Memorial Day is one of America’s most solemn occasions and is observed on the last Monday of May; this year on Monday, May 29th. Memorial Day honors the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military. Cities and towns across America will lower their flags to half-mast to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and each year a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time.
On a less somber note, in addition to honoring our fallen heroes, Memorial Day weekend also unofficially marks the beginning of summer and many families celebrate by holding outdoor picnics and barbecues. Since many of you will probably be grilling this weekend, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share this easy, healthy and delicious recipe for grilled Steak Shish Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce.
You won’t believe how easy grilled Steak Shish Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce are to make and they are guaranteed to please even the picky eaters in your house. You can even let each person personalize their skewer with their favorite ingredients. Steak Shish Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce is also versatile and while I’m using steak, you can really substitute any protein you prefer, including pork, chicken or seafood and any vegetable that you can fit on a skewer. One other nice thing about Steak Shish Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce is that while you can serve it over rice or pasta, with the addition of a starch, such as potatoes, it becomes a complete meal on a stick!
So, you may be wondering what’s so special about this recipe? You may have even had shish kabobs before and, while they were good, they weren’t anything special. Well, it’s the lemony chimichurri sauce which not only ramps up the flavor of these shish kabobs, it would be delicious on just about any other grilled beef, pork, chicken or seafood dish.
Now, before I start getting comments from those of you from Argentina or Brazil, I’m not claiming this is an authentic Argentinian chimichurri, but what I will say is that after tasting this sauce, you will think that its one of the best sauces you have ever had. Period! Let’s just say it’s chimichurri with a southern flair. The acidity from the vinegar and lemon juice, the heat from the red pepper flakes, and the freshness of the parsley is out of this world good!
So why not ditch your plans for hamburgers or hot dogs this Memorial Day and give this scrumptious grilled dish with its special chimichurri sauce a try. I promise you will thank me when the accolades come in! Oh, and by the way, this dish is perfect for the 4th of July too!
The ingredients for Steak Shish Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce are filet mignon steaks, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, a bell pepper, yellow squash, zucchini, new potatoes, fresh Italian parsley, garlic, preserved lemon peel or lemon zest, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, kosher salt, ground black pepper and fresh oregano (optional). You will also need bamboo or metal skewers. If you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 2 hours to keep them from burning.
Don’t let the long list of ingredients deter you, everything comes together quickly and the shish kabobs cook in under ten minutes.
To prepare Steak Shish Kabobs with Chimichurri, gather your ingredients, follow your grill directions and preheat to 450 degrees F. Oil the grates to keep the shish kabobs from sticking.
While the grill is heating, precook the potatoes by adding them to a pot of boiling water over medium-high heat and cook them for about 10 minutes. Check for doneness by piercing them with a fork. When they are done remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the chimichurri sauce, add all of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is well chopped, but not pureed. Set aside.
To assemble the shish kabobs thread pieces of beef, mushroom, cherry tomatoes, yellow and zucchini squash, and bell pepper on the skewers, repeating until all ingredients are skewered.
You might notice the potatoes are not on the skewers with the meat and other vegetables. I forgot all about them until I had finished the first three skewers and I didn’t want to redo them, so I just added an additional skewer.
Brush the meat and veggies lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the skewers on the grill, baste with the chimichurri sauce, cover and cook for about 4 minutes per side for a total of 8-10 minutes for medium-rare to medium meat. Baste again when you turn the skewers over.
When serving the shish kabobs top them with additional chimichurri sauce and enjoy!
Steak Shish Kabobs with Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Steak Shish Kabob Ingredients:
- 4 inches filet mignon steaks about 1-1/2-2 inches thick, cut into 1-1/2 to 2-inch square cubes
- 12 large button mushrooms stems removed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 bell pepper seeded and cut into large chunks
- 2 yellow summer squash sliced into 1/2 inch slices
- 2 zucchini squash sliced into 1/2 inch slices
- 12 small new or baby potatoes
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Chimichurri Sauce Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups Italian parsley leaves chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves chopped (optional)
- 1 Tbsp preserved lemon peel chopped or zest of one lemon
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Follow your grill directions and preheat to 450 degrees F. Oil the grates to keep the shish kabobs from sticking.
- While the grill is heating, precook the potatoes by adding them to a pot of boiling water over medium-high heat and cook them for about 10 minutes. Check for doneness by piercing them with a fork. When they are done remove from the heat and set aside.
- To make the chimichurri sauce, add all of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is well chopped, but not pureed. Set aside.
- To assemble the shish kabobs thread pieces of beef, mushroom, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, yellow and zucchini squash, and bell pepper on the skewers, repeating until all ingredients are skewered.
- Brush lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the skewers on the grill, baste with the chimichurri sauce and cook for about 4 minutes per side for a total of 8-10 minutes for medium-rare to medium meat. When you turn the skewers over, baste again.
- When serving the shish kabobs top them with additional chimichurri sauce and enjoy!
Wow, that looks so tasty!!! Perfect for my next coming barbecue!!! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for your comment! I hope you enjoy the Shish Kabobs!
These look delicious! Tried this recipe over the weekend.