Yay!!! I’m bringing you GRILLED Steak Kebabs With Chimichurri Sauce this week. That’s right, your eyes don’t deceive you, I said grilled because GUESS WHO HAS A PROPER BACKYARD TO FINALLY GRILL FOOD?!?!?! MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
After living in an apartment that didn’t allow grills over the last year, I finally have a backyard to grill whatever, and whenever I want! Our grill’s maiden voyage had to be steak. We craved something a touch fancier than grilled steak so we made Grilled Steak Kebabs with Chimichurri Sauce.
If you’re unfamiliar, chimichurri or chimichurri is a green sauce used for grilled meat, originally from Argentina. It looks almost identical to pesto but it uses fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, and oregano. Chimichurri sauce is the perfect accompaniment to grilled steak, it’s mouthwatering!
Real quick I want to give a shout out to Helen Nichols, editor in chief at www.well-beingsecrets.com. Some people avoid steak because they deem it unhealthy, Helen wrote an extensive article called 31 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Steak. Check out the article and like them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wellbeingsecret!
Speaking of grilling our old neighbor in Chicago gave us his smoker grill (pictured above) which we’ve been dying to use. Our condo in Chicago didn’t allow wood or charcoal grills on our deck so we never had the opportunity to use it. We moved that son of a bitch with us to Portland because I figured someday we’d have the chance to utilize it. And utilize it we did folks. We sparked up that bad boy, threw some steak kebabs on it, then dipped those steak kebabs in the chimichurri sauce. So. Freaking. Good.
Words can’t express how excited I am to have my own backyard. It’s cool because our house is on its own island, so to speak. If you’re looking at the front of the house, a busy road runs to the right of it. Between that busy road and our house is a tall manmade hill planted with bushes and trees. Across the street from the front of our house is a sports bar and to the left of our house is a quieter side street. The only neighbor is behind the house, separated by our backyard.
Even though the house is located next to a busy road, you wouldn’t know it when you’re in the backyard because the tall hill blocks the road from view. The perimeter of the yard is dotted with trees and bushes so the quieter road on the left of the house can’t be seen from the backyard either. It’s landscaped in a manner where you feel isolated from everyone else. It’s fun having our own little private outdoor oasis to call our own!
Another cool feature about our house is our little (sun facing) side yard, with 7 garden beds. I haven’t planted anything yet but I’m looking forward to planting herbs to make fun and fresh sauces like pesto and chimichurri. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to plant vegetables too, but herbs are easy and quick to grow!
I love chimichurri because of its adaptability. Like most recipes I post, I encourage you to have fun, play around, and adapt my chimichurri recipe as YOU see fit. I’ve seen people use fresh parsley, oregano, and cilantro. I’ve seen people omit the cilantro and use parsley and oregano. Shit, I’ve seen some people use avocado in their chimichurri sauce too! You can use red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, omit or add certain spices, so on and so forth.
Chimichurri sauce is phenomenal on steak but has a plethora of other uses too! For example…
Make a pasta dish with it.
Serve it with grilled shrimp
Serve it with toasted bread
Use it as a marinade for vegetables
Serve it over eggs
Serve it over roasted potatoes
Serve it over chocolate cake – just kidding, don’t do this, eww.
Chimichurri freezes well so I’ll make a large batch next time for future recipes. I may even freeze some sauce in an ice cube tray! Once the sauce is frozen I can pop them out of the tray and store them in a freezer bag. Then, when I’m cooking pasta, soups, or sauces and want an extra pop of flavor, I can add a cube or two.
I loved eating Grilled Steak Kebabs With Chimichurri Sauce for dinner. It lasted all of 5 minutes on the plate. I mean, grilled steak, do I need to say anything more? Of course, if you’re a vegetarian or vegan I do need to say something more. I got it, portobello mushrooms!!! This dinner would be killer if you swapped out the steak with portobello mushrooms!! Oh man, after typing that I’m craving portobello mushrooms right now!
If you are a carnivore like myself, use whatever steak you like best in kebabs. Everyone has their tried and true ingredients, use yours. I tried to get sirloin tips for this recipe but my local grocery store didn’t have them. I opted to get top sirloin then cut the steak into chunks, it worked fine.
I asked Kieran what he would say about the recipe and he said, they’re tasty, they balance each other well (the sauce and steak). Umm, not now honey, I’m right in the middle of something.
So there you have it, the recipe received a raving review from Kieran too! 😀
Summer is upon us folks, it’s time to fire up those grills and firepits and make fond memories at bbq get-togethers with family, friends, and amazing food. I hope you enjoy the Grilled Steak Kebabs With Chimichurri Sauce for dinner, we certainly did!
