Mercimek Köftesi

Name: Mercimek Köftesi
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 1 cup Red Lentils; 2 cups Water; ½ cup Fine Bulgur; ½ Onion (finely chopped); 2 tbsp Tomato Paste; 3 tbsp Olive Oil; ¼ bunch Parsley (chopped); 1 tbsp Mint (chopped); 2 tbsp Lemon Juice; 1 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses; 1 tsp Salt; ½ tsp Black Pepper; 6 Lettuce Leaves; 2 Lemon Wedges

Chef DefneKitchen Studio chef · October 19, 2026

A popular Turkish vegetarian meze made from red lentils and fine bulgur, seasoned with herbs and spices. It's typically served as a cold appetizer or snack.

20 minPrep

5 minCook

2Servings

350 kcalCalories

Calories are an AI estimate, for information only.

Ingredients · 14

2 servings

Tap what you already have; add the rest to your list in the app with one tap.

Main Ingredients

Red Lentils1 cup
Water2 cups
Fine Bulgur½ cup

Flavor Base

Onionfinely chopped½
Tomato Paste2 tbsp
Olive Oil3 tbsp

Herbs and Seasoning

Parsleychopped¼ bunch
Mintchopped1 tbsp
Lemon Juice2 tbsp
Pomegranate Molasses1 tbsp
Salt1 tsp
Black Pepper½ tsp

For Serving

Lettuce Leaves6
Lemon Wedges2

Method · 6 steps

1
Rinse the red lentils and cook them in 2 cups of water until very soft, about 15-20 minutes. Drain any excess water.
2
While the lentils are still hot, stir in the fine bulgur. Cover and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes until the bulgur has absorbed the liquid and softened.
3
In a separate pan, sauté the finely chopped onion in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
4
Add the sautéed onion and tomato paste mixture to the lentil and bulgur mixture. Mix well.
5
Stir in the chopped parsley, mint, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined. You can shape the mixture by hand; if it's too sticky, add a little more fine bulgur.
6
Shape the mixture into small oval patties or balls. Serve cold on lettuce leaves with lemon wedges.