Kofta Kabobs (Made With Ground Veal)

This recipe for Kofta Kabobs is sponsored by the NY Beef Council. The kabobs are made with ground veal, Greek seasonings, spinach and feta cheese. They are filled with flavor and a perfect food to eat on a stick! If you are looking for ground veal recipes, you must try this one!

Back in May, I had the privilege of heading to the Finger Lakes with the New York Beef Council for a veal immersion tour.  I learned a great deal of information on how the calves for veal are raised and we did some cooking too. I came back armed with knowledge and tips to cook more veal recipes in my kitchen.

Veal Farming Facts

There are many misconceptions out there about veal. Calves for veal are raised much differently then you might think. Here are some facts about the veal industry today:

• Calves raised for veal are typically a byproduct from dairy farms. When dairy cows give birth to female calves, they serve as cows in the milking herd but the male calves are sold to veal farmers who raise them.
• The calves arrive at the farm where they are raised when they are about a week old. They are transitioned to different housing as they get older. The veal barns are very humane and the "newborn calves" are given special care and comfort.
• Veal calves are at least 22 weeks old and somewhere around 500 pounds before they are sold to a processing plant. This age is not much different than other animals such as lamb, pigs or chickens.

I visited Provitello Farms in Elba, NY and saw that they responsibly raise bull dairy calves.  Feel free to ask me more questions about veal farms and how the calves are raised. You can easily send me an email and I will be happy to answer any questions I can. 

Cooking with Veal

Now on to the cooking! All the bloggers were lucky to be joined by some local chef instructors to cook at the NY Kitchen and experiment with some veal recipes. I was paired up with Eileen as well as a professional chef. We had to make two Greek recipes using ground veal and veal cutlets. Today I will share with you my recipe for Greek Kofta Kabobs made with ground veal.

The kabob recipe we cooked at the culinary center was very gourmet as the professional chef helped out. I decided to simplify the home recipe and cut out a few ingredients. The home recipe turned out wonderful and I narrowed the ingredients down to four. You can't beat having a gourmet recipe with only four ingredients! 

Make sure to drain and squeeze out the water from the spinach and  buy a good Greek seasoning. You could also make your own but just make sure there is not too much salt in it. You can always add salt and pepper at the end of the recipe.  

I will be making this recipe again and again. The veal skewers were cooked in the oven but I included alternate instructions if you'd like to make them on an outside grill. I think they are a good choice for a summer barbecue as well as for a quick dinner cooked inside any time of year. I love Greek flavors and regularly make Greek Shrimp Skewers and Greek Chicken Salad.

Veal seems to take on the flavor of other ingredients so the Greek seasoning, spinach and feta cheese make these kabobs really tasty. They are also low- carb so if you are following a keto diet, these would be a good entree choice.

What should you serve Kofta Kabobs with?

We decided a nice light salad dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar were perfect to serve the kabobs over. Also a Tzatziki sauce is perfect for dipping. You can make a homemade Tzatziki sauce or  buy a pre-made container. My grocery store sells several good ones in the refrigerated produce section. A nice yogurt dressing could also be substituted. I also enjoy this dish with some fluffy pita bread on the side. If you are looking for a more heartier side dish, my Greek Quinoa Salad recipe is another great dish that go with the kabobs. It is very picnic or BBQ friendly.

I love eating food on a stick and these Kofta kabobs with ground veal could easily serve as an appetizer or entree. You could also shape the meat mixture into burgers or meatballs if you'd like. This recipe is so versatile and I hope you will try it.

More Ground Veal Recipes

I learned a lot about cooking veal while on the veal immersion  tour. Here are some links to more veal recipes. The Veal Made Easy website also has plenty of tips and recipes as well as more information on the veal industry.

Pan Fried Dumplings with Ground Veal

Pho Soup Recipe with Spicy Veal Meatballs via Grumpy's Honeybunch

Mediterranean Veal Burger via Souffle Bombay

Asian Express Veal Lettuce Wraps via Veal Made Easy

Ricotta Gnocchi with Veal Ragu via Spiced 

Happy cooking!

If you like this ground veal recipe, please give it a 5-star rating below. 

RECIPE

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