These beef kofta meatball kebabs with lemon herb tahini sauce are my rendition of a Middle Eastern classic. Keto, Paleo-friendly and Whole30 compliant, these kebabs are the perfect satisfying dish to spice up your dinner plans this week!
While Chris and I were in Pittsburgh a few weekends ago, we stopped into a Middle Eastern and Mediterranean specialty shop and stocked up on tahini. Tahini is naturally Paleo and Whole30 compliant because it's simply ground sesame seed paste. As I was checking out, the owner of the shop briefed me on how to make the perfect tahini sauce. I left the shop with tahini sauce on the brain. I knew I had to recreate it and serve it alongside a dish loaded with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors. Thus, the idea to make beef kofta meatball kebabs with lemon herb tahini sauce was born!
Kofta is simply ground meat (usually beef or lamb) mixed with a variety of herbs and spices and then formed into meatballs or meatloaves. The flavor combinations for kofta are practically endless as many regions of the globe have their own variation of this classic dish. In Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, kofta is traditionally formed into a cylinder shape around a skewer (much like a sausage but without the casing). I went with a meatball shape because let's be honest -who doesn't love a good meatball?! Meatballs are the perfect finger-food!
This recipe encompasses all the reasons I love Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. It's loaded with bold flavors, clean ingredients and it's super simple to prepare.
Here's what you'll do:
Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven preheats, gather all of the meatball ingredients and combine them in a large bowl (see full recipe for ingredients). I mixed a variety of fresh ingredients with a mixture of dried herbs and spices traditionally found in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.
RECIPE NOTE: When combining all of the ingredients together for the meatballs, make sure everything in incorporated evenly. No one wants a huge bite of onion in one of their meatballs.
In the full recipe below, I mention chilling the ground beef mixture before forming it into balls. In my experience, chilling the meat first makes it easier to mold.
Once the meat is chilled, form the mixture into 16 meatballs (about 1 heaping tablespoon each). Thread 2 meatballs onto each skewer along with the grape tomatoes and quartered red onion. Give each skewer a liberal brushing of extra virgin olive oil.
Working in batches, brown each kebab in a pre-heated skillet for 2 minutes on each side. Once browned (but not cooked through), place each kebab on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Browning the kebabs before baking helps the meatballs hold their shape.
For the sauce, add the ingredients to a blender (see full recipe below) and then blend until the mixture is emulsified and smooth. While blending, slowly add more water to the blender until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. The more water you add, the less thick the sauce will be. This sauce can easily be transformed into a dressing by simply adding more water.
I recommend serving this dish right out of the oven because the veggies will be nice and crisp, but these kebabs are just as delicious if prepared in advance and incorporated into your weekly meal prep!
Check out the detailed recipe below, and as always - let me know what you think in the comments! You can find me on instagram @paleoishkrista or by tagging your recipe recreation photos with #paleoishkristaeats! ENJOY!
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Beef Kofta Meatball Kebabs with Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
For the kebabs
- ½ yellow onion minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sage
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 2-3 red onions quartered
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the lemon herb tahini sauce
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup of water divided
Instructions
For the kebabs
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add the minced yellow onion, chopped mint and parsley leaves, and minced ginger. Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl (salt, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, garlic powder, sage, ground white pepper, red pepper flakes and cloves). Stir.
- Add the egg, coconut flour and ground beef to the bowl. With a wooden spoon or hands stir until the ingredients are completely incorporated into the ground beef. Let chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Once chilled, form ground beef mixture into 16 (about 1 heaping tablespoon each) meatballs.
- Skewer 2 meatballs onto each skewer with grape tomatoes and quartered red onion. Brush each kebab with extra virgin olive oil.
- In a pre-heated skillet (working in batches), brown each skewer for 2 minutes on each side. Once browned, move the kebabs to a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove the kebabs from the oven and serve with the lemon herb tahini sauce on the side.
- While the kebabs are baking, prepare the sauce.
For the lemon herb tahini sauce
- Place the tahini, extra virgin olive oil, juice from 1 lemon, parsley, chopped garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and ¼ cup of the water into a blender. Blend until smooth and emulsified.
- Continue blending while slowly pouring in the rest of the water until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
