What are Kofta Kebabs?
Kofta kebabs are common in many parts of the Mediterranean, Middle East and Persia. Traditional kebabs are usually made with cubed meat. Kofta kebabs, on the other hand, are made with ground meat, typically beef and/or lamb. The meat is mixed with fresh herbs, garlic, and warm spices like coriander and cumin. and grilled to perfection. Yum!
Lean Cuts of Beef
I use lean ground beef in my Beef Kofta Kebabs. Ground beef provides plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals like iron. Incorporating more protein in all of your meals throughout the day, starting with breakfast, helps keep you feeling full and satisfied. This cuts down on mindless eating later. It also helps you build lean muscle mass and reduce body fat.
Many cuts of beef are considered lean. This means that they have less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 3 ounce serving. To learn more about the lean cuts of beef, check out the Beef Checkoff website.
Complete vs. Incomplete Proteins
Although there are many food sources of protein, not all proteins are equal. Complete proteins contain all of the essential amino acids that are needed by our bodies. They are found mostly in animal sources of protein like beef, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products. Plant based protein sources like beans, seeds, vegetables, grains and nuts are usually incomplete proteins, which means that they lack one or more of the amino acids that your body can’t produce. There are a few vegetarian foods like soy, quinoa and chia seeds that are complete proteins.
What to Serve with Beef Kofta Kebabs
Beef Kofta Kebabs with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
Kebabs:
- 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons grated or minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Olive oil, for brushing the grill
- Flat bread, for serving (optional)
Tzatziki sauce:
- 1 cup plain nonfat or reduced fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup grated cucumber, squeezed dry
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh mint or dill (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Mix the beef, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.
- Divide the mixture into 12 roughly even balls. Mold each ball around the pointed end of a skewer, making an oval kebab that comes to a point just covering the tip of the skewer. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes before threading them.
- Heat a grill pan over medium high heat or prepare a grill. Brush the pan lightly with olive oil. Grill the kebabs, turning occasionally, until brown all over and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with tzatziki sauce and flat bread.
- To make the tzatziki sauce, mix all of ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
I love kofta, Sonali! 🙂 Such a great recipe! I can't wait to try this with all of those delicious spices!
Thanks, Erin! I hope you like it 🙂
Why hello, one of my favorite things in the world that I've never tried making! :O These look so delicious! <3 I can't wait to try em' out after I have a kitchen again! <3
Thanks, Farrah! They're actually really easy to make!
These look awesome. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for stopping by!
Now, I am not a big beef eater – but your beef flavored with all these spices and dunked in that Tzatziki has me salivating, Sonali! Good Luck in the contest – fingers crossed!
Fingers crossed! Thanks, Shashi 🙂
I have never made Kofta, but this sounds and looks delicious. I know my husband and I will both enjoying trying this, so putting it on our menu soon!
They're delicious and really easy to make. I hope you like them!
These beef kofta kebabs are lip smacking!! Love them with the tzatziki sauce!! 🙂
Thanks so much!
I've always wanted to make kafta kebobs! They are SO good at Mediterranean restaurants but I have never had the chance to try them myself. Plus tzatsiki is life…these would be great for an early summer Saturday dinner 🙂 Pinning!
Thanks, Selena! I always order them at restaurants! I hope you try the recipe 🙂
Sonali, these beef kebabs are making my mouth water, and it's only 8:30am here. Love that you used lean beef here!
Haha! Thanks for stopping by, Lisa!
I love kebabs! These look awesome 🙂 Totally pinning!
Thanks so much!
These look absolutely fantastic, Sonali! I imagine these would be wonderful with lamb too. And can't wait to try your tzatziki recipe too!
Thanks, Marissa! You can make them with lamb or a combination of lamb and beef. Hope you enjoy it!
Your Tzatziki sauce sounds great. Chili sauce and mustard sauce are the most common to me for kebab. Sauce with yogurt and spices, sounds yummy… 🙂
Thank you! The cooling yogurt sauce goes nicely with the spices in the kabobs 🙂
Holy fuck! This might be the best thing I have ever made. I’m so happy. Thank you for this recipe.
I did add toasted pine nuts to the beef…I like a little texture there. Plus doubled the black pepper (my preference). But god damn…A-fuckin-mazing. So perfect. I did knead the beef like bread dough for at least 5 minutes and the texture was great. Grilled at 350 on 4 sides for @ 3-4 minutes per. I am floored.
These were really good! Just made them yesterday. I just googled found your recipe…so glad I did!
I usually use a prepackaged mix to make kufta but I’m so glad because these tasted much better and my picky three year old gobbled them up!
The sauce was amazing as well. I made some rice and steamed vegetables to go with it.
I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed the recipe! 3-year-olds can be tough critics 😉 Rice and steamed veggies sound like the perfect accompaniment. Thanks for stopping by!
I am not too familiar with this type of food but these look really awesome. I am not a fan of parsley, which I know a lot of middle-eastern and Greek food calls for. Do you think I could sub cilantro (which I love and can find everywhere here in Mexico)? Thanks!
Yes, definitely! A lot of kebab recipes use cilantro- it adds so much flavor. I hope you enjoy the dish!