Grilled Steak and Veggie Kebabs

May in Nebraska means two things: tornado season and the end of the school year, and both make me equally anxious. The kids are winding down. Amber is finishing seventh grade, Tyler and Justin finishing fourth, and Josie finishing first. There are field trips and permission slips and end-of-year performances, and I am coordinating all of it from the cab of a truck somewhere between here and Omaha.

I have been thinking about something a reader commented on my chili post. She said she is a single mom working two jobs and she cannot figure out how to feed her kids anything that is not fast food. I wrote her back and said the same thing I will say here: start with one meal. Do not try to overhaul everything at once. Just pick one meal a week where you cook something from scratch, and let the rest be whatever it has to be. Perfection is the enemy of dinner.

This week I made my hamburger casserole. It is embarrassingly simple: brown a pound of ground beef, mix it with egg noodles and a can of tomato soup and some shredded cheese, dump it in a baking dish, and bake at 350 until it is bubbly. Total cost: about six dollars. Total time: thirty minutes. Total complaints from four children: zero. That is the math I care about.

Gayle would be horrified that I use canned tomato soup, because she believes canned soup is a moral failure. But she did not drive a truck for eight hours and then come home to four hungry kids. I use canned soup and I feel no shame. The dinner gets made. The family gets fed. Everyone survives.

Dave grilled burgers on Saturday, the first grill-out of the season. He takes grilling very seriously, the way men in the Midwest take grilling seriously, which is to say he stands in front of the grill with a beer and a spatula and acts like he is commanding a military operation. The burgers were good. The buns were store-bought. Josie ate hers without the bun because she is six and has decided she does not like bread this week. Pick your battles. That is trucking wisdom and parenting wisdom. Same thing.

Dave’s first grill-out of the season always feels like an unofficial holiday around here, and this year I wanted to have something in my back pocket for the next time he lights that thing up. Grilled steak and veggie kebabs are exactly right for a family like ours—they come together fast, everyone can load their skewer with whatever they’ll actually eat (yes, Josie, you can leave off whatever you decide is offensive this week), and they taste like you put in way more effort than you did. That is the whole point.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 32 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 red onion, cut into wedges
8 oz cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Metal or wooden skewers (if wooden, soaked in water 30 minutes)

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, oregano, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
Coat the steak and veggies. Add the steak cubes and all the vegetables to the bowl. Toss well to coat everything evenly. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes while the grill heats up, or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours ahead.
Heat the grill. Preheat your gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat, around 400°F. Oil the grates lightly to prevent sticking.
Thread the skewers. Alternate steak cubes and vegetables on each skewer, leaving a small gap between pieces so heat can circulate evenly.
Grill the kebabs. Place skewers on the grill and cook 10 to 12 minutes total, turning every 3 to 4 minutes, until the steak reaches your desired doneness (135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium) and the vegetables have char on the edges.
Rest and serve. Remove from the grill and let rest 3 to 4 minutes before serving. Serve directly on the skewers or slide everything off onto a platter.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Steak and Veggie Kebabs — Because Dave’s First Grill-Out of the Season Deserves a Proper Recipe