Thanks for stopping by,
Christina
- 1 lb top sirloin cut into chunks (I used lean sirloin)
- 5 mushrooms, cut in half
- 1 zucchini, cut into large pieces
- 1 yellow pepper, cut into large pieces
- ½ red onion, cut into large pieces
- 6 large cherry tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Big pinch of red pepper flakes
- Big splash of olive oil (approx ¼ cup)
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves
- Big pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt (add more if needed after blending)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (add more if needed after blending)
- Squirt of sriracha (optional)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Big pinch of dried oregano
- Bing pinch of salt
- Bing pinch of black pepper
- Put the steak and steak marinade ingredients into a bowl, then toss. Once everything is well-combined cover and refrigerate, 2-6 hours is good. You can go longer if you want, just don't add any acids in the marinade, if you do it can make the meat mushy.
- Put all the chimichurri ingredients into your food processor. Blend for a couple minutes until the sauce is smooth (or at the texture you like best). Taste and adjust your seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Whisk your "Brush on Vegetables Before Grilling" ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside until needed.
- Fire up your gas, wood, or charcoal grill. You want to ensure your grill is screaming hot. If using charcoal and lighter fluid, don't forget to wait 20 minutes AFTER the fire is lit to ensure the lighter fluid burns off the coals, otherwise, your dinner will taste like lighter fluid.
- Right before the grill is ready, assemble the kebabs. Alternate the steak with the vegetables, in any pattern you like. Then brush or spoon on the "Brush on Vegetables Before Grilling" sauce if you're using it. Put your kebabs on the hot grill, and sear them a few minutes per side, or until your meat is cooked to the temperature you prefer.
- Carefully, using a grill/oven mitt if need be, pull the cooked steak kebabs off the grill and onto a plate. Serve with chimichurri sauce and enjoy!
I used metal skewers for this recipe if you're using wooden skewers to make your kebabs be sure to soak them overnight in water, otherwise, they will burn on the grill.
Once my grill is hot, I clean it with a grill brush. Then I'll dunk a paper towel into the vegetable or olive oil. Using tongs, I'll drag the oil-soaked paper towels over the grill grates to lubricate them. This helps keep your grill clean and prevents food from sticking.
After I made the chimichurri I felt it tasted a little too acidic. I rounded out the flavor by adding a squirt of sriracha. Not only does sriracha add some heat but it adds a touch of sweetness that balanced the sauce perfectly for me. Taste your sauce and adjust the flavors to your preference!
Calorie Breakdown
Kebab ingredients:
1 lb top sirloin – 612 (I used lean)
5 mushrooms -20
1 zucchini -31
1 yellow pepper -50 (depending on the size)
1/2 red onion -33
6 large cherry tomatoes -18
Total = 764
Steak Marinade:
1 teaspoon of salt – 0
1 teaspoon of dried oregano – 3
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder – 5
1/2 teaspoon onion powder – 4
Big pinch of red pepper flakes – not sure
Big splash of olive oil (approx 1/4 cup) – 447
Total = 459
Chimichurri Sauce:
1 cup fresh parsley – 22
1 cup fresh cilantro – 4
1/2 cup olive oil – 995
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar – 3
3 garlic cloves -12
Big pinch of red pepper flakes – unsure
1 tablespoon lemon zest -1
1/2 teaspoon salt – 0
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper – 0
Squirt of sriracha (optional) – 5
Total = 1042
Brush on Vegetables Before Grilling (optional):
Juice from 1 lemon –
1/4 cup olive oil -447
Big pinch of dried oregano – 3
Bing pinch of salt – 0
Bing pinch of black pepper – 0
If you eat all 4 kebabs – 2,265
If you eat 2 kebabs -1,132.50
If you eat 1 kebab -566.25
To save some calories you can skip the steak marinade and the “brush on vegetable before grilling” oil.
Calories without steak marinade
If you eat all 4 kebabs – 1,806
If you eat 2 kebabs -903
If you eat 1 kebab -451.50
I made 4 large kebabs, you can make them smaller to save on some calories too. I did NOT include the “Brush on Veggies” calories because I’m sure how to calculate it. I had quite a bit olive oil/lemon liquid leftover after brushing it onto the kebabs.
*Note, I am not a nutritionist, nor am I pretending to be. I found the calorie counts by reading the nutrition labels on the food I purchased, searching Google, and using my Lose It! app on my phone.using my Lose It! app on my phone.
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