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Home » Course » Dinner » Beef Cutlets (Kotleti)

Published: Dec 1, 2017 · Modified: Jun 19, 2021 by Veronika's Kitchen * This post may contain affiliate links

Beef Cutlets (Kotleti)

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Beef Cutlets (Kotleti) recipe is a great easy dinner idea when you are craving comfort food, and a perfect meal for kids.

This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as classic Russian dish, Kotleti, will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.

This recipe has many different names. Depending on the country and culture, people would call it Croquettes, Cutlets, Patties, or Kotleti. Despite various names, they are all cutlet shaped patties made of ground meat, covered with breadcrumbs, and fried on a skillet.

History of Cutlets:

It is hard to tell the original history of these cutlets as they were appearing in different countries under different names and varieties.

In Eastern Europe and Russia, they are known as Kotleti. I would say that Pozharsky Cutlets are the most popular version of these juicy and tender meat patties. They were created in Russia in the beginning on the 19th century and later were adopted by French cuisine. Pozharsky Cutlets usually have a few extra steps in the recipe, like adding milk soaked bread and butter to the ground meat to make kotleti extra soft and juicy.

According to the history, Pozharsky Cutlets were created by the Pozharsky family who owned a small rest stop and a restaurant, called Torzhok, located between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It was a popular place for travelers to rest and change horses during their long trips. It is interesting that this place and kotleti were mentioned in one of the letters by Russian famous poet and writer Alexander Pushkin to his friend S. A. Sobolevsky in 1826, “dine at Pozharsky in Torzhok, try fried cutlets and set out with a light mood”.

There are a few legends that exist about how these juicy meat patties came to life. The most reiterated tale says that the recipe was given to the Pozharsky family by a poor French traveler as a payment for his accommodation.

This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as Kotleti will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.

Varieties of Cutlets:

Today you can find all different types of kotleti. I think that the most popular varieties are cutlets with beef, or chicken, or fish, or potatoes. Potato cutlets are one of my favorite from Russian food, and I will definitely share my recipe with you sometime soon!

Vegetarian cutlets is a new trend and they can include chickpeas, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and many others nutritious ingredients.

This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as Kotleti will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.

This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as Kotleti will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.

How to make Cutlets:

There are quite a few recipes on how to make beef cutlets. Some people use mix of ground beef and turkey, others include beaten egg whites to make these cute fried patties soft and juicy. I use my mom’s old recipe which is very easy to make and has a beautiful flavor.

To start, I hand mix 1 ½ pound of ground beef, chopped onion, and one egg. I want to make a note that I prefer to buy 85% ground beef instead of 90%. It has a perfect balance of fat that gives you extra flavor and doesn’t make it too greasy. For the onion, I like to grind it in the food processor, so I get more juices that also will enhance the flavors of your cutlets. Season the mixture with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a little bit of red pepper flakes. This last ingredient will give it an extra kick but it won’t make it too spicy.

After you mix everything well, I like to use a 3 tbsp scoop to scoop the mixture and form it into oval patties. Then dip them in bread crumbs so they are covered from all the sides.

Preheat a large skillet on a medium heat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and a tablespoon of butter. Depending on diameter of your skillet, you might want to add one extra tablespoon of oil. Sauté the cutlets for about 5 minutes on each side, covered with a top lid. To make sure they are cooked inside, just cut one of the cutlets with a knife. It should be still juicy but without blood.

This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as Kotleti will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.

This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as Kotleti will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.

This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as Kotleti will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.

MORE COMFORT MEAL RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

  • Mac and Cheese
  • Pasta with Meat Sauce
  • Instant Pot Pot Roast
  • Borscht Soup
  • Mongolian Beef
  • Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs
  • Dutch Oven Beef Stew
  • Baked Ziti
  • Instant Pot Orange Chicken
  • Greek Meatballs

Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!

This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as Kotleti will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Beef Cutlets (Kotleti)

This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as Kotleti will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 cutlets
Calories: 113kcal
Author: Veronika's Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pound ground beef 85%
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1-2 tablesoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, chopped onion, an egg, and seasoning (salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes).
  • Using a 3 tbsp scoop, scoop the mixture and form into oval patties. Dip them into dry bread crumbs, so they are covered with it from all the sides.
  • Preheat a large skillet on a medium heat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and a tablespoon of butter. Depending on diameter of your skillet, you might want to add one extra tablespoon of oil. Sauté the cutlets for about 5 minutes on each side, covered with a top lid.
  • To make sure they are cooked inside, just cut one of the cutlets with a knife. It should be still juicy but without blood.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cutlet | Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.8g | Protein: 13.8g | Fat: 3.9g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 52.6mg | Sodium: 407.7mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.9g
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @veronikaskitchen.


This Beef Cutlets recipe, also known as Kotleti will be great for easy dinner ideas, and a perfect meal for kids.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Dr. Michael Schiffman says

    May 22, 2021 at 10:45 am

    My grandmother used to make these for us on special occasions. I followed your recipe and sautéed the onions before adding them to the mixture, and fried them in olive oil. They were amazing.

    Reply
  2. Amber says

    August 17, 2018 at 10:05 am

    5 stars
    очень вкусно! Я приготовилa их сегодня вечером! Спасибо за рецепт!

    Reply
    • Veronika's Kitchen says

      August 17, 2018 at 12:19 pm

      Спасибо, Amber! Я очень рада что вам понравилось!

      Reply
  3. Julie says

    March 12, 2018 at 4:11 pm

    I love that these seem like the Russian equivalent to Italian meatballs – totally different cultures, same basic foods. A great quick and easy weeknight dinner option!

    Reply
  4. Stacey says

    March 12, 2018 at 12:44 pm

    5 stars
    My family would love this! I haven’t had them in so long, now I’m definitely going to be making them soon!

    Reply
  5. Sues says

    March 11, 2018 at 11:30 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! This looks like an easy-to-make dinner that will impress! Definitely a good one to add to the weeknight dinner menu!

    Reply
  6. Kristina says

    March 11, 2018 at 11:00 pm

    5 stars
    My mouth was watering just reading this post! I love that you included the history of this dish, I love learning the background of traditional foods and these kotleti sound amazing.

    Reply
  7. Lynette says

    March 11, 2018 at 9:36 pm

    Wow! These look good. Your description of how juicy these are makes me want to make them this week! Does the red pepper make them spicy?

    Reply
  8. Eileen says

    March 11, 2018 at 7:51 pm

    5 stars
    This is a really tasty meal! Perfect for a any night of the week. It is easy and ready very quickly. My family will love these, delicious!

    Reply
  9. Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago says

    March 08, 2018 at 12:24 pm

    Love that you included the history in this post! Looks like a great recipe for weeknight dinners!

    Reply
  10. Kim @ Three Olives Branch says

    March 07, 2018 at 9:06 am

    They look so delicious! There are so many different flavors you could add to them too, can’t wait to try them out!

    Reply
  11. Nicole | Culinary Cool says

    March 05, 2018 at 9:29 pm

    I know my family would go crazy for these! Perfect for kids, and adults alike!

    Reply
  12. Kate says

    March 05, 2018 at 7:12 pm

    I love the look of these! I’m a vegetarian, but I bet they would work great with rice and beans or something!

    Reply
  13. Leslie says

    March 05, 2018 at 10:25 am

    I thought that this would be more complicated than it is – this looks like an awesome dinner!

    Reply
  14. Abby @ WinsteadWandering says

    March 05, 2018 at 9:47 am

    I’m always looking for new but easy ways to use ground beef or ground turkey for dinner. This recipe is perfecy!

    Reply

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