Celebrate summer with these protein packed, colorful Mediterranean Beef Kabobs. These kabobs scream summer and are always a hit for your backyard BBQ. Steak and a rainbow of vegetables is marinated in a Mediterranean inspired sauce and grilled to perfection.
When summer hits I love grilling as much as possible
These Mediterranean Beef Kabobs are on rotation. We love the juicy beef mixed with the fresh vegetables and delicious marinade.
I love that the meat and vegetables all cook on a skewer and create a colorful, protein packed meal.
These kabobs uses sirloin steak and a variety of vegetables and marinades them in a Mediterranean inspired sauce.
I am excited to be teaming up with the Ohio Beef Council to celebrate summer and grilling season with you guys.
If you head below you will find some very helpful grilling tips for beef.
If you follow a few simple rules when grilling beef you will have a deliciously grilled piece of beef for your family.
I have always been a big fan of kabobs of all sorts, like these Grilled Hawaiian Steak Kabobs, Beef Souvlaki, Grilled Beef Kafta Kebabs and today’s Mediterranean Beef Kabobs.
Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need
Marinade ingredients
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is my favorite oil to use in a marine. It brings in healthy elements and is a robust flavor boost.
- Red Wine Vinegar: The vinegar pairs nicely with the olive oil and spices and helps tenderize the beef.
- Lemon: Lemon juice and lemon zest add so much flavor to the kabobs and helps tenderize. Make sure you don’t marinade for more than 2 hours or the beef will start to break down.
- Flat Leaf Parsley: Fresh herbs are always nice in a marinade. I love flat leaf parsley with beef. You also could use fresh basil, mint, dill or oregano.
- Spices: The marinade uses oregano and dried thyme. You also could add paprika, cumin, Italian seasoning or crushed red pepper.
- Garlic: I added minced garlic but you could also use garlic powder.
Beef Kabob Ingredients:
- Steak: I used 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of top sirloin steak, cut into 1/2 inch pieces. I find this works great on kabobs but you could also use ribeye, filet or flank steak.
- Bell Peppers: I love to use different colored bell peppers to create a vibrant kabob with beautiful color. Try using red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers and orange bell peppers.
- Onions: I like using red onion but you could use sweet onion.
- Zucchini: Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables to add to kabobs. Make sure you cut them a similar size as the bell peppers so they cook evenly.
Please see the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and instructions.
Ways to Modify These Beef Kabobs
- Fresh Herbs – Add fresh herbs into the marinade. You could add fresh dill, oregano or fresh mint. They all brighten the marinade and make it even more flavorful.
- Citrus – I added lemon juice to the marinade but lime juice can also work.
- Vegetables – The vegetables on these beef skewers is not necessary but it is an addition I like to make when grilling the skewers. Some other vegetables that would be nice to add are mushrooms, green bell pepper, poblanos, summer squash or sweet onion.
- Cut of Beef – When making kabobs or skewers on the grill the best cuts of beef to use are sirloin, Flat Iron or Strip Steak and even Tenderloin. These cuts will get the most tender and juicy on the grill.
How to Make Mediterranean Beef Kabobs
Step 1: Create Marinade: In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, oregano, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Marinade Beef: Put cut up steak cubes in a large zipper locking plastic bag and cover with half of the marinade and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 2 hours {due to the lemon in this recipe only marinade for 2 hours and not longer}.
When you are ready to grill pull out the steak and let it sit on the counter to come to room temperature.
Step 3: Prepare Vegetables: Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and add the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat them.
Step 4: Assemble Beef Kabobs: If you are using wooden skewers soak them for 15 minutes in water so they don’t burn. If you are using mental skewers you won’t need to soak.
Assemble the kabobs alternating beef, onion, zucchini and bell peppers on the skewers. Discard the leftover marinade from the ziplock bag.
Step 5: Grill: Heat your grill for high, direct heat. Grill the kabobs for 8 minutes, turning occasionally so they cook evenly, until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Use the remaining marinade to brush on the kabobs as you grill.
Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a tahini yogurt dip!
Grilling Tips
- Size – When making a skewer or kabob try to keep the beef and vegetables a similar size, approximately 3/4-inch to 1 1/2-inch pieces, so they cook evenly.
- Cook Time – When grilling kabobs over direct heat of approximately 400°F. Kabobs with 3/4-inch cubes require approximately 8 to 10 minutes of total time on the grill, flipping halfway through with smaller cubes not taking as long. If you find one is cooking too fast you can move it to indirect heat on the grill while the others finish cooking.
- Non-Stick – To ensure that your skewers or kabobs don’t stick to the grill make sure you brush olive oil or non-stick cooking spray on them or the grill.
- Meat Thermometer – Kabobs can be hard to really gauge when they are done and reach the temp you want. I like mine medium rare so I use a meat thermometer to check the temperature which should be 130-140 degrees F.
Recipe FAQ
Sirloin doesn’t actually require marinade to break down the muscle fibers for tenderness but if you want to infuse flavor, like with this beef souvlaki, then marinading helps with that. I suggest marinading for about 30-45 minutes and no longer than 2 hours as it starts to break down the beef because of the lemon juice.
Yes, you can mix the marinade up to 3 days ahead and store it in the fridge.
Yes you do need to soak them! Soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling to prevent burning. You also can use metal skewers and then you don’t need to soak them.
More Beef Recipes to Try
Mediterranean Beef Kabobs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley {or curly parsley}, chopped
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds top sirloin steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 red, orange and yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large zucchini, cut into rounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil {you will need more for brushing the grill grates}
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 8-10 metal or wooden skewers {soak wooden skewers for 15 minutes before grilling}
Other
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, oregano, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Put cut up steak cubes in a large zipper locking plastic bag and cover with half of the marinade and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 2 hours {due to the lemon in this recipe only marinade for 2 hours and not longer}.
- When you are ready to grill pull out the steak and let it sit on the counter to come to room temperature.
- Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and add the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat them.
- If you are using wooden skewers soak them for 15 minutes in water so they don’t burn. If you are using mental skewers you won’t need to soak.
- Assemble the kabobs alternating beef, onion, zucchini and bell peppers on the skewers. Discard the leftover marinade from the ziplock bag.
- Heat your grill for high, direct heat. Grill the kabobs for 8 minutes, turning occasionally so they cook evenly, until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Use the remaining marinade to brush on the kabobs as you grill.
- Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a tahini yogurt dip!
Today’s post is sponsored by the Ohio Beef Council. As always, opinions are 100% my own.
Where are the Directions for these Mediterranean Beef Kabobs?
I have no idea why the directions disappeared! Thanks for letting me know! I added them back.