A simple and quick way to make juicy and tasty grilled beef Kafta Kebabs
This simple Lebanese Kafta recipe uses lean ground beef and only a few basic ingredients. It can be ready in less than 30 minutes.
During the summer, I love to serve grilled meat Kafta Kebabs with this tasty Lebanese potato salad as a side dish. Kafta is very easy to make, and the mix of meat, onion, spices, and fresh parsley is delicious.
The scent of these kebabs cooking on the grill will make you want to eat them right away.
How to Do It
People all around the Middle East love Kafta Kebabs. Most of the time, they are cooked with beef or lamb, although they can also be made with ground turkey or chicken.
This is one of those recipes where you just need a few simple items to make a tasty meal.
This is a quick look at the processes and supplies needed to make Kafta kabobs at home. At the end of the post, you’ll get a recipe card with the proportions of each component you need.
How to Make Kafta Kebabs
These grilled beef Kafta Kebabs are a simple Lebanese dish that only needs a few basic ingredients and can be made in less than 30 minutes.
- 20 minutes of prep time
- Time to cook: 8 minutes
- The whole time is 28 minutes.
Main Course: Lebanese and Middle Eastern Food
Servings: 5 persons; Calories: 178 kcal
Ingredients
- Ground beef: Lean meat is best. For kebabs that are juicy and moist, the ground beef needs to have some fat in it. Extra-lean beef will make kebabs that are drier and not as flavorful.
- A yellow onion of average size.
- Fresh parsley, either curly or flat-leaf.
- Seven spices is a mix of flavorful spices that are widely used in Middle Eastern cooking. It includes salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and seven more spices. You may buy the pre-mixed spice mixture at Middle Eastern grocery stores or online.
Things you need
- ◯ 1 medium yellow onion, cut into quarters
- ◯ 1 cup fresh parsley, rinsed and dried
- ◯ 600 grams lean ground beef
- ◯ 1 teaspoon salt
- ◯ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ◯ ¼ teaspoon seven spice pre-mixed spice blend
- ◯ ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, more to taste
Overview of the Steps
Soak wooden skewers for about half an hour before grilling with them so they don’t catch fire and burn.
You can alternatively cook the Kafta in patties instead of on skewers if you don’t want to.
Peel the onion and cut it into four pieces to prepare the Kafta mixture. Wash the parsley well and then dry it off by patting it with a towel.
Put the quartered onion and parsley in the bowl of your food processor and chop them up until they are very small.
Put the ground meat, seasonings, and finely chopped onion and parsley in a big basin. Mix the ingredients well. I like to use my hands to mix things together nicely.
To make the kebabs, take part of the ground meat mixture and shape it around the skewer. The meat should be about an inch to an inch and a half thick around the skewer. Keep going until you’ve used up all of the kafta mix.
If you don’t have skewers, make the kafta into patties that are approximately an inch thick. You can make them into round patties and eat them as Kafta burgers, or you can make them into the more traditional oblong (oval) patties.
Get your charcoal or gas grill ready. If you’re using a gas grill, heat it up to medium-high and brush it with oil.
Put the skewers of kafta on the grill that has already been heated. Grill the kebabs for about 4 minutes on one side, then flip them over and grill them for another 4 minutes or until the meat is done.
Don’t overcook Kafta skewers if you want them to be juicy and tender. If you’re not sure if they’re done, just chop a chunk off of one and look inside.
You can bake Kafta on a baking sheet in a 375°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meat is fully cooked, if you don’t have an outdoor grill or would rather bake them. You should check the larger and thicker patties for doneness before serving because they will take longer to cook.
How to do it
- Put the quartered onion and fresh parsley in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse the ingredients together until they are finely minced.
- Put the ground beef, finely chopped parsley and onion mixture, and all the seasonings in a big mixing basin. Mix the ingredients well with your hands.
- To make the kebabs, take part of the mixture and shape it around the skewer with your hands. The meat that is surrounding the skewer should be between one and one and a half inches thick.
- Get your gas or charcoal barbecue ready. If you’re using a gas grill, heat it up to medium-high and brush it with oil. Put the kafta skewers on the grill. Cook one side for about four minutes, then flip it over and cook for another four minutes, or until the meat is done.
- Serve right away.
Serving Suggestions
You usually eat Kafta Kebabs with fresh pita bread, hummus or baba ganoush, and salad. Try serving them with Muhammara, a smoky, spicy red pepper and walnut dip that goes well with the kebabs for a tasty touch.
Tabbouleh (Parsley Salad), Fattoush (Pita Bread Salad), Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Salad, and this Mediterranean Pasta Salad are some of my favorite salads to go with grilled Kafta.
I also like to serve these kebabs with rice and these Roasted Grape Tomatoes on the side.
How to Store
You can keep leftover Kafta kabobs or patties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three to four days. You may also keep cooked kafta in the freezer for up to three months. Take it out of the freezer the night before and heat it up before serving.
You can also freeze raw Kafta meat. Put the Kafta mixture in a container that can go in the freezer. Before cooking the kabobs, let them thaw in the fridge overnight. You can also bake it in the oven, as seen above.
If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before using them.
Seven spice is a mix of spices that is often used in Middle Eastern cooking. You may find it in Middle Eastern stores. Allspice is a suitable substitute for seven spice if you can’t find it.
If you don’t have skewers, make Kafta patties that are about an inch thick. You can make them into round patties and eat them as Kafta burgers, or you can make them into the more traditional oval patties.
If you don’t have a grill or would rather bake them in the oven, you may do so at 375°F for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meat is fully cooked. You should constantly check to see if larger and thicker patties are done cooking before serving them.
You can keep leftover Kafta in the fridge for up to three to four days. You may also put it in the freezer for up to three months. Put it in the fridge overnight to thaw, then heat it up before serving.
Nutritional Information
Food
- Calories: 178 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 74 mg
- Sodium: 554 mg
- Potassium: 514 mg
- Fiber: 1 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Vitamin A: 1061 IU
- Vitamin C: 18 mg
- Calcium: 32 mg
- Iron: 4 mg
Have fun!