Grilled Beef Shish Kabobs with Cilantro Pesto

These beef shish kabobs are loaded with marinated steak, sweet peppers, leeks, and Portobello mushrooms, then grilled and served with a fresh homemade cilantro pesto. They're colorful, flavorful, and perfect for summer cookouts or an easy outdoor dinner.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love These Beef Kabobs
• Ingredients
• Ingredient Notes
• How to Make Beef Shish Kabobs
• Tips for the Best Beef Kabobs
• Grilled Beef Shish Kabobs with Cilantro Pesto
• Pin for later!

The smoky beef and vegetables are delicious on their own, but the cilantro pesto is what really makes this recipe special. It's bright, garlicky, slightly tangy, and made with toasted almonds instead of pine nuts.

This recipe also makes extra pesto, so you can use the leftovers with grilled chicken, seafood, roasted vegetables, pasta, or zucchini noodles.

Why You'll Love These Beef Kabobs

• Easy to customize with your favorite vegetables
• Flavorful marinated beef
• Colorful grilled vegetables
• Fresh homemade cilantro pesto
• Naturally gluten-free
• Keto-, low-carb-, and Paleo-friendly
• Great for cookouts and summer dinners

Ingredients

For the Beef Marinade

• Juice of ½ lime
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the Cilantro Pesto

• 2 bunches fresh cilantro
• ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 4 cloves garlic
• ½ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt, to taste

For the Kabobs

• 2-3 pounds beef, cut into approximately 1-inch cubes
• 1 leek
• 1 small bag sweet rainbow peppers
• 6 Portobello mushroom caps
• Wooden or metal skewers

Ingredient Notes

Beef

Strip steak works well for these kabobs, but you don't need to use an expensive cut. Sirloin is another good choice because it is flavorful, relatively tender, and easy to cut into cubes.

Try to cut the beef into evenly sized pieces so it cooks at the same rate.

Sweet Peppers

Mini rainbow peppers add sweetness and color. Regular bell peppers may be substituted.

Leek

Leeks have a mild onion flavor that works well with the beef and mushrooms. Clean them thoroughly because dirt can become trapped between their layers.

Red onion or yellow onion may be substituted.

Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms become tender and savory on the grill. Cremini or button mushrooms may also be used.

Cilantro

This recipe uses two bunches of cilantro to make a generous amount of pesto. Use both the leaves and tender upper stems.

Almonds

Toasted sliced almonds give the cilantro pesto a slightly nutty flavor and help thicken it. Toasting them first brings out more flavor.

How to Make Beef Shish Kabobs

1. Marinate the Beef

Cut the beef into approximately 1-inch cubes and place it in a large bowl or resealable bag.

Add the lime juice, sesame oil, cumin, paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss until the beef is evenly coated.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Avoid marinating much longer than this because the lime juice can begin to affect the texture of the meat.

2. Soak the Skewers

When using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before assembling the kabobs. This helps prevent the exposed portions from burning too quickly on the grill.

Metal skewers do not need to be soaked.

3. Make the Cilantro Pesto

Add the toasted almonds, garlic, lime juice, and salt to a food processor or blender. Pulse until finely chopped.

Add the cilantro in batches, pulsing between each addition.

With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Continue blending until the pesto reaches your preferred consistency. Add another small amount of olive oil if needed.

Taste and add more salt or lime juice as desired. Refrigerate the pesto while preparing the kabobs.

4. Prepare the Vegetables

Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers and cut them into pieces similar in size to the beef.

Clean the leek thoroughly and cut the white and light green portions into thick pieces.

Remove the mushroom stems and cut the Portobello caps into large chunks.

5. Assemble the Kabobs

Thread the marinated beef, peppers, leeks, and mushrooms onto the skewers, alternating the ingredients.

Do not pack the ingredients too tightly. Leaving a small amount of space between the pieces allows the heat to circulate and helps everything cook more evenly.

For greater control over cooking times, you can place the beef and vegetables on separate skewers.

6. Grill the Kabobs

Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat.

Place the kabobs on the hot grill and cook for approximately 8-12 minutes, turning every few minutes so the beef and vegetables cook evenly.

Cooking time will depend on the size of the beef cubes, your preferred doneness, and the heat of your grill.

Remove the kabobs when the beef is cooked to your liking and the vegetables are tender with lightly charred edges.

7. Serve

Let the kabobs rest for a few minutes after removing them from the grill.

Serve them with the cilantro pesto spooned over the top or on the side for dipping.

Tips for the Best Beef Kabobs

Cut the beef and vegetables into similarly sized pieces so they cook evenly.

Do not overcrowd the skewers. A little space between the ingredients encourages browning instead of steaming.

Shake off excess marinade before placing the beef on the grill to reduce flare-ups.

Turn the skewers periodically rather than leaving them on one side for the entire cooking time.

Keep some of the cilantro pesto on the side instead of adding it all at once, allowing everyone to use as much as they like.

Use separate skewers for the meat and vegetables when you want precise control over how long each ingredient cooks.

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