Beef Kofta Kebabs with Tzatziki Sauce

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4.84 from 68 votes

Beef Kofta Kebabs with Tzatziki Sauce

These aren’t your usual kebabs! My Beef Kofta Kebabs with Tzatziki Sauce are bursting with flavor and protein.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Servings: (Make 10 large or 12 small kebabs)

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Dr. Sonali Ruder

Equipment

Grill pan

Ingredients

Kebabs:

½ small onion, cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic
⅓ cup parsley
1 ½ pounds grass-fed lean ground beef (I use 90% lean)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Olive oil, for brushing the grill
Flat bread and sliced vegetables like cucumber, tomato and onion for serving (optional)

Tzatziki sauce:

1 cup plain 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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the onion, garlic, a parsley to a mini food processor and process until finely chopped. If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the onion on a box grater and finely chop the garlic and parsley with a knife.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the ground beef, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
Divide the mixture into 8 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 the meat onto 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, flat bread and sliced vegetables like cucumber, tomato and onion.
To make the tzatziki sauce, mix all of ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Beef, lamb or a mixture of beef and lamb is traditional for this dish. However, you can also make these kebabs with ground turkey or chicken.

You can make baked kofta kebabs in the oven if you don't have a grill or grill pan. Bake them on a sheet pan at 400°F for about 15-18 minutes until cooked through. You can turn on the broiler at the end for 2-3 minutes to brown them a little more. If baking in the oven, skewers are optional.

Serve the kebabs on a platter with tzatziki sauce and pita bread. I also arrange sliced vegetables like cucumber, tomato and red onion on the platter. You can also serve them with additional dips like hummus and baba ganoush (Mediterranean eggplant dip).

Nutrition