These Turkey Beef Kofta Kebabs are packed with flavor. Serve in a pita or on top of a salad with tzatziki sauce.
I love trying grilling recipes from all different countries. This summer, I’ve made these Turkey Beef Kofta Kebabs several times already. These little meatballs have tons of flavor, with a variety of warm spices marinating with the ground meat. Kofta is found in South Asian, Middle Eastern, Balkan and Central Asian cuisine.
Kofta Kebab Spices
The first step is to mix the ground meat with the spices, garlic, onion and parsley. Coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, and ginger are the key spices. Depending on the country, kofta can be made with ground lamb, pork, beef , veal, chicken or a combination of these. I decided to use a combination of ground turkey and grass-fed ground beef.  Disposable cooking gloves are my favorite friend when mixing ground meat together, and forming meatballs. It’s a lot less messy.
Forming Kofta Kebabs
Next, form the meat mixture into meatballs. I made meatballs about 1 1/2″ in diameter.
Refrigerate these meatballs, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak bamboo skewers. When ready to grill, skewer the meatballs and flatten them slightly. I lay all the skewered kebabs on an oiled foil-lined baking sheet.
Grilling on a piece of foil means less sticking to the grill and easy cleanup.
My boys love these turkey beef kofta kebabs.
Two Ways To Enjoy Kofta Kebabs
I served these Kofta Kebabs to my kids wrapped in whole wheat pita bread with tzatziki sauce (plain yogurt mixed with minced garlic, onion, chopped mint, salt and pepper), with salad on the side.
I enjoyed my turkey beef kofta kebabs on top of a bed of salad greens with tzatziki sauce.
Turkey Beef Kofta Kebabs
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
- 1 pound lean ground grass-fed beef
- 3 tablespoons grated onion
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
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Place garlic and salt in a mortar and smash to a pulp with pestle.
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Place ground chicken and beef in a large bowl. Add garlic, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, ginger, and pepper and mix until well blended.
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Form into meatballs and place on plate. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak bamboo skewers.
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Skewer meatballs with bamboo skewers and place on oiled foil-lined baking sheet. Shape meatballs into slight oval shapes and flatten slightly. Drizzle a little oil on top of skewers.
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Slide entire piece of foil onto grill, and cook kofta kebabs until done (with grill cover down), about 5-6 minutes per side.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
A very delicious meal! We love them with Greek yoghurt dressing and lots of garlic :-))
Thank you Angie! The sauce is the perfect compliment to these kebabs.
I love that you made your own seasoning!!!! These kababs look amazing . . and the wraps?!!! Even better!!! YUM!!!
These are the best Alice – my kids love them!
I’m agree with Alice! There still is plenty of summer to try these! This is the first year I did kabobs and I love them. Thanks for sharing! ????
Thanks John – kebabs are a nice change from burgers 🙂
Way to challenge my taste buds. These were enjoyed by all. Next time I will try them in pita bread and tzatziki sauce. Thanks again!!!! ????
Glad you enjoyed these John – my kids love these kebabs served in a pita with tzatziki sauce 🙂
After making these, my kids couldn’t have made more Mmmm type noises while eating! I served on garlic naan with tzatziki and spinach leaves. It was a super hit and there were requests to have it again the next day. Wonderful!
Lena – so glad your kids enjoyed these kebabs! My kids love them too. Garlic naan and spinach leaves sound great with this – I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks for sharing!
I found your recipe online but I don’t gave a grill. Can I bake or broil them in the oven? They sound delicious. I’m have my a dinner party Friday night and if like to try it out.
Hi Beth – they should bake fine on a well oiled foil-lined baking pan. I would drizzle olive oil on top as well to ensure browning and so they don’t dry out.