Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs are juicy bites of delicious kofta packed with fresh herbs, citrus, spices and grilled to perfection. Perfect for a party!
Shish kabobs are delicious all on their own but wait until you try them wrapped up in a flatbread and topped with a little Gluten Free Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, fresh veggies, grilled veggies and mint leaves. So good!
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What the heck is a kofta?
A Kofta is a type of meatball found in the Indian subcontinent, South Caucasian, Middle Eastern, Balkan, and Central Asian cuisines. Koftas are made with minced or ground meat such as beef, chicken, lamb, or pork and then mixed with spices and onions.
Packed full of flavor, this easy ground lamb recipe is infused with ground onions, garlic, turmeric, spices, lemon and mint leaves.
Ground Lamb Substitute
We are huge lamb fans. What about you guys? One of our favorite lamb recipes is our Lamb Loin Roast Recipe with Pomegranate Sauce. If you do not like lamb, you can make this recipe with ground beef or ground turkey instead.
Do you know who else is a huge fan of lamb? You guessed it! It’s the Healthy World Cuisine Cleanup crew and mascot. As soon as these delicious juicy Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs hit the grill this little guy was going nuts.
The aroma from the stove was just more than he could take. He was running around the kitchen island and circle to see what the heck was going on, on top of the “Alter of Awesomeness” also known as the STOVE.
Make Ahead Party Plan
Are you ready for spring? We sure are. The shoveling a snow path out to the BBQ Grill is so overrated. Today, we brought the party inside and used a grill pan on the stove top. Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs makes for a fun interactive party with friends.
You can prepare everything in advance and just grill the kabobs when they arrive. We served our kabobs with these flat breads (pita breads) and many delicious toppings.
- Traditional Baba Ghanoush
- olives
- Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils (Mujadara)
- fresh cut tomatoes and cucumbers
- Easy Tabbouleh Lebanese Salad
- grilled red bell peppers
- fresh mint leaves
- lettuce
- fresh lemons
If you are looking for a perfect MAKE AHEAD sweet ending to this party, be sure to try our Lemon Rose Cardamom Cheesecake Mousse.
Can you reheat your Kabobs?
You most certainly can, but they are much better fresh and hot off the grill. If you do want to make your Lamb Kabobs in advance or cook once and eat twice for meal prep, do not reheat in the microwave.
It is best to do on the stove top with a little olive oil and a couple of teaspoons of oil and a lid on the pan and let them steam for a few minutes until heated through to keep them moist.
How long should we cook?
Lamb is best cooked to about medium rare so about 3 minutes on each side. In order for the Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs to cook evenly it is best to get your kofta in the same shape and a bit flat for cooking even.
If you want to bake instead of grill, preheat oven to 425 degrees F and bake for about 15 – 17 minutes or until medium. Check out this step by step process…
Spices
The addition of spices is completely up to you and what you have in your pantry. At bear minimum you need to onion, garlic, salt and pepper. We additionally added turmeric, paprika, lemon zest and a few mint leaves. If you have ground sumac or coriander those are also lovely additions.
We really like the little fresh lemon zest and mint leaves help to balance the richness of the lamb just like in our ground lamb stew recipe. We also like to drizzle a little fresh lemon juice upon serving. tzatziki sauce can be served as a delicious topping too. However, dairy and us have not been on good terms lately so we skipped it.
Tips and Tricks
- Soak your wooden skewer sticks for at least 30 minutes before grilling. You will need two wooden skewers for each of the Middle Eastern Ground Lamb 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 Lamb Kabobs on the skewer in the freezer for about 30 minutes just before grilling and this helps them keep their shape on the grill.
Sides to go with your Feast
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower Bites
Frequent Asked Questions
You can find ground lamb at your local grocery store or butcher. We have found ground lamb at Costco, Aldi, Whole Foods and many markets.
Ground lamb is rich, a little gamey, earthy and can stand up to strong spices and herbs.
Ground lamb, unlike chops or loins, should be cooked until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).
More Lamb Recipes
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Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Kabobs
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
- 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.
sarah says
good stuff
Ken says
I seen some ground lamb in the market and thought -- What can I make with that? I was thinking lamb meat balls, but worried about how to keep them together? Is the lamb fat enough? But lamb-kabobs makes so much sense. Thanks for the hints -- I think I can give it a go.
HWC Magazine says
Thank you. These kabobs are really flavorful. Lamb is generally actually a little fattier but in a good way. Grass-fed lamb, has the same number of calories as grass-fed beef but actually has more health-promoting omega 3 fatty acids. Happy weekend to you.
Eha Carr says
These shishkebabs are probably my very favourites and I could eat such with different sides happily more than once a week ! Probably my favourite modes stem from the glorious Persian cuisine or Jordan and indeed so many different spice mixtures can be used. However for those who may not be aware of the taste combinations available, may I suggest a ready prepared spice blend from a good spice merchant (definitely NOT the salty supermarket rubbish !) . . . thus BAHARAT for more Middle Eastern flavours or BERBERE for more savoury African Ethiopian and Eritrean. . . ?
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Eha. We love lamb shish kebobs too. The spices and the grilling process makes these little bites so good. We do have an amazing Middle Eastern market right around the corner from us. I am sure they have Baharat spice as they make their own spice blends. Best of all, they make fresh out of the ovens flat breads every day. They are the best and are fantastic to serve with the lamb kabobs. Stay well and take care