Ground Beef Kebab Recipe (Kofta)

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This ground beef kebab recipe is a easy summer grilling dinner idea, made with beef, onions, spices, and herbs! It’s loaded with flavor, easy to make, and great served with a creamy dipping sauce.

While you can make kebabs with many types of protein, once you try these great ground beef kebabs you won’t go back! We love serving these up with grilled vegetables, easy shrimp, and a creamy tzatziki sauce.

This ground beef kebabs recipe is another from our family friend George, who always gives us the best recipes! Some of our favorites are his avgolemono soup with orzo, and tasty Greek baked beans. We’ve had ground beef kofta kebabs before, but he recommended we try making our own, which turned out way better than the store bought variety!

These easy kebabs are made with ground beef (we used 95% lean sirloin), onions, garlic, fresh parsley, and a fantastic spice blend. Form the kebabs around skewers, throw them on the grill (or an indoor grill pan), and you have the best summer grilling recipe around. 

Serve with an optional, but highly recommended, tzatziki dipping sauce for the ultimate experience.

This Ground Beef Kebabs Recipe Is

• Hearty
• Flavorful
• Fresh
• Versatile
• Perfectly Spiced
• Great for a Summer BBQ or Cookout!

One of the Best Summer Beef Grilling Recipes

You can make these delicious kebabs on any grill you have, but we got a Big Green Egg grill which has been a game-changer, it’s by far the best grill we’ve ever owned. It cooks meat perfectly, makes incredible kebabs  and stir fry, and we even bake bread on it!

There are a few grilling accessories that we love: our plancha grill pan which is great for veggies and stir fries (which we also used for these kebabs), and a Dutch oven pot which I use to bake bread in while the oven is hot. We also get good use out of our meat thermometer which we always use to check the internal temperature of meats.

Browse through all our summer grilling recipes here!

What’s In These Ground Beef Kofta Kebabs?

Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

• Ground beef – I used a lean ground beef which had amazing flavor. The original recipe calls for a 50/50 mix of ground beef and lamb, but if you have trouble finding ground lamb in season like I did, you can use ground beef instead. You could also use ground turkey for a leaner version.
• Onion – you can use white or red onions
• Garlic Cloves
• Cumin: adds a really nice flavor to this recipe – cumin has a lightly smokey flavor found in a lot of kebab and chili recipes.
• Paprika – for a hint of spice and great flavor!
• Salt & Pepper
• Cinnamon: which gives this dish a subtle spice-y touch! 
• Cayenne Pepper – or red pepper flakes, for spice.
• Sea salt & black pepper
• Greek olive oil
• Panko breadcrumbs – I found these recently at my grocery store and I am obsessed! It can be so hard to find breadcrumbs that aren’t seasoned, and these are a great option!
• Fresh parsley  or fresh mint- I love adding parsley to these kebabs, the fresh herbs give the meat a wonderful flavor.

What To Serve with Kebabs

• You can enjoy your ground beef kabobs directly on the skewer, or with warm pita bread as a wrap.
• I like serving grilled fresh vegetables like asparagus, squash, or bell peppers with mine. Squeeze a little lemon juice on them for a delicious side.
• You could serve them with classic potato salad or macaroni salad for an American version.
• Pickled onions or fresh cilantro give these kebabs a sharp and herby flavor.
• To keep it simple, plain yogurt or sour cream dip is a great option too!

How Do You Make This Mediterranean Ground Beef Kabob Recipe

1. Prep your wooden skewers – if you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes before . If you are using metal ones, then have them ready on a plate.
2. In a food processor, add the parsley, onions, garlic, coriander, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and olive oil. Process on high for 2-3 minutes until the herb mixture is processed finely.
3. In a large bowl, add the herb mixture and the ground beef, ground lamb, and breadcrumbs. Mix by hand until the mixture is well combined.
4. Form the meat mixture around the skewers, into oblong patties. I used two skewers per kebabs (which I found flips better on the grill). Cook the kebabs well over medium-high heat on a gas grill or charcoal grill, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, flipping the kabobs halfway though cooking time. We cooked ours for about 12 minutes on a 450 degree F grill, but yours may vary based on your grill and temperature.
5. To serve, enjoy the kebabs dipped in a creamy garlic tzatziki sauce, or served with grilled vegetables. Enjoy!

More Easy Ground Beef Recipes You’ll Love

• Greek Meatball Soup Recipe (Youvarlakia)
• Cheeseburgers in Paradise Recipe
• Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe
• Ground Sirloin Chili Recipe (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
• Low Salt Meatballs

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!

Ground Beef Kebab

By: Kelly Jensen

This ground beef kebabs recipe is a easy summer grilling dinner idea, made with beef, onions, spices, and herbs! It's loaded with flavor and easy to make, and great served with a creamy dipping sauce!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 8 kabobs

Calories 331 kcal

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Mixing Bowl
• Skewers

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 bunch parsley stems removed
• 1 onion roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 lb ground beef *see note below
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup tzatziki sauce optional, for dipping

Instructions

 

• Prep your skewers – if you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes before . If you are using metal ones, then have them ready on a plate.
• In a food processor, add the parsley, onions, garlic, coriander, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and olive oil. Process on high for 2-3 minutes until the herb mixture is processed finely.
• In a large bowl, add the herb mixture and the ground beef, ground lamb, and breadcrumbs. Mix by hand until the mixture is well combined.
• Form the meat mixture around the skewers. I used two skewers per kabobs (which I found flips better on the grill). Cook the kabobs well, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, flipping the kabobs halfway though cooking time. We cooked ours for about 12 minutes on a 450 degree F grill, but yours may vary based on your grill and temperature.
• To serve, enjoy the kabobs dipped in a creamy garlic tzatziki sauce, or served with grilled vegetables. Enjoy!

Notes

The original recipe called for half ground beef and half lamb, I went to a specialty meat market and I couldn’t find ground lamb, so you can use all ground beef instead since lamb can be hard to find.

Nutrition

Calories: 331kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 17gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 550mgPotassium: 325mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 852IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 3mg

Did you make this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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