Enjoy springtime grilling weather with these Grilled Balsamic Pork Kebabs! They’re made with marinated and seasoned pork tenderloin medallions, bell peppers, zucchini, and red onion, and served with a crunchy, fresh side salad. It’s not only a delicious and easy to make meal, it’s also Paleo and Low Carb friendly!
Table of contents
This recipe was made in partnership with AdapTable Meals. All opinions are my own!
🔥 About
If you love firing up the grill as much as I do, these Italian seasoned Balsamic Pork Kebabs will quickly become your new favorite warm weather dinner.
The kebabs feature a medley of seasonal vegetables paired with AdapTable Meals’ dry rubbed Herb and Olive Oil Pork Tenderloin Medallions. It’s all tossed with balsamic vinegar, oil, and a homemade Italian seasoning blend, then skewered and grilled to perfection.
The pork comes out ultra tender, the vegetables are crisp, and there’s just so much bright, fresh flavor! You’d hardly believe how easy it is to make and that it all comes together in under 45 minutes, total.
Plus I think there’s just something fun about eating off a stick (just check out my Asian Steak Kebabs!).
🐖 Ingredients
If I had to choose my favorite thing about this recipe, it’d be the ingredients list. There’s nothing complicated or fancy here, just a few simple and delicious ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- Pork Tenderloin: I used AdapTable Meals Herb & Olive Oil Pork Tenderloin Medallions. They’re pre-marinated and sliced, which makes my job easy as pie! I find them at my local Food Lion, but be sure to check their store locator!
- Zucchini. Look for smaller zucchini since they tend to have fewer seeds in the middle, which is better for kebabs.
- Red Onion
- Red Bell Pepper. You can substitute other colors of bell peppers, if you’d like! Green peppers are usually quite a bit lower in price, and they’d work beautifully in this recipe!
- Italian Seasoning. Make an easy homemade Italian seasoning (full recipe below) or use your favorite store-bought blend.
- Fresh Basil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
You may also like: Shredded Pork Loaded Fries, Italian Sausage Zucchini Rolls.
🔪 Step by Step Instructions
I used to be a little intimidated by grilling recipes, but no more! You won’t believe how easy this recipe is to prepare. You can even make it in advance, then cook just before dinnertime.
Prep work
If you’re using wooden skewers, fill a container with water and soak the skewers for about an hour. The flames will char the skewers a bit, but this helps to keep them from burning.
Slice the zucchini into rounds. Dice the red onion. Remove the stem and seeds from the bell peppers and cut into bite sized pieces. Mix the balsamic vinegar, oil, and Italian seasoning together to make what will be used as both the marinade and salad dressing.
Slice the pork into bite-sized pieces. Since the medallions are already pre-sliced, I cut each slice into 2-3 smaller pieces.
Mix the oil, vinegar, and Italian seasonings together in a small bowl. This will pull double duty: it’ll be a marinade for the pork and vegetables and a salad dressing later on!
Season & assemble
Add all the bell peppers, zucchini, onion and pork pieces to a large bowl. Drizzle with half of the marinade/salad dressing, and toss to mix and coat each piece.
Next, alternate threading the meat and vegetables onto each skewer.
- Even though it’s tempting, don’t squish as much food as you can onto each skewer. Leave a little breathing room! Allowing just a little room between the pieces on the skewer will allow the heat from the flame to cook your food evenly.
- My grill is pretty far from my kitchen, so I like to set a piece of parchment paper or tin foil on a baking sheet to set the uncooked skewers on. Once the skewers are transferred to the grill, simply roll up and toss the paper away, and you have a clean surface to place the cooked skewers once they’re ready – the baking sheet!
Grill the kebabs
Lay the skewers on a preheated, well-oiled grill, and cook for about 10 minutes. Turn the kebabs every 2-3 minutes or so, until they’re lightly charred on all sides and cooked through.
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the pork, to ensure it’s cooked through. The safe internal temperature for pork is 145° F plus a three minute resting period, per USDA.
Once the pork reaches temperature, set the skewers aside and allow them to rest for at least three minutes.
Now you’re almost at the fun part – eating! Transfer the kebabs to a platter, then drizzle them lightly with a little more balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with sliced fresh basil.
Make the side salad
Wash and slice the lettuce, dice the cucumbers, and slice the tomatoes in half. In a large bowl, toss everything together with the remaining salad dressing and serve immediately.
💡 Tips & FAQ
Assemble the skewers, then cover them tightly with plastic wrap and store refrigerated for up to 2 days, until you’re ready to cook.
My favorite side dish is a classic side salad (pictured above!), but it would also pair wonderfully with a Tuscan-inspired cannellini bean salad, quick bruschetta, or grilled corn. I like to pair it with a frosty, lightly sweet Tom Collins mocktail, too!
Transfer to an airtight container or zip top bag and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, per USDA. I prefer to remove the pork and vegetables from the wooden skewer first to save space, but that’s up to you.
Microwave leftover kebabs on a plate for 2-3 minutes, or transfer the kebabs to a baking sheet and reheat under a broiler for 3-4 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Well, all that’s left to do is to fire up the grill and get cooking! If you make this dish, I’d love to know your thoughts. Drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom!
Grilled Balsamic Pork Kebabs
Equipment
Ingredients
Pork Kebabs
- 1.5 – 1.75 lbs pork tenderloin medallions, 2 packages of AdapTable Meals Herb and Olive Oil Seasoned Boneless Pork Tenderloin Medallions
- 2 bell peppers
- 3 small zucchini
- 2 red onion
- 8-12 leaves fresh basil
Marinade / Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning homemade or store-bought
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 2 heads romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 english cucumber
- 8-10 leaves fresh basil
Instructions
- Do the prep work. If using wooden skewers, soak the skewers in water for about an hour. Preheat your grill to medium heat, about 375° – 400° F. Wash and slice the zucchini into rounds. Dice the red onion into 1 inch pieces. Remove the stem and seeds from the bell peppers and cut them into bite sized pieces. Slice the pork into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the salad dressing / marinade. Mix the balsamic vinegar, oil, and Italian seasoning together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Season & assemble the skewers. Add the bell peppers, zucchini, onion and pork pieces to a large bowl. Drizzle with half of the marinade/salad dressing, and toss to mix and coat each piece. Thread the meat and vegetables onto each skewer.
- Grill the kebabs. Lay the skewers on the grill, and cook for about 10 minutes. Turn the kebabs every 2-3 minutes, until they’re lightly charred on all sides and cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the pork, to ensure it’s cooked through to 145° F.Once the pork reaches temperature, set the skewers aside and allow them to rest for at least three minutes. Transfer the kebabs to a platter to rest for at least 3 minutes, then sprinkle with sliced fresh basil and a little salt and pepper.
- Make the salad. Wash and slice the lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber. Toss with the remaining salad dressing and fresh basil and serve with the kebabs.
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