Get ready to bring the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean straight to your kitchen with this delicious Beef Kebab Recipe. This dish features succulent, seasoned beef skewered with pieces of pita bread, allowing the bread to absorb the meat’s juices as it grills. By preparing the kebabs this way, you get a flavor-packed, all-in-one skewer that is perfect for your summer BBQ.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Beef Kebab Recipe

• Quick: This delicious Beef Kebab Recipe takes only 20 minutes to prep, and you’ll have it grilled and on the table in 35 minutes. The perfect dish for a hot summer’s night.
• Flavorful: The beef is seasoned with a bunch of seasonings that make this beef so succulent and flavorful.
• Versatile: You can serve these kebabs with just about anything; they are so versatile and perfect for an easy (but impressive) summer meal.

🍲 Ingredients

Ground Beef – This recipe uses lean ground beef, which is actually really budget-friendly, so it’s perfect for a cheap but delicious meal. The meat is seasoned with a laundry list of seasonings to make it full of flavor. You seriously are going to love these kebabs.

Pita – What’s unique about this recipe is that the pita is layered in between the meat, vs. on the side. This helps the juices from the meat soak into the bread and adds a delicious flavor and texture to the kebabs. It can also be a great way to use up pita that are starting to go stale.

👩‍🍳 How to Make This Beef Kebab Recipe

1. Make the Greek yogurt sauce by whisking together the plain greek yogurt, garlic powder, salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Whisk and taste and add another tablespoon of olive oil if desired. Taste and adjust with more salt if desired. Set aside in the fridge.
2. To a medium bowl add all of the ingredients for the beef mixture – grated onion, ground beef, minced garlic, finely chopped mint, finely chopped parsley, smoked paprika, ground cumin, chili flakes, zataar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and olive oil and mix well to combine. Set aside.
3. Place 6 large pitas on a cutting board and cut the round edges to create 6 large pita squares (about 5 1/2 inch by 5 1/2 inch squares)
4. Divide the beef mixture into 5 portions, about 1 cup per portion. Lay one square piece of pita on the cutting board and spread 1 cup of the meat mixture on the pita, spreading in an even layer to the edges of the pita. Next layer a square of pita on top of the meat. Then spread another quarter of the meat mixture onto the pita. Repeat until you’ve created 6 layers of pita with 5 layers of meat.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut the large pita square into 3 equal strips. Set aside in the fridge while you preheat the flat top (or grill) to medium-high.
6. When the grill is preheated, remove the pita from the fridge. Flip each of the pita-meat strips meat side up so you can see the rows of meat and pita. Place them side by side vertically so you can see all of the rows of meat and pita. Equally distribute 3 large metal skewers to create 3 large kofta / kabobs by gently pressing one large metal skewer up and through from the bottom to the top of the layers (see photos in blog post) and then use a sharp or serrated knife to cut evenly between the skewers to create 4 large kofta / kabobs.
7. Once you’ve created 3 large skewers, grease the flattop well with olive oil and then place the skewers onto the flattop grill.
8. Cook for about 12-16 minutes, flipping every 3-4 minutes, until each side is well browned and the meat is cooked through.
9. Let the skewers rest for a few minutes before serving drizzled with the Greek yogurt sauce and some olive salad on top of each skewer.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Don’t Forget the Binders: Unlike solid cuts, ground meat needs help to hold its shape. For this recipe, I used olive oil, but you could use egg or breadcrumbs as well.
• Mix Thoroughly: This is the most important step for binding. Mix the ground meat mixture with your hands for a good 2-3 minutes until it becomes sticky and cohesive. This develops proteins that act as a natural binder.
• Compact Shaping: Dampen your hands with cold water and shape the meat firmly around the skewer into an even cylinder. Ensure there are no cracks, which can cause the meat to split during cooking.

🗒 Variations

If you like these Beef Kebabs, you’re going to love my other kebab recipes:

• Chicken Kebab Recipe (Build Your Own Kebab Board)
• Kofta Kebab with Tzatziki + Pita
• Mess-Free Grilled Kofta

🗒 Best served with

• Greek Tzatziki Sauce
• Simple Homemade Greek Salad

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Leftover kebab is great in bowls or on top of salads. It’s also great in a pita wrap. Store leftovers in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

🤔 Common Questions

Pita + Beef Kebab Recipe

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This extra-flavorful Beef Kebab Recipe combines ground beef with a mix of seasoning and spices, and layers pita on a skewer, for the ultimate BBQ meal.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 16 minutes mins

Total Time 36 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Mail Dish or Side

Cuisine Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Inspired

Servings 3 large kebabs

Calories 921 kcal

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Ingredients

  

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For the beef

• 1 large red onion, grated and excess juice squeezed out
• 2 lbs (900 grams) lean ground beef
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 6 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
• 6 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• 2 tsp zataar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

To assemble the skewers

• 6 large flat / thin pitas
• 3 large metal skewers
• olive oil for the flat top / grill

For the Greek yogurt sauce

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• Jar of Muffaletta olive salad

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Instructions

 

• Make the Greek yogurt sauce by whisking together the plain greek yogurt, garlic powder, salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Whisk and taste and add another tablespoon of olive oil if desired. Taste and adjust with more salt if desired. Set aside in the fridge.
• To a medium bowl add all of the ingredients for the beef mixture – grated onion, ground beef, minced garlic, finely chopped mint, finely chopped parsley, smoked paprika, ground cumin, chili flakes, zataar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and olive oil and mix well to combine. Set aside.
• Place 6 large pitas on a cutting board and cut the round edges to create 6 large pita squares (about 5 1/2 inch by 5 1/2 inch squares)
• Divide the beef mixture into 5 portions, about 1 cup per portion. Lay one square piece of pita on the cutting board and spread 1 cup of the meat mixture on the pita, spreading in an even layer to the edges of the pita. Next layer a square of pita on top of the meat. Then spread another quarter of the meat mixture onto the pita. Repeat until you’ve created 6 layers of pita with 5 layers of meat.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the large pita square into 3 equal strips. Set aside in the fridge while you preheat the flat top (or grill) to medium-high.
• When the grill is preheated, remove the pita from the fridge. Flip each of the pita-meat strips meat side up so you can see the rows of meat and pita. Place them side by side vertically so you can see all of the rows of meat and pita. Equally distribute 3 large metal skewers to create 3 large kofta / kabobs by gently pressing one large metal skewer up and through from the bottom to the top of the layers (see photos in blog post) and then use a sharp or serrated knife to cut evenly between the skewers to create 4 large kofta / kabobs.
• Once you’ve created 3 large skewers, grease the flattop well with olive oil and then place the skewers onto the flattop grill.
• Cook for about 12-16 minutes, flipping every 3-4 minutes, until each side is well browned and the meat is cooked through.
• Let the skewers rest for a few minutes before serving drizzled with the Greek yogurt sauce and some olive salad on top of each skewer.

Notes

• To serve, pull sections off of the kebab and enjoy with some of our favourite salads like Easy Authentic Greek Salad Recipe or Maroulosalata aka my Mama’s Salad
• If you like this recipe try our other grilling favourites like Mess-Free Grilled Kofta or Kofta Kebab with Tzatziki + Pita

Nutrition

Serving: 1kebab | Calories: 921kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 85.2g | Fat: 28.4g | Saturated Fat: 7.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15.1g | Cholesterol: 187mg | Sodium: 2324.7mg | Fiber: 10.2g | Sugar: 8.1g

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