Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs
Served over grilled naan and tzatziki sauce, these Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs are a delicious way to enjoy a summer night in the backyard!
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Board games. Love ’em or hate ’em? I’m not talking about the board games of childhood like Monopoly or Sorry!. I’m talking about the influx of new strategy games like Settlers of Catan and Dominion. I’ve been playing video games for my entire life, and I still love to take an hour or two to play video games. Of course, that free time to play video games has really taken a nosedive thanks to moving into the new house as well as a certain 3-year-old. But that’s still my “me time” when I can turn off my real-life responsibilities and blast stuff with my magical abilities. We’re all superheroes in our own minds, right!?
Laura and I love playing board games, and we’ve been known to take one of our games up to the local brewery on date night. They have a casual tasting room, and we just set up shop in the corner and play a game. Good beer, good games, good company. What else do you need?
I stumbled across an article from a couple of years ago that notes board games sales in the US increased by 28% between 2016 and 2017. Expectations are that the trend will continue at that pace into the early 2020’s, too. Heck, I get it. Laura and I are part of that trend. We have a stack of board games down in the basement, and some of them are really good! In the ultimate proof of my nerdom, I’ll admit that I even bought a Magic: The Gathering board game. Hey, I used to play the collectible card game back in high school. I enjoyed it! Plus, I found the board game version on clearance for $8 at Toys “R” Us when they were going out of business. Why not?
As that article points out, board games now target adults instead of just children. (And party games like Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens let adults act like kids.) It’s fun to spend an evening playing board games. It lets us unwind, and the games aren’t the same old ones that we always played as kids. No matter how many times we play Settlers of Catan, the game is always incredibly close. The winner is typically just 1 turn ahead of whoever finishes in 2nd place. I enjoy a good well-balanced game, and I suspect this board game trend will continue well into the 2020’s!
Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs
Grilled Beef Kofta KabobsRecently, we invited friends over for a board game night, and I kicked off the evening with a batch of these Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs. The flavors are relatively new to me, but I admit that I’m a huge fan now! A couple of years ago, I would’ve balked at the idea of mixing cinnamon, cloves and ginger into ground beef. Say what? Am I making burgers or gingerbread cookies here?
I’ve grown fond of these flavors now. And Laura? Well she was on board before she even knew what I was making! She looked at my ingredients on the counter and immediately proclaimed, “Are you making kofta?” I just gave her a blank look like “How in the heck did you figure that out so quickly!?”
For these Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs, I wrapped the ground beef around skewers. Then I tossed those skewers on the grill along with several pieces of naan. While the beef itself is seasoned differently, I served these kabobs in a similar manner as these Mediterranean Meatball Kabobs. Grilled naan. Tzatziki sauce. Diced onions, tomatoes and cucumber. The flavor here is out of this world good! There’s a fair amount of prep work here, but the good news is most of it can be done in advance. And trust me when I say that the effort is well worth it! These Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs are an excellent addition to the summer grilling menu. So invite some friends over for a board game night and grill up this fun recipe! Cheers, friends!
Did you make these Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!
Looking for more tasty recipes for the grill? Check these favorites out, too:
Grilled Blackened Chicken Kabobs
Citrus Grilled Salmon Skewers
Mediterranean Meatball Kabobs
Grilled Moroccan Chicken
Hatch Green Chile Burgers
Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs
Ingredients
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 5.3-oz. container plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- 1½ Tbsp lemon juice ~½ medium lemon
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh dill
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
For the Kabobs
- 8 12” wooden skewers
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1½ pounds 85% ground beef
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ½ medium yellow onion grated
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
For Serving
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 pieces of naan or pita bread
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- ¾ cup diced cucumber
- ½ cup diced red onion
- additional fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- Slice the cucumber lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out any seeds. Using a medium grater, grate the cucumber into a bowl. Using several paper towels, press the grated cucumber firmly to remove as much liquid as possible.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients (yogurt, sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, salt and pepper) and mix until well combined.
For the Kabobs
- Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before using.
- Using a small bowl, combine salt, cumin, coriander, black pepper, red pepper flakes, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; stir until well combined.
- Using a large mixing bowl, add beef, garlic, onion, parsley, mint and spice mixture; stir until well combined.
- Divide mixture into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a uniform log. Insert skewer through center of each log and squeeze mixture tightly around each skewer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Grill skewers for 2-3 minutes per side, or until fully cooked.
For Serving
- Brush the naan with olive oil. Grill naan for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly grilled.
- Spread spoonful of tzatziki sauce on tops of all 4 naan. Sprinkle diced tomatoes, cucumbers and onions on top of tzatziki sauce.
- Place two kabobs on top of each naan.
- Sprinkle tops with chopped parsley before serving.
I love board games! Game night is actually one of my favorite ways to spend an evening. And have you ever played Drawful? It’s not a board game; it’s a multiplayer computer thing that’s become a family tradition at Christmas. It’s hysterical! I can see how these kabobs would be good to serve when everyone’s play games. Easy to eat and delicious too!
Drawful? That’s a new one to me! I’ll have to go google it right away…thanks for the suggestion there, Kelsie. 🙂
I would have guessed cookies or other baked goods with that list of ingredients – not seasonings for a beef dish. Then again, I’ve never had kofta before. I will definitely need to give these a try. Now I have to know how they taste!
I’m right there with ya, Kathy! Those seasonings don’t normally point to a grilled beef dish…but give these kofta kabobs a try. They’re delicious! 🙂
I LOVE your choice of seasoning for the kofta. Great flavors there! And to serve them with tzaziki is just brilliant. You created your own fusion!
Yes! I’m all about looking for some ways to mix up dinners on the grill, and I’ve gotta say that these kofta kabobs are out of sight good! 🙂 Thanks so much, Mimi!
We love our kebabs here! And that is the perfect seasoning! We (finally) have a local kebab place, but sometimes, home sounds better! Especially if you’re playing games – we love board games, too! We actually have a game store about 2 blocks from us, where you can go and try out any game you want before you buy it! It’s been around awhile and they are good at recommending games. We do love Cards Against Humanity. Fun times! Better with kebabs, I bet!
I’m with ya, Laura. We enjoy going out to eat, but home is always better…especially when you have friends over to hang out with! 🙂 Wait. You have a game store within walking distance!? That’s it. I’m moving out there! Haha. I’ll bring kabobs with me!
I love everything about these kofta! There’s nothing better than the aroma of all those spices in the meat wafting around as it cooks, firing up my grill now!
Hey Sue! Thank you so much for the kind words. I agree with you about the aroma of these kabobs. I mean I’m a sucker for anything on the grill, but these kofta kabobs are definitely a fun recipe! 🙂
We love board games, and Settlers of Catan has been my favourite for over 10 year. Our last addition was the Alchemists; however, we played it only twice as it takes at least 2 hours for the complete round (So we played according to the simplified rules haha). And these beef kabobs with grilled naan and tzatziki? Yes please! This sounds and looks great. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a grill; however, I think I can easily switch this recipe to a…naan pizza with all the elements. Good idea, isn’t it? Don’t worry – I’ll send you a slice as the payment for my inspiration 🙂
Wow, Alchemists sounds like a serious game! I’ll have to go look that one up. I love a good strategy board game.
As far as this recipe, I think you can totally switch this up into a naan pizza. The different ingredients would translate well…and I’m thinking a tzatziki sauce as the base would be quite fun! I’ll be waiting by the mailbox for my slice! 🙂
A board game night sounds like such fun – I think I may have to organise one with my friends soon! A couple of glasses of wine and some good food – add in board games and good company and it sounds like a wonderful night to me!
And I will definitely have to try the kofta soon – I am loving the sound of these flavours!
You should totally organize a game night soon, Alexandra! And skip the old games like Sorry and Monopoly. I mean those are fun and all, but there are a bunch of really fun new games out there. Settlers of Catan is one of our favorites if you’re into the strategy thing. 🙂 Thanks so much, my friend, and happy grilling — when it warms back up down there!
Koftas are always the first thing we order when we dine at our nearby (20 miles) Greek restaurant. We love them but don’t often make them from scratch as we can get a reasonable kofta kebab at our local halal meat market. But, I’m now feeling guilty that I’ve been so lazy. So, now with your fine Grilled Beef Kofta Kabobs recipe, I can redeem myself.
Board games, I had no idea that they were the new thing so to speak. I’ll have to see if that trend has landed here.
Hah! I love that ‘nearby’ is 20 miles, Ron. Nothing like a trip around the corner to the Greek restaurant! While I absolutely agree with picking up tasty kofta at the local market, I also highly recommend making your own. It’s surprisingly easy, and you can adapt the seasonings to your own taste.
As far as board games, definitely check out some of the new ones. Of course, this depends on what types of games you like to play, but there are some great strategy games out there! The Germans in particular seem to keep coming up with amazing games each year. Ticket to Ride is a great one that’s easy to play/learn, but never gets old. Schedule a game night with some friends sometime! 🙂
Without even knowing those stats, I could bet that board game sales have gone up. It seems that wherever I go lately (even the comic book store…yes, the comic book store) board games are popping up…and I love it! They’re so fun and I love the idea of everyone sitting around laughing and having a game with maybe a drink and some delicious food. What’s not to love?? Speaking of love…these kofta kabobs sound scrumptious! Paired with yummy tzatziki sauce, I bet they make for one yummy meal!
I love going to game stores and comic book stores! Yes, I just admitted that I am a complete nerd…but hey, that’s me. 🙂 I could easily spend an hour in a store like that without even trying! These kabobs were definitely a huge hit here…perfect for a fun night with friends. Thanks so much, Dawn!
Wow, these Kofta look amazing! I love your whole presentation, and which I could have one for lunch! 🙂 My boys and husband are really into a game called Smash Up at the moment. Do you know that one? ~Valentina
Smash Up? Hmmm, that’s a new one. I’ll have to go google that as soon as I finish this reply, Valentina…thanks for sharing that one! 🙂 Also, these kabobs really are quite tasty. I wish I had some leftover ones for lunch!
I love it that you and Laura go grab a beer and play a board game on date night. That’s my kind of romance (seriously!).
These beef kofta kabobs are a must-try this summer. I’ve always made kofta with lamb, but I know we’d love the beef version.
Have a wonderful weekend, David. And an early: Happy Father’s Day!
I’m with ya, Marissa! I mean we enjoy ‘dressing up’ and going out to a fancier dinner now and then…but my idea of fun is just grabbing a beer or cocktail and playing a board game. 🙂
As far as these kabobs, they were a huge hit here! And thanks so much for the Father’s Day wishes. We had a great Dad’s Day here yesterday!
Lil S and I break out our board games when the weather gets colder – but I haven’t heard of Settlers of Catan and Dominion and I’m so intrigued! BTW – love y’alls idea of date night!
And – love the sound of these kabobs! I grew up in the middle east and kabobs were a fav – reading over your ingredients list j=has me drooling (remembering the kabobs of my youth)!
Happy Monday. friend!
Oh you totally need to go order Settlers of Catan. It’s a bit expensive for a game, but it’s SO worth it. You do need 3-4 people, though. They have a 2-player version called Rivals for Catan, and it’s a great one, too. In fact, Laura and I were kicking ourselves for not bringing Rivals with us on the river cruise last week!
Hope you have a great week ahead, Shashi! Thanks so much!