Beef Kafta Recipe

Fully prepared beef kafta sits in a purple colored bowl.

5 from 1 vote

This Beef Kafta recipe is undeniably delicious and super simple to whip up! Mix the simple six ingredient ground beef mixture together, then portion and shape around skewers, and cook each kabob on the grill or in a grill pan on the stovetop. It's the perfect, flavorful recipe for meal prepped lunches, easy dinners, and summertime entertaining!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: Servings

Author: Cassy Joy Garcia

Ingredients

1 medium onion
½ cup fresh cilantro, packed
½ cup fresh parsley, packed
4 cloves garlic
2 pounds ground beef
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon allspice*
½ teaspoon coriander*
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon*
¼ teaspoon black pepper*
¼ teaspoon ground cloves*
¼ teaspoon ground cumin*
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg*

Instructions

Add the onion, garlic, parsley, and cilantro to a food processor. Blend until smooth and paste-like.
To a large bowl, add the ground beef, herb mixture, spices, and salt. Use your hands to massage together until everything is evenly incorporated.
Divide the mixture up into 8 even-sized balls, then shape them around a skewer (metal or soaked wood) in a long, thin form.
Heat a grill pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the kabobs to the pan and cook on each side for 4-5 minutes, until the internal temperature of the ground beef reaches 145°F when a meat thermometer is inserted at the thickest portion of the meat.
Serve over long grain rice with a cucumber salad and tzatziki and hummus, if you like.

Notes

*Use 2.5 teaspoons of store-bought 7 Spice instead of individual spices.

Use a different protein - the most classic variations of kafta use either ground beef, ground lamb, or ground chicken, but you could also use ground turkey, if you'd like. Any ground protein will swap really easily here.
To cook the kabobs on the grill - if you want to cook these on an outdoor grill, feel free! To do this, first clean your grill and spray the grates with oil (I like avocado oil spray). Then, place the beef kabobs on the grill and cook for 4 minutes over 400°F, or until grill marks form. Flip the kabobs over and grill for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Pull the beef kafta off of the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition