Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs
Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs are juicy bites of delicious kofta packed with fresh herbs, citrus, spices and grilled to perfection.
Servings: 4
Calories: 341kcal
Ingredients
- 8 - 12 skewers wooden long (or stainless steel if you have those)
- Water
to soak skewers - 1 Onion
medium peeled and chopped - 3 cloves Garlic peeled and chopped
- ⅓ cup Fresh mint leaves
or small bunch and extra for serving - 1 pound Ground lamb
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- Lemon wedges
for serving - Olive oil for the grill pan
Instructions
- Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling.
- Place onion, garlic and mint leaves into food processor and pulse until finely grated. Squeeze all the extra juice out from the onion, garlic and mint leaves with your hands. (Very important step so that your ground lamb stays on the skewers)
- Place your ground lamb, ground onion, garlic and mint leaf mixture in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, turmeric, paprika and lemon zest and mix well.
- Roll your lamb mixture into large meatball and then take 2 of your pre-soaked skewers and place on the meatball. Make the meatball into a long sausage shape and then flatten out the sausage between 2 fingers so that it is a bit flatter so it cooks evenly. You should end up with 4 – 6 ground lamb skewers.
- Place the lamb skewers on a lined baking sheet with parchment paper so that it does not stick. Place the lamb skewers in the freezer for 30 minutes (important step to keep the ground lamb on the skewers)
- Preheat grill or stove top grill plate to medium high heat and grease with a little olive oil. Grill for about 3 - 4 minutes on each side or until medium. Do not overcook lamb or it will be dry.
- Drizzle the Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs with a little fresh lemon juice and serve with fresh pita (flat breads, fresh cut cucumbers, tomatoes, onion slices, hummus, fresh mint leaves, lettuce) and enjoy.
Notes
Feel free to substitute ground beef or turkey instead of lamb. However, if you use beef or turkey you will have to increase your cooking times on the grill.
If you do not have a grill or grill pan, you may also bake at 425 degrees F for about 15-17 minutes for lamb or until medium.
Tips for Recipe Success
- Soak your wooden skewer sticks for at least 30 minutes before grilling. You will need two wooden skewers for each of the Kabobs so it is easier to turn on the grill.
- If you can find the traditional flat metal Lebanese skewers, even better and easier for you.
- Use a food processor to finely chop the onion, garlic and mint
- Squeeze out all the extra juice from the onion, garlic and mint BEFORE mixing it in the ground lamb. This is a very important step to help the lamb stick to the skewer sticks. If the lamb mixture is too moist, it will not adhere to the skewers and it will just be a one hot mess.
- Another quick tip is to freeze your Kabobs on the skewer in the freezer for about 30 minutes just before grilling and this helps them keep their shape on the grill.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 406IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg