This juicy lamb gyro has a traditional Greek taste and is great to serve for both lunch and dinner.
If you’re not fond of lamb, you can always substitute ground pork or beef and still enjoy the savory flavor of all the other delicious ingredients.
Top tips for prepping ahead (on your food prep day or the night before)
Pre-chopping, cutting or cooking ingredients really helps to reduce stress and simplify dinner on busy weeknights.
- Chop your mint, onion and garlic (use jarred minced garlic in a pinch)
- Prepare and refrigerate your Tzatziki Sauce
- Prepare your lamb burgers (stop just before cooking). Stack each burger between parchment paper, store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
Some ways to “reinvent” your leftover Tzatziki Sauce:
- As a dip with raw veggies and sliced pita triangles
- As a salad dressing (think gyro bowl with olives, romaine, tomatoes, chicken, cucumbers and feta)
- With turkey meatballs for dipping
- Alongside falafel
Greek-Style Lamb Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce
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Course: , -
Prep Time: 25 minutes - Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
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Yield: 4 1x
Description
This juicy lamb gyro has a traditional Greek taste and is great to serve for both lunch and dinner. If you’re not fond of lamb, you can always substitute ground pork or beef and still enjoy the savory flavor of all the other delicious ingredients.
Ingredients
Tzatziki Sauce: (make ahead)
- 1 cup cucumber, finely chopped and weeped (about 1 medium cucumber)
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon fresh finely chopped dill
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt and pepper (each)
Tomato and Onion Mixture: (for topping)
- 4 diced tomatoes, seeded
- 1/4 large finely chopped onion
- 1 – 5 drops lemon juice
- pinch Himalayan pink salt
- fresh finely chopped cilantro leaves (to taste)
For Serving:
- whole-grain pitas
- extra virgin olive oil
- feta or goat cheese
- arugula
Instructions
Tzatziki Sauce: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
- Finely chop or mince cucumber using a food processor or blender. If you don’t have a food processor or blender, grate cucumber.
- Cucumbers are made up mostly of water, which is why this next step is IMPERATIVE. If you skip it, you’ll have watery sauce rather than cucumber sauce. It’s time to learn the art of weeping! Wrap up your chopped cucumber in a tea towel or a few layers of cheesecloth. If you have time, you can sit the cloth in a strainer for an hour or two and allow the water to drip out naturally. If you’re pinched for time, wring the water out with your hands. Squeeze but be careful that you don’t wring the towel so hard that you break it! we’ve done that before and my cucumber ended up at the bottom on the sink.
- Combine all cucumber sauce ingredients and mix or blend together, depending on the consistency that you prefer. Taste test! Cucumber sauce is all about seasoning to taste. If you’re a huge fan of dill, add a little more.
- Put cucumber sauce in a bowl or container and place in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight to allow yogurt to thicken and herbs to impart flavor. Leftover sauce? Store in the fridge and serve within a few days.
Tomato and Onion Mixture:
- Combine ingredients to taste. If time allows, let tomato mixture sit for 30-60 minutes. This allows all the ingredients to mix, impart flavor and complement one another.
Lamb Burgers:
- Combine lamb, mint and onion in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Using the lamb mixture, roll large balls and flatten to make burger patties. Sit the patties on a plate and chill in the fridge until firm, if time permits.
- Cook patties on a grill or griddle pan until cooked through (about 6 minutes on each side depending on thickness of patties).
For Serving:
- Lightly brush whole grain pita with extra virgin olive oil and warm on the grill or in oven.
- Evenly spread Tzatziki Sauce on the center of the warm pita. Top with lamb burger, cheese, arugula and tomato topping. Pull the sides of the pita up to meet in the center, like a taco. Messy and great!
Notes
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free ingredients, if necessary.
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
Keywords: Greek Style Lamb Gyro, Lamb Gyro, Tzatziki Sauce
Category :Recipes
