Meatball Gyros

By Lucy Olschan May 5, 2019

This recipe is best with fresh dill and parsley, however, I know that is not always achievable in the winter - dried will do.

Don't forget the nutmeg. It gives the beef deep flavor, almost similar to lamb.

Leftover tzaziki sauce is amazing with anything - fries or potato chips are my favorites. It makes an excellent dip.

Prep Time : 15 minutes
Cook Time : 15 minutes
Yield : 4

Ingredients

greek yogurt - 1/2 cup
sour cream - 1/2 cup
grated cucumber - 1/4 cup
grated garlic - 1 clove
dill - 1 tbl spoon fresh or tsp dried
lemon juice - 1 tbl spoon
salt and pepper - to taste
ground sirloin - 1 lb
egg - 1
bread crumbs - 1/4 cup
parsley - 1 tbl spoon fresh or tsp dried
grated garlic - 2 cloves
nutmeg - good pinch
salt and pepper - to taste
lettuce leaves
cucumber
tomato
red onon
4 pitas

Instructions

For the tzatziki sauce, combine the Greek yogurt, sour cream, cucumber, garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Give it a taste and adjust the flavors to your liking. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Now onto the meatballs. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine and then form into meatballs. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your meatballs.
While the meatballs are cooking, slice the cucumber, tomato and onion.
When the meatballs are cooked through, remove them from the oven to rest and cool. Place the pitas in the hot oven directly on the rack. Bake until lightly toasted on both sides.
To assemble, place lettuce leaf and about 4 meatballs down the center of each pita. Spoon a generous amount of Tzatziki sauce and top with cucumber, tomato and onion slices. Wrap up and enjoy.

This rainy spring has been killing me. Not only am I ready for nice weather, but my four-year old has started T-Ball. All practices were rained out and now we have moved onto rainy, freezing games. This week I decided to pretend summer is here with these delicious meatball gyros.

As I fell in love with gyros on vacation in Greece, they forever embody warm weather for me. But this meatball version makes them easy to make in the oven anytime, no grill required. They are also easy to mealprep so a great dinner to make on a busy day, like when you have a game or practice.

You can prepare the sauce and meatballs ahead of time, even the night before. I also baked my meatball just before we left for a game and simply put them back in the oven for a couple of minutes when we got home to warm them up. Another nice thing about these are the infinite possibilities to serve them for picky eaters. My picky boy had the meatballs, cucumber slices and pita chips only. This is my little one’s plate:

If you have leftovers, you can also make a grain bowl for lunch by topping some rice or quinoa with the meatballs and veggies. Anything goes. I have been employing the same motto to single-handedly get through spring ball season with a two-year old and four-year old – anything goes as long as we get through the day.

Fingers crossed for some warmer weather and sunshine soon.

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