Greek Gyros with Tomato Cucumber Salsa
When I travel I love to try all the foods that the city/country is known for. I was in Greece a few summers ago and had the most incredible lamb gyro. I have been dreaming about this gyro ever since and finally decided to try to recreate it! Instead of using sliced lamb like the one I had in Greece, I decided to make mini meatballs. I also created a lightened up tzatziki sauce which pairs really well with these meatballs. I top the whole thing off with a tomato and cucumber salsa which adds a lovely freshness to this gyro! This recipe is currently one of my fiancé and I’s favorites- we eat it weekly at our house! Also, I love it because sometimes when I am not feeling like eating carbs I make this recipe as a salad and it is just as good! Enjoy!
Greek Gyros with Tomato Cucumber Salsa
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
- Total Time: 30m
- Serves: 4
- Yield: 24 meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/2 lb ground lamb
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1/4 c bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/4 c onion, finely minced or grated
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp. parsley, fresh, minced
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. oregano, dried
- salt and pepper
Tomato Cucumber Salsa
- 1 pt cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 c cucumber, chopped (about 1/2 hothouse cucumber)
- 1 tbsp. parsley, minced
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper
Other
- Pita
- Tzatziki Sauce (recipe under sauces)
- Feta cheese
- Fresh herbs- optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Combine the onion, garlic, spices, herbs and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Mix everything well. You want to add the ground meat last to make sure you do not overwork the meat.
- Mix the meat in with all the other ingredients until just combined.
- Roll the meat mixture into golfball size meatballs. You should be able to make 18-24 meatballs, depending on how big you roll them.
- Place the meatballs on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 16-20 minutes. If you have 24 meatballs they should only take about 16 minutes, if you made less they will take a little longer to cook.
- Take the meatballs out of the oven and let rest.
- For the tomato cucumber salsa: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. You can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge up to 24 hours prior.
- Heat the pita bread in the microwave or oven.
- Build the gyros: Liberally coat the middle of the warm pita with tzatziki sauce. Place 3-4 meatballs down the center of the pita, on top of the sauce. Top the meatballs with the tomato cucumber salsa. You can garnish everything with feta and fresh herbs, but that is totally optional!
xo, Rachel
