Pita + Beef Kebab Recipe

A hand holds up a stack of sliced, layered flatbread filled with ground meat and herbs, with a blurred kitchen background featuring white dishes and utensils.

Pita + Beef Kebab Recipe

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.

Course Appetizer, Mail Dish or Side

Cuisine Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Inspired

Keyword grilled, kebab

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 16

Total Time 36

Servings large kebabs

Calories 921kcal

Author Maria Koutsogiannis

Ingredients

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

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

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