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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Beef Kotleti (Cutlets)

    Author: Peter Kolesnichenko · Published: Jun 10, 2016 · Modified: Nov 12, 2021

    Jump to Recipe

    Kotleti (Котлеты) or Beef Cutlets are a staple in the Russian kitchen. An easy weeknight dinner recipe that's ready in 45 minutes. Comfort food that's tender and juicy, sure to be a hit with your family.

    Kotleti rustic Russian comfort food - Beef meat patties, tender and juicy served alongside potatoes and gravy. These beef cutlets are like mini Russian burgers that your kids will love. (Котлеты)
    kotleti ingredients in a bowl
    kotleti patties ready for frying

    Every Russian and Ukrainian family eats Kotleti Meat Patties (Котлеты), which are everyone's childhood favorite. I remember coming home after school when mom was preparing dinner, and I always snuck in a few as a snack.

    What are Kotleti?

    Kotleti are pan fried meat patties that are usually made from ground beef. Really this recipe can be made with any ground meat, and not only beef. Chicken and pork are quite common, ground turkey or even mixtures of your favorite ground meats.

    They are part of the croquettes and cutlets style of food. If you think about it, Cutlets is the plural form of the word Cutlet. It's where Kotleti get their name from. Kotlet is the singular form of the word Kotleti. It's just like saying 'cutlet' with a Russian accent. 🤣 So we are eating Russian Cutlets. Kotleti are like a cross between meatballs, hamburgers and rissoles. Some people call them Russian hamburgers, they just aren't eaten the same way.

    Potatoes in Kotleti

    Potato isn't always added to Kotleti, but it's one of the ways my mom would make them. It's nice to have variation in your recipes. I find grated potato makes Kotleti juicier, which is the secret ingredient. Without potatoes, sometimes beef cutlets can be like hockey pucks. Well that might be a bit dramatic, but the potato definitely adds juiciness and makes them less dense. Adding potatoes are optional.

    After grating the potato, squeeze excess juices from the potato before mixing to the meat. You can also finely chop the grated potato, so it isn't as visible in your patties. I think it's has harder to evenly cook bigger pieces of potato, so stick to the grating. Most important, remember to squeeze the grated potatoes before adding them into your meat mixture.

    making kotleti, dusting in flour
    frying kotleti in a pan

    Breadcrumbs or Flour?

    Traditionally a few pieces of stale, dry bread pieces, called suhari, are soaked in milk and mixed into the ground beef. Suhari is a fancy name for old dry bread. Drying bread like suhari extends the shelf life, and you use it in recipes like this one. However, it's easier to buy bread crumbs.

    My mom and babushka usually lightly coated the cutlets in flour before frying. If you prefer you can coat them in bread crumbs as well. Breadcrumbs might look a bit nicer on your plate if serving, and flour is a bit more a rustic style patty. Both ways are delicious.

    How to Make Kotleti

    • Mix together ground beef, onion, garlic, grated potato, bread crumbs, egg, parsley and seasonings
    • Form the meat into oval or round patties and flatten with your hands
    • Lightly coat in flour (shake off excess flour)
    • Fry in oil until golden brown and cooked on both sides

    Can You Bake Cutlets?

    For a healthier version of these meat patties cutlets, some people prefer to bake them in the oven. If baking, I would skip dusting them in flour, but lightly spray with cooking oil so they crisp up. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat oven to 375°F/190°C and bake them for about 30 minutes. Remember to flip them halfway through the cooking process.

    Kotleti rustic Russian comfort food - Beef meat patties, tender and juicy served alongside potatoes and gravy. These beef cutlets are like mini Russian burgers that your kids will love. (Котлеты)

    How to Serve Kotleti

    Kotleti are commonly served potatoes and side salad, as part of an easy comfort food meal. It's also can be served with a podlivka (which is a Russian gravy) alongside a starch, like mashed potatoes or a pasta. My mum always made these Kotleti with a Podlivka Gravy over Pasta Spirals, which is like a comfort food to me now.

    • Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
    • Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Cream
    • Russian Meatballs with Gravy (Kotleti with Podliva)
    • Russian Fried Potatoes

    So many ways to enjoy these Russian Meatball Patties! They're are great as a snack, an entree, with gravy, or even in a slider burger. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!

    Kotleti rustic Russian comfort food - Beef meat patties, tender and juicy served alongside potatoes and gravy. These beef cutlets are like mini Russian burgers that your kids will love. (Котлеты)

    Kotleti Meat Patties (Котлеты)

    Kotleti rustic Russian and Slavic comfort food - Beef meat patties, tender and juicy served alongside potatoes and gravy. These beef cutlets are like mini Russian burgers that your kids will love. (Котлеты)
    3 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Course: Dinner, Main
    Cuisine: Russian, Slavic, Ukrainian
    Keyword: beef cutlets, kotleti
    Servings: 6 people

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds /1kg ground beef
    • 2 medium onions grated or finely chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 medium potato peeled, grated and squeezed
    • 1 cup of breadcrumbs
    • 1 egg
    • 4 tablespoons parsley chopped
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 cup flour for coating kotleti
    • ½ cup oil sunflower or vegetable oil

    Instructions

    • Using your hands, mix together ground beef, grated onion, garlic, grated potato, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, salt and pepper. After you grate the potato, squeeze out the excess potato juice before mixing to the meat mixture.
    • Form the meat patties using your hands. Make them into a tight ball (like a snowball), and slightly flatten with your hands into a patty, keeping the edges rounded and width uniform throughout. Put on a plate or tray, ready for frying.
    • Lightly coat the kotleti in flour before frying. Don't allow thick clumps of flour on the patties, or it will burn and fall into the oil. Gently shake excess flour off the kotleti.
    • Heat oil into a frying pan until hot on medium-high. Fry kotleti golden brown and cooked on both sides. (approx 4 minutes per side).
    • Serve alongside mashed potatoes and gravy.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @petersfoodadventures or tag #petersfoodadventures!

    ©PetersFoodAdventures.com

    Kotleti rustic Russian comfort food - Beef meat patties, tender and juicy served alongside potatoes and gravy. These beef cutlets are like mini Russian burgers that your kids will love. (Котлеты)
    Kotleti rustic Russian comfort food - Beef meat patties, tender and juicy served alongside potatoes and gravy. These beef cutlets are like mini Russian burgers that your kids will love. (Котлеты)

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. techlazy.com

      April 15, 2017 at 8:10 pm

      5 stars
      Can’t wait to try the recipes for Passover!! Thanks for the great recipes. I appreciate it so much!!

      Reply
    2. jorge

      October 08, 2016 at 6:46 pm

      missing those kotlets for a long time since comeback from russia more than 35 years.
      with your recept just finish eating them

      Reply
      • PetersFoodAdventures

        October 08, 2016 at 9:50 pm

        Wow, that's a long time! So glad you could enjoy them again! Thanks for checking out my recipe!

        Reply
    3. Lynne (Lynne's Recipe Trails)

      June 10, 2016 at 1:21 am

      Oh, I definitely am making these ! I love the idea of the added potato 🙂 . My mom always used to add the bread soaked in milk or breadcrumbs when she made 'rissoles' or meatballs...a very good trick. In the good old days, from my grandmother's days, it was said to 'stretch the meal'. No matter what the reason, it always worked well, and always a lovely meal to be had. 🙂

      Reply
      • PetersFoodAdventures

        June 10, 2016 at 1:28 am

        Thanks Lynne, I love it with potato, so good, and somehow softer to eat. I suspect that using the bread soaked in bread gave purpose to using dry bread, plus stretching the meal further. All good ideas when you have hungry mouths to feed! Blogging makes me hungry, It's all gone now and want to make more 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂

        Reply

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