Turkish Baked Ground Beef Recipe (5g Net Carbs)
This is a Turkish tepsi kebabi (tray kebab) rebuilt for a low-carb kitchen. Kneaded ground beef spread thin on a sheet pan, layered with tomato, pepper, and onion, baked at 425F for 25 minutes until the meat browns and the vegetables blister. Serves 4 at 5g net carbs, 32g protein, and 24g fat per portion. Ready in 40 minutes. Built for low-carb, keto, and Mediterranean eaters who want a Turkish restaurant plate without the pide underneath.
Why This Works on Keto
Traditional tepsi kebabi is served over pide bread or with rice pilaf, which adds 40-50g of carbs. This version drops the starch and lets the meat and vegetables carry the plate.
The Turkish spice profile (Aleppo pepper, sumac, cumin, dried mint) is naturally low-carb; the flavor lift comes from acid and heat rather than sweeteners. Vegetables are limited to cherry tomatoes, green peppers, and a small dice of onion for aromatics, keeping the total carb load at 5g per serving.
Kneading the meat with grated onion and a splash of ice water gives the same tender texture you get in Turkish restaurants without adding breadcrumbs. Fat ratio stays high thanks to 80/20 grind and a finishing drizzle of butter.
Looking for more? We have a dedicated guide on Turkish shish kebab.
For more on this topic, check out our guide on keto avocado smoothie.
Turkish Baked Ground Beef with Vegetables
Ingredients
Beef Ingredients
- 1 lbs. ground beef
- 1 small tomato
- 1 medium red pepper
- 1 medium green pepper
- 1 medium onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tbsp. pepper paste
- 1 tbsp. pepper
- 1 tbsp. chili flakes
- 1/2 tbsp. cumin
- Salt to taste
Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 3/4 cup of water
- 4 tbsp. vegetable oil
Topping
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
Instructions
- Take the ground beef into a deep mixing bowl.
- Add the spices, tomato, and pepper paste to it.
- Peel the onions and divide them into four equal parts.
- Peel the tomato and cut it into two equal pieces. Cut off the stems of the red and green peppers in half.
- Peel the garlic, put the onion, garlic, peppers, tomato, and chopped parsley in a food processor, and chop until extra fine.
- Add the vegetables you chopped in the food processor to the beef.
- Finally, add as much salt as you want.
- Then, knead until all the beef ingredients are combined.
- Preheat the Oven to 200°C / 392°F.
- If possible, prepare a round and wide baking tray.
- Spread the kneaded beef on the tray by pressing it a little.
- Add less than 1/2 tbsp of tomato paste to less than 1 cup of water.
- Add vegetable oil to the tomato paste water. Mix well until the water and tomato paste are thoroughly combined.
- Pour this tomato paste water evenly over the beef on the tray.
- Wash the topping vegetables thoroughly.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Cut the peppers into 2 or 3 parts.
- Place the cherry tomatoes and peppers on the beef. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- When it’s ready, let some water remain in the tray, and when serving, take some of this sauce and pour it over the meat.
Video
Notes
If the meat still looks raw at the end of the time, add a little more water and bake for a while.
Nutrition
Ingredient Notes
Use 80/20 ground beef or a 50/50 beef and lamb blend for a more authentic Turkish flavor. Lean grinds dry out on the sheet pan. Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater and squeeze out excess liquid before adding to the meat.
Keeping only 2 tbsp of onion per pound of beef holds the carbs down. Aleppo pepper (pul biber) is the signature note. If you cannot source it, swap in a mix of sweet paprika and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Sumac and dried mint are non-negotiable for the finish. Skip generic Italian seasoning here.
Use fresh green peppers (charleston or Anaheim) rather than bell peppers for a truer Turkish taste. Butter for finishing should be unsalted so you control the seasoning.
We also cover Turkish raw meatball recipe in a separate article worth checking out.
Tips and Variations
Knead the meat for 3-4 full minutes until it turns slightly sticky. This develops the myosin proteins that hold the mixture together on the pan without egg or breadcrumbs. Spread it 1/2 inch thick on a parchment-lined sheet pan and score into serving portions with a knife before baking.
This makes clean slicing straightforward after the bake. Arrange vegetables on top before baking so they roast in the rendered beef fat. Finish with a spoon of yogurt (2g carbs per 1/4 cup full-fat) if you want a cooling counterpoint.
For a dairy-free version, skip the finishing butter and yogurt; use olive oil instead. For a higher-protein version, top each portion with a fried egg for another 6g protein.
For a vegetarian keto adaptation, swap ground beef for a mix of finely chopped mushrooms, walnuts, and grated halloumi (2g carbs per 100g); the halloumi holds structure the way meat does on a hot sheet pan.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate up to 3 days in a covered glass container. Reheat in a 375F oven for 8-10 minutes on a foil-lined pan to re-crisp the top. Microwaving is fast but softens the browned surface. Freezes reasonably well for 6 weeks; portion first, wrap tightly, and thaw overnight in the fridge before oven reheating.
