Description

Tepsi kebabı — tray kebab — is one of the most impressive of all Turkish baked meat preparations: a large baking tray filled with minced meat, vegetables, and peppers, all cooked together in the oven until the meat has formed a rich, caramelized crust and the vegetables beneath are tender and deeply flavored. It is the Turkish answer to the great baked meat dishes of the Mediterranean world, and it demonstrates the Ottoman culinary tradition of using the oven as a tool for creating complex, layered flavors from relatively simple ingredients.

The Baking Tray as Kitchen Workhorse

The tepsi — the large, round or rectangular baking tray — occupies a central place in Turkish cooking as the vessel for a whole category of preparations that are too large or too delicate for stovetop cooking. From börek to baklava to tepsi kebabı, the tepsi allows Turkish cooks to prepare food for large numbers of people simultaneously, cooking everything evenly in the oven’s ambient heat.

Tepsi kebabı reflects this practical genius: a large tray of spiced minced meat — pressed into an even layer — topped with sliced tomatoes, peppers, and onions, then baked until everything is cooked through and the top has developed a beautiful caramelized crust. The dish can feed an entire family from a single vessel, and it improves with resting — the flavors deepening and melding as it sits.

Regional Variations

Tepsi kebabı appears in various forms across Turkey, with different regions adding their own characteristic ingredients and spice combinations. In Gaziantep, it may include local red pepper paste and sumac. In the Aegean, olive oil and fresh tomatoes dominate. In Central Anatolia, it may be enriched with lamb tail fat and spiced with cumin and allspice. Each version reflects the terroir and the culinary character of its home region while remaining recognizably part of the same Turkish baked meat tradition.

Ingredients

• 500g fatty ground beef or lamb
• 1 onion, very finely minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 bunch parsley, very finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely minced
• 1 tbsp red pepper paste
• 1 tsp salt, black pepper, cumin
• Topping: 2 tomatoes, 2 green peppers
• 1 tbsp tomato paste mixed with 1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, vigorously knead the ground meat with the minced onion, garlic, parsley, red bell pepper, red pepper paste, and spices.
2. Knead for at least 10 minutes until the mixture is very sticky and homogenous.
3. Grease a round baking tray (tepsi) with butter or oil.
4. Press the meat mixture evenly into the tray, smoothing the top.
5. Cut the meat into wedges (like a pizza) before baking.
6. Arrange sliced tomatoes and green peppers on top.
7. Pour the tomato paste and water mixture over the meat.
8. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 30-40 minutes until the meat is browned and cooked through. Serve with lavash bread.