Here’s A Simple Kotleti Recipe For Flavorful Eastern European Meat Patties!
If you are looking for a hearty, meaty dish that is easy to make, you will love Kotleti! These flattened meat patties can be made from any type of ground meat, mixed with egg, bread, onion, and spices, and fried in a pan until golden and crispy.
Kotleti are a traditional dish in Russia and Ukraine, but a very similar recipe is also found in Poland (called kotlety mielone and often made with ground pork).
You can serve Kotleti with rice, potatoes, and some vegetables or salad on the side.
Kotleti are also similar to other meat patties that can be found in various European countries, such as Frikadellen in Germany (usually made with pork and beef) and Keftedes in Greece (usually made with lamb or beef, and seasoned with mint, parsley, and oregano).
Ingredients
Here are the Kotleti ingredients that you will need to make this recipe:
- Ground meat – You can make kotleti with any kind of ground meat like chicken, turkey, pork or beef. You can also use a mixture, such as ground pork and beef. This recipe uses ground turkey.
- Onion – One white or yellow onion, finely chopped.
- Egg – Acts as a binder.
- Oil – For frying. Use a neutral-tasting oil such as vegetable, sunflower, or canola oil.
- Salt – To enhance the overall flavor. Adjust to taste.
- Coriander – Optional; adds extra flavor. You can substitute it with other herbs or spices of your choice.
- Granulated garlic – Adds a hint of garlic flavor.
- Milk – Adds moisture.
- White bread – Alternatively you can use unseasoned breadcrumbs.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
Before you dive into this easy kotleti recipe, read through these tips and substitution options to make sure the patties turn out delicious:
- As mentioned, you can use ground meat of your choice. Using ground meat with some fat will make the patties juicier.
- You can also add other ingredients to the meat mixture, such as chopped lard (for extra juiciness), grated potatoes, spices, fresh herbs, cottage cheese, grated cheese, or mushrooms.
- You can soak the bread in the milk before shredding it. This works best with stale bread.
- The patties should all be about the same size so they cook evenly.
- You can freeze the meat patties either before or after cooking them.
- Sometimes, the fried kotleti are simmered in a tomato and vegetable sauce, with or without sour cream.
How to Make Kotleti – Step by Step Instructions
In this section, we’ll show you exactly how to make Kotleti from scratch. You will find all the recipe process photos so that you can follow along at home and track your progress.
Of course, you can also find the recipe card with all the details at the end of this post!
First, add the ground meat, egg, salt, granulated garlic, and ground coriander to a large bowl.
Next, cut off the crusts from the bread slices. Then crumble the bread either by hand or in a blender or food processor.
Add the bread pieces to the bowl with the meat mixture and pour in the milk. Now also add the finely chopped onion. Mix everything thoroughly until well combined.
With wet hands, shape the meat mixture into small oval or round kotleti (about 2 inches wide or 3 inches long).
Heat some oil in a frying pan over low heat and add some of the patties to the pan. Fry over low heat for 5 minutes on one side.
Then flip the patties over and cover the pan with a lid. Fry them on the other side for another 4 minutes or until cooked through.
You can add a small amount of water – then the crust of the cutlets will be softer, but the patties will also be juicier and softer inside.
Transfer the cooked patties to a plate or bowl and remove any remaining ground meat and water from the pan. Then repeat the frying process until all the meat mixture is used up.
You can serve the kotleti with pasta, rice or potatoes, as well as vegetables and salad. You can also serve them with sauces of your choice. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
If you have leftover kotleti, you store them in a sealed container or wrapped in aluminum foil in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
You can easily reheat refrigerated kotleti by pan frying them on low with a bit of oil, in the air fryer at a low temperature like 280 degrees Fahrenheit, or in the oven (if you have a large batch leftover to reheat).
FAQ
Kotleti are a type of flattened meat patties (cutlets) of Russian/Ukrainian origin. They are pan-fried and can be served with various sides or eaten on their own. Kotlety – or Kotlety mielone – are a similar recipe from Poland.
Kotleti can be made from any kind of ground meat. Beef and pork are popular, as are chicken, turkey, veal, or a combination of meats. They also include egg, onion, bread, and spices. Some variations may add other ingredients, such as cheese, mushrooms, potatoes, or lard to the meat mixture.
Related Recipes
If you liked these Kotleti, here are some more meat-based Ukrainian recipes that you may like as well.
- Kruchenyky (Meat Rolls with Mushrooms)
- Sicheniki (Ukrainian Chicken Patties)
- Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls
- Chicken Kiev Recipe
- Grechanyky (Ukrainian Meatballs)
Kotleti
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground meat, see notes
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons oil, for frying
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander, ground (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 slices white bread
Instructions
- Add the ground meat, egg, salt, granulated garlic, and ground coriander to a large bowl.1 1/2 pounds ground meat, 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Cut off the crusts from the bread slices. Crumble the bread by hand or in a blender or food processor. Add the bread pieces to the bowl with the meat mixture and pour in the milk. Also add the finely chopped onion. Mix everything thoroughly until well combined.1/3 cup milk, 2 slices white bread, 1 yellow onion
- With your wet hands, shape the meat mixture into small oval or round kotleti (about 2 inches wide or 3 inches long).
- Heat some oil in a frying pan over low heat and place some of the patties in the pan. Fry over low heat for 5 minutes on one side. Then flip the patties over and cover the pan with a lid. Fry them for another 4 minutes on the other side or until fully cooked. You can add a small amount of water – then the crust of the cutlets will be softer, but the patties will also turn out juicier and softer inside.
- Transfer the cooked patties to a plate or bowl and remove any remaining ground meat and water from the pan. Then repeat the frying process until all the meat mixture is used up.
- You can serve the kotleti with pasta, rice or potatoes, as well as vegetables and salad.
Notes
- Kotleti can be made with any type of ground meat. Chicken and turkey kotleti are often prepared for children. The most popular version is probably made with ground pork and beef. We used ground turkey.
- You can also add other ingredients to the meat mixture, such as chopped lard (for extra juiciness), grated potatoes, spices, fresh herbs, cottage cheese, grated cheese, or mushrooms.
- The patties should all be about the same size so they cook evenly.
- You can freeze the kotleti either before or after cooking.
- Sometimes, people simmer the fried kotleti in a tomato and vegetable sauce, with or without sour cream.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
