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Celebrating the first full week of fall with… grilling? Yes, because it’s still grilling weather in my eyes. At least in Cleveland, the weather is still in the low 70’s. I like to make a few more grilled meals before the real cold weather hits. These grilled kebabs are the best way to round out the grilling season. They’re great because you can use whatever vegetables you like or have in your kitchen. I love the mix of tomatoes, zucchini, and onions. Bell peppers or eggplant would also be great vegetables to use.
The marinade is a simple mix of oil, lemon, basil, and seasonings. It’s a light & fresh mix and if you’re a vegetarian or just want a meat alternative, you can marinade potatoes or tofu instead. If you want a stronger flavor, marinade your protein of choice the day before or a few hours before. I’d recommend letting everything soak for at least 20 minutes. I suggest only soaking the meat/protein as the vegetables will take on flavor from the grilling.
To me, kebabs are the heart of grilling. Maybe besides burgers. I love that everything is bite size and evenly charred. Just don’t forget to soak the wooden skewers in water before hand; you don’t want them to catch on fire! If you’re interested in reusable skewers, I think these metal skewers are neat – they hold more and seem especially useful if you’re grilling other items too. If you don’t feel like putting everything on a skewer, you can always just grill the loose items in a grilling basket. I just looked up how to spell ‘kebab’ three different ways and each way says it’s correct…so just like you can mix whatever vegetables you want, I guess you can also spell kebab however you want too.
Even though I’m still trying to hold onto summer, I’m excited for fall. I’m so inspired by all the different flavors and spices! I’ll be testing different pie and squash recipes. If you have any suggestions of what recipes you’d like to see, I would love to know your thoughts in the comments.
Grilled Beef & Vegetable Kebabs

Yield: makes about 12 skewers |
Beef marinaded in a basil and lemon seasoning with raw vegetables grilled on skewers.
You'll Need...
- Marinade:
- 2 lemons, juiced & zest shaved
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Kebabs:
- 10 - 12 wooden skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
- 1 pound beef sirloin or chicken breasts, cut in 1/2 inch cubes**
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 large red onion, cut into 1 inch cubes (keep onion layers together)
- 8 ounces summer squash/zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Directions
- Mix marinate ingredients together in a bowl. Place meat in a zip block bag. Pour marinade mixture over meat. Place in fridge and let marinate for 20 minutes or overnight.
- Assemble kebabs by alternating onion, meat, tomatoes, squash/zucchini. Repeat until all ingredients are used.
- Grill until lightly charred. About 3 minutes per side.
- Let rest on platter for 5 minutes before serving.
Additional Notes
images and text © North Coast Eats
** For vegetarian alternative use potatoes or tofu. Marinate as directed.
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