Main dish

Yogurt Plumped Lamb Kebabs

Chunks of lamb marinaded in yogurt and spices make these lamb kebabs perfect for a summer

To recipe
Juicy chunks of spice infused lamb with an avocado ranch dip

Love this recipe?

Make meal planning easier with our new meal planner.

Save hours on meal planning
Smart grocery lists
500+ curated recipes
Print to PDF
Recipe insights & TIPS

If you feel like immersing yourself in more primitive times or would love to be a contestant on Survivor, then you need to start cooking things on a stick. There's no simpler way to capture the taste of summer than to make your own meat kebabs and char them over a hot grill.

Juicy chunks of spice infused lamb with an avocado ranch dip

I made these Yogurt Plumped Lamb Kebabs from a fantastic yogurt based recipe book by Cheryl Sternman Rule. Cheryl's book called Yogurt Culture is full of fantastic yogurt recipes far surpassing plain breakfasts of yogurt and granola or popsicles.

The recipes range from drinks and dips all the way to marinades and amazing baked goods. I never knew a simple tub of yogurt could produce so much deliciousness!

The secret to keeping the lamb tender is to marinade it in Stonyfield Whole Milk Yogurt along with some paprika and turmeric. The yogurt will help tenderize the lamb and seal in all of those spicy flavors.

This recipe couldn't be any simpler, the hardest part is waiting on the marinade working it's magic.

Spiced lamb kebabs on skewers

I also made a batch of Cheryl's Avocado Ranch Dressing as a dip for the chunks of juicy lamb. You might never go back to store bought ranch after you see how easy it can be to make your own, and it's full of creamy avocado!

Just whisk together all of the ingredients and then transfer to a blender to and add the avocado. I used this whisk from OXO which, like any OXO product is so easy to use You can have this dip ready in no time, but try and make it a day ahead to let the flavors get friendly with one another.

I like to keep my lamb rare, leaving you the easy task of tearing of a chunk and dipping it deep into that avocado ranch for a perfect summer dinner.

 

Avocado Ranch Dip with Oxo Whisk

Recipes courtesy of Cheryl Sternman Rule

A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Recipe

Juicy chunks of spice infused lamb with an avocado ranch dip

Course:
Main dish
COOKing TIME:
16 minutes
Total TIME:
46 minutes
CUISINE:
Mediterranean
PREP TIME:
30 minutes
SERVINGS:
2

Ingredients

For The Avocado Dressing

  • 1 cup whole milk yogurt- not Greek
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh scallions or chives
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 of an avocado

For The Lamb Kebabs

  • 3/4 cup whole milk yogurt
  • tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 pounds to 2 1/2 lamb cut into small cubes
  • Cooking oil spray
  • Lemon for garnish
  • Red onions are optional
  • 4 in wooden skewers previously soaked water

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, water, chives/scallions, vinegar, onion powder,salt and pepper.
  2. Mince the garlic clove and add to the bowl.
  3. Transfer the whole mixture to a blender and add the peeled avocado.
  4. Blend until smooth and keep in the refrigerator.
  5. In another large bowl whisk the yogurt, oil, paprika, turmeric, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
  6. Add the lamb and coat well. Cover with plastic wrap for 4-12 hours.
  7. Heat your grill to high and start to feed the lamb onto the skewers along with chunks of red onion and wedges of lemon.
  8. Spray your grill with the oil spray and place the kebabs onto the grill.
  9. Grill the skewers for about 10-16 minutes making sure to turn them over now and again.
  10. Once the lamb is ready, let it rest for 5 minutes and serve with some white rice and the avocado ranch dressing.
  11. Garnish with fresh chive if desired.

Try Foodness Gracious
Meal Planner

1 month free
Access to all features
500+ recipes
A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @foodnessgracious on Instagram and hashtag it #foodnessgracious so we can see all the deliciousness!