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I usually get the traditional gyro when I go, but there was no way I could reproduce that at home, so my mind went to work on what I wanted to use to get those tasty Greek flavors in my face.
I had already made Greek Burgers, and Greek Turkey Tacos and they are terrific. But they were quite giving me that gyros-ness I was craving.
I originally started out using lamb with these since that is the meat they use in those traditional, shave off the meat and pile it in a pita gyros I get. But I decided to go with beef.
For 1 not everyone likes lamb, and for 2 lamb is more expensive and I know y'all have been wanting recipes that are budget friendly.
Mini-me came home while I was making these and got uber excited as soon as I told her what I was making. She shares my love of gyros.....thank goodness!
The two of us ended up giggling with excitement