I don’t know what tabata is. But you can definitely get hella fit with 15 mins - a 5 min warmup w/o kettlebells, and a 10 minute session with. More time is better but lots of days that is ALL I HAVE TO MYSELF.
I love kettlebells (actually I just have 1-30 pounder). When I ride my bike on my indoor trainer, I sometimes get off mid-ride and do some kettlebell swings. Drives my HR through the roof.