Grilled Watermelon and Italian Sausage Kabobs
May 24, 2021, Updated Sep 06, 2022
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This recipe is sponsored by Watermelon Board.
Make any summer night special with a sweet and savory treat hot off the grill. If you’re looking for new foods to add some crispy grill marks to, try watermelon!
When grilled, watermelon becomes even more flavorful and pairs perfectly with juicy, tender meat like spicy Italian sausage. Cube some watermelon, chop some sausage links, and skewer them both to make these Grilled Watermelon and Italian Sausage Kabobs, a summer meal your family can savor all season long!
How To Make Grilled Watermelon and Italian Sausage Kabobs
Grilled watermelon and Italian sausage are a pair that are sure to delight, especially when your family or guests get a whiff of the delicious scents wafting off of your grill. Watermelon gets sweeter on the grill, making this seasonal favorite even more irresistible. Spicy Italian sausage makes this a unique sweet-and-hot combo, but you can skewer any kind of sausage you like alongside your juicy watermelon.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: kids love any meal you can serve on a stick. Adults do too, for that matter! Serve grilled watermelon and Italian sausage kabobs on top of a bed of lettuce or alongside any salad. Kabobs add a fun element to any meal and will make it memorable, enjoyable, and easy to eat.
The key to this recipe is size. Cube your watermelon too large, and it won’t cook all the way through or will become hard to eat. Too small and it falls off the skewer too easily. We recommend cutting it into one-inch cubes, roughly the same size as the diameter of your sausage.
Once you’ve cubed the watermelon, blot the cubes with a towel to remove excess moisture. Cut the sausage links into similarly sized pieces for balanced, symmetrical kabobs that cook properly and are satisfying to eat.
Learn how to cut the perfect watermelon cubes here:
Grilled Watermelon and Italian Sausage Kabobs
Ingredients
- 4 spicy Italian sausages cut into 1" slices (can sub any Italian sausage)
- 2-3 cups watermelon cubes cut into 1" cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 450 degrees.
- While grill is preheating, assemble kabobs by alternating sausage and watermelon cubes.
- Once the grill has reached 450 degrees, place kabobs on it and close the lid. Grill for approximately 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Cook until sausage has cooked through and reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Picking the Perfect Watermelon
Watermelon may be a summertime staple, but choosing one in the grocery store can be intimidating. How do you tell a good watermelon from a bad one under that thick green rind? It’s actually quite easy! With the help of the experts at Watermelon Board, we’ve come up with some tips to help you choose the right one for your Grilled Watermelon and Italian Sausage Kabobs.
Start by checking the surface of the watermelon. A good watermelon should be symmetrical in shape. Like any other fruit, watermelon should be free of any large gashes or bruises. Check the whole surface for any soft spots as well.
When you’ve found one that’s firm and unmarred, turn it over and look for a large buttery yellow spot on one side. Watermelons that have this spot are healthy: this is where the watermelon sat on the ground while it was growing. A buttery yellow hue is healthy. A spot that is closer to white indicates that the watermelon wasn’t quite ripe enough to be cut from the vine, while a bright yellow hue generally means it was overripe.
Next, lift some good-looking watermelon to test their weight. You’re looking for one that is heavy for its size; this means it’s healthy and full of juice. Watermelon is 92 percent water, making it very heavy. It may be cumbersome to put in the cart, but the effort will be worth it when it’s sizzling on the grill!
Looking for some creative ways to eat more watermelon this summer? Check out these recipes too:
- Watermelon S’mores
- Watermelon Pizza
- Watermelon and Cucumber Salad
- Air-Fried Watermelon Bites
- Watermelon Basil Margarita
Did your family love the fruity and savory flavors of these Watermelon and Italian Sausage Kabobs? Do you have any other favorite ways to enjoy watermelon? Let us know in the comments! Or capture your kabobs in photos and tag us on Instagram @theproducemoms.
