! I can imagine how flavourful fresh mint makes these! Wonderful with a yogurt dip! On my to make list!

      Reply
    4. LaRena Fry

      March 16, 2021 at 11:11 pm

      5 stars
      These meatballs sound a little like kefta meatballs. They look so beautiful with all those herbs inside. YUM!

      Reply
    5. Shikha

      March 16, 2021 at 9:23 am

      5 stars
      We too call meatballs “koftas” just the difference in spelling.

      Use of mint is perfect in koftas.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        March 16, 2021 at 9:30 am

        Yes, several countries make them and the methods are slightly different in each but always the end product is amazing:). I love them especially as finger food in different countries. The gril they use in the food trucks makes them crispy on the outsides and soft inside. Just perfect!!

        Reply
    6. Cooking Coders

      March 16, 2021 at 12:51 am

      5 stars
      I hate boring meatballs, but these look like they are packed with so much flavor and juiciness! I cannot wait to give these a try.

      Reply
    7. Angela

      March 15, 2021 at 10:18 pm

      5 stars
      The unique flavors in these meatballs are amazing!

      Reply
    8. Beth

      March 15, 2021 at 9:19 pm

      5 stars
      These look absolutely perfectly browned, and the mint sounds arormatic and exotic in these meatballs.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        March 16, 2021 at 7:24 am

        Definitely the mint makes all the difference:). Thank you Beth!

        Reply

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    Sonila Zarate
    Sonila Zarate

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

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