This super-easy Grilled Kofta recipe is mess-free and perfect to grill up this summer. Using a piping bag to get your kofta into the perfect shape saves you from getting your hands dirty. Plus, you can prep the meat mixture in advance to throw on the grill when it’s dinner time. I’ve paired it with a yummy fennel slaw that goes so well with the flavors of the seasoned meat. You’re going to love this recipe!

❤️ Why You’ll Love Grilled Kofta

• Easy: Have this delicious Grilled Kofta recipe ready to eat in just 35 minutes. This is a great meal for a busy summer night or when it’s just too hot to cook.
• Healthy: These Kofta are made with protein-packed, simple ingredients so you can feel good about serving them to your whole fam.
• Versatile: Serve these Grilled Kofta with your favorite grilled veggies, or make it with the delicious Shaved Fennel Salad in this recipe.

🍲 Ingredients

Meat – The mixture I used for these Grilled Koftas is ground beef and ground lamb. This is the traditional kind of meat used in kofta in the Middle East. Most recipes you’ll find either beef, lamb, or my fav, a mix of both. Opt for lean ground beef to lower the amount of fat and grease as you cook.

Fresh Herbs – For this recipe, I used fresh mint and fresh parsley. The fresh herbs add a lot of flavor to the meat. The fresh herbs combined with the dry seasonings, onion, garlic, and chili make the perfect, flavorful meat mixture.

Pistachios – This isn’t required to make kofta, so you can skip them if you are looking for a nut-free recipe, but they add a great texture and flavor to your meat.

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👩‍🍳 How to Make Grilled Kofta

Make the fennel salad

1. In a large salad bowl mix together the fennel, olive oil, thinly sliced red chiles, thinly sliced radishes, crumbled feta cheese, juice of a lemon, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, top with fresh basil and mint leaves and set aside.

Make the beef and lamb kofta mixture

1. If desired, add pistachios to a food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs or finely chop with a knife.
2. To a medium bowl add the lean ground beef, ground lamb, grated yellow onion, minced garlic, finely chopped mint, finely chopped parsley, ground cumin, salt, pepper, ground cinnamon, minced chiles, finely chopped green olives and finely chopped pistachios.
3. Place the meat mixture into a large piping bag (you can also use a large zip-top bag and then cut one of the corners, about 1 inch wide, to make a homemade piping bag).
4. Heat the grill over medium-high heat, about 400-450F. Spray the grill with cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Once the grill is hot, pipe the meat straight onto the grill into long logs, about 8 inches long.
5. Grill the kabobs, turning after 5 minutes, until browned all over and cooked through. Total time, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Serve with fresh pita bread, the shaved fennel salad and rice (if desired).

🗒 Tips and Tricks

• Finely Chop Ingredients: Ensure your onions, garlic, and herbs are very finely minced, or even grated/pureed. Large chunks can create weak spots in the kofta and make them prone to breaking apart.
• Keep Chilled: Keep the meat mixture as cold as possible. This helps it hold its shape when you are grilling it.
• Oil the Grates: Lightly oil your grill grates before placing the kofta to prevent sticking.

🗒 Variations

If you like these mess-free Grilled Koftas, then you’ll love these other kofta recipes I have:

• Kofta Kebab
• Chicken Kofta Wrap

🗒 Substitutions

• Meat: You can use any combination of ground meat in this recipe, but red meat works the best. Beef and lamb are the perfect combination, but you can also just use one over the other.
• Herbs: Opt for only parsley or only mint, or eliminate the fresh herbs altogether if they aren’t your thing.
• Fennel Slaw: If you aren’t into the taste of fennel, then you can make my Greek Cabbage Salad instead.

🗒 Best served with

• Stuffable Pita Pockets
• Mediterranean Orzo Salad
• Black Eyed Pea Salad
• Tabbouleh Salad

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Kofta is great enjoyed in wraps, bowls, or on top of salads. If you have leftovers, wrap them up in the fridge and eat within 4 days.

🤔 Common Questions

Mess-Free Grilled Kofta

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This easy Grilled Kofta recipe doesn't even require you to get your hands dirty! It's mess-free but still so flavorful. Perfect for grilling season!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Mediterranean-Inspired

Servings 10 kabobs

Calories 323 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the beef and lamb kofta mixture

• 450 grams lean ground beef
• 450 grams ground lamb
• 1 large yellow onion grated and excess juice squeezed out
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 6 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
• 6 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 4 tsp cumin
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 small red chile, seeds removed and minced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Pitted Green olives Castelvetrano
• ½ cup pistachios finely chopped
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For the shaved fennel salad

• 1 large fennel bulb sliced thin on a mandoline
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small red chile, seeds removed and minced thinly sliced
• 4 radishes thinly sliced
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup fresh Mint leaves
• 1 small lemon juiced
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper

For serving

• rice and/or pita bread

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Instructions

 

Make the fennel salad

• In a large salad bowl mix together the fennel, olive oil, thinly sliced red chiles, thinly sliced radishes, crumbled feta cheese, juice of a lemon, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, top with fresh basil and mint leaves and set aside.

Make the beef and lamb kofta mixture

• If desired, add pistachios to a food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs or finely chop with a knife.
• To a medium bowl add the lean ground beef, ground lamb, grated yellow onion, minced garlic, finely chopped mint, finely chopped parsley, ground cumin, salt, pepper, ground cinnamon, minced chiles, finely chopped green olives and finely chopped pistachios.
• Place the meat mixture into a large piping bag (you can also use a large ziptop bag and then cut one of the corners, about 1 inch wide, to make a homemade piping bag).
• Heat the grill over medium-high heat, about 400-450F. Spray the grill with cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Once the grill is hot, pipe the meat straight onto the grill into long logs, about 8 inches long.
• Grill the kabobs, turning after 5 minutes, until browned all over and cooked through. Total time, about 10-15 minutes.
• Serve with fresh pita bread, the shaved fennel salad and rice (if desired).

Video

Notes

• If you prefer, you can use an all-beef or all-lamb for the kofta mixture.
• Pair this kofta with our Fluffy Greek Pita Bread Recipe and a dip like Greek Tzatziki Sauce

Nutrition

Serving: 1kabob | Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.5g | Protein: 21.1g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 7.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11.3g | Cholesterol: 66.5mg | Sodium: 949.8mg | Fiber: 2.6g | Sugar: 2.9g

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