I've Tried Something New - Kotlyeti / Roly Polies

This isn’t a vegetable. But trying something new isn’t only about vegetables – it’s about, well, trying something new. I am always on the lookout for new protein recipes that my kids might enjoy since they are pretty good at eating veggies, rice and pasta, but not so good with meat, fish and chicken.


This recipe for Kotlyeti is of Russian origin and was introduced to my kids by my sister. The Kotlyeti, in this version, is basically a meatball made with ground turkey and then lightly breaded. The fun part is that they are easy for little fingers to pick up and eat without a fork. Of course my daughter likes to dip them in ketchup. Now she jumps up and down in her seat with excitement when she sees me bringing Kotlyeti to the table. My son, on the other hand, ate them the first couple of times at my sister’s house but at home with me, he won’t touch them. If I put one on his plate he picks it up, carefully places it on the table, gives it a push, and then watches it roll off the edge of the table onto the floor. Good luck!

Kotlyeti  (My daughter also likes to call them Roly Polies after her favorite bug.)

2 lbs turkey
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or a few sprinkles of garlic powder)
A handful of chop dill – optional
1 tbsp. paprika - optional
1 egg, beaten
Mix in 1 tsp salt and some pepper

Mix in some breadcrumbs (instead of breadcrumbs I usually soak about ½ cup of cheerios or similar whole grain cereal in a bowl of water until they soften and then drain the water)
Mix ingredients well with your hands;
Form into balls or patties and dip your hands into a bowl of water and smooth them all over so there's no cracks (keeps the moisture in).
Roll each ball in breadcrumbs
Brown all sides of the Kotlyeti in a frying pan with a dollop of olive oil.
Then place a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees, depending on the size of the ball.