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Sheet pan kebab strips on a wooden platter with herbed yogurt sauce, chopped cucumber and tomato salad, and flatbread.
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Sheet Pan Kebabs

This recipe went viral for good reason and it's the most fun we've had cooking all season. It skips the grill and the skewers but still gives you damned good kebabs that feed the whole family. The whole thing comes together on one sheet pan, with real char on every edge and a short chill that keeps every bite juicy.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Chill Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Servings: 6 servings ((about 2 strips per person)
Calories: 475kcal
Author: Dee Broughton

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Lemon Herb Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Kebabs

  • avocado oil or cooking spray for greasing the sheet pan
  • 1 medium yellow onion peeled and quartered
  • 1 small red bell pepper seeded and roughly chopped
  • 3/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley loosely packed
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1 pound ground beef lean
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon baharat seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For Serving

  • pita breads or flatbreads warmed
  • red onion thinly sliced
  • cucumber sliced
  • tomatoes chopped

Instructions

Make the Yogurt Sauce

  • Whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, zest, olive oil, parsley, dried dill, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Chill the sauce while the kebabs cook so the dried dill can soften and release its flavor.
    The herbed yogurt sauce whisked smooth, whisk resting in the bowl.

Prep the Pan

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a large rimmed sheet pan with a light, even layer of avocado oil or cooking spray.

Pulse the Aromatics

  • Add the onion, bell pepper, parsley, and garlic cloves to a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until finely chopped but not pureed.
    Onion, garlic, red bell pepper and parsley in a food processor bowl before pulsing.

Drain the Aromatics

  • Transfer the aromatics to a clean kitchen towel or piece of cheesecloth. Gather the towel around the mixture and squeeze firmly over the sink until most of the excess liquid is removed. Stop when the aromatics feel damp but no longer drip when pressed.
    The pulsed pepper and onion mixture wrung out in a kitchen towel to squeeze the water out.

Mix the Meat

  • Combine the drained aromatics with the lamb, beef, tomato paste, baharat, Aleppo pepper, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix for about 2 minutes with your hands, folding and pressing until the mixture feels slightly tacky and holds together when pressed.
    The kebab mixture of ground lamb and beef worked through with the spices and vegetable paste.

Chill the Meat Mixture

  • Cover and refrigerate the meat mixture for 20 to 30 minutes. This lets the fat re-solidify, which helps the kebabs stay juicy once they hit the oven.

Shape the Kebabs

  • Transfer the chilled meat mixture to the center of the sheet pan. Form a roughly 9 by 12-inch rectangle, pressing to an even thickness and smoothing the outer edges so they aren't thinner than the center.
    The seasoned lamb and beef kebab mixture pressed in an even layer across a sheet pan.

Score the Strips

  • Score the meat lengthwise and crosswise into strips with an offset spatula or bench scraper, cutting almost all the way through.
    The raw kebab slab scored into even squares on the sheet pan, ready to bake.

Bake

  • Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, until the meat is cooked through around the edges and just starting to brown on top.

Broil

  • Switch the oven to broil. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, watching continuously, until deeply browned. Internal temp should read at least 160°F.

Drain the Fat

  • Tilt the sheet pan carefully and spoon away any large pools of rendered fat, leaving a light coating of pan juices around the kebabs.
    The baked kebab slab in the sheet pan with rendered fat pooled at the edges and a spoon for draining it off.

Rest and Separate

  • Rest the kebabs on the pan for 5 minutes, then separate the strips along the scored lines with your spatula.
    Baked sheet pan kebabs cut into strips and scattered with parsley, resting on a rack beside rice and lemon.

Serve

  • Serve with warm pita or flatbread, red onion, cucumber, and tomatoes. Drizzle the lemon herb yogurt sauce over the kebabs or serve alongside.
    Sheet pan kebabs served on flatbread with herbed yogurt sauce, chopped tomato, cucumber and red onion.

Notes

  • Refrigerate leftover kebabs up to 4 days; store sauce separately up to 4 days.
  • Reheat covered at 300°F, or sear in a hot skillet to re-crisp the edges.
  • Developed on a standard rimmed half sheet pan (18x13-inch).
  • Ground lamb and beef are safe at 160°F internal temperature
  • Baharat seasoning: a warm Middle Eastern spice blend of allspice, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and black pepper. Not spicy despite the name, it's the backbone flavor here and the perfect blend for the most authentic flavor in your home kitchen. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 475kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1131mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1554IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 4mg