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🥙 Middle Eastern
Lebanese Beef Kafta Kebabs
⏱ 25 min
🍞 ~5g (kebabs only)
🍽 4 (2 kebabs each) servings
⭐ 5/5
⚠️ Estimates only — not medical advice. Carb counts vary by brand and portion. Always verify with your endo or CDCES.
🌍 Cultural note
Kafta (or kofta) is the workhorse of the Lebanese family table — every grandma has her ratio of parsley to onion to spice, and kids grow up shaping them onto skewers next to their parents. It's grill food, picnic food, and weeknight food all at once. Sumac (the tangy red spice) is the secret that makes it taste like Beirut. *(Cousin of the Kafta Skewers in the Mediterranean chapter — this is the classic kebab version with your choice of serving base.)*
Why this recipe is T1D-friendly
- Almost zero carbs — ground beef + herbs + onion is essentially protein + fat + flavor
- Kebabs portion themselves (1 skewer = 1 kid serving = predictable dose math), and they pair with low-carb sides like tabbouleh or yogurt
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs ground beef (85/15) (0g)
- 1 small yellow onion, grated (4g)
- 1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (2g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (2g)
- 2 tsp sumac (1g)
- 1 tsp ground allspice (0g)
- 1 tsp ground cumin (0g)
- ½ tsp cinnamon (0g)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil (0g)
- Lemon wedges for serving (1g per wedge)
- Plain Greek yogurt for dipping (optional — ~2g per 2 tbsp)
Directions
- Grate the onion over a strainer and press out the liquid (this is the trick — wet onion = mushy kebabs).
- In a big bowl, combine beef, squeezed onion, parsley, garlic, sumac, allspice, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
- Mix with your hands until just combined — overworking makes them tough.
- Cover and chill 15 min (this firms them up so they don't fall off the skewer).
- Divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each around a metal or pre-soaked wooden skewer into a 5-inch log.
- Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high. Brush kebabs with olive oil.
- Grill 3-4 min per side, turning twice, until charred outside and just cooked through (160°F internal).
- Rest 2 min. Serve with lemon wedges and yogurt dip.
Dash's kid tips 🐆
- Skip the skewers for little kids — shape into meatballs or flat patties instead (Dash calls them "kafta nuggets")
- Kids LOVE shaping these — give them a portion of meat and let them squish it onto the skewer, it's basically edible playdough
- Make a big batch and freeze raw shaped kebabs on a tray, then bag them — pull straight from freezer to grill, add 2 min cook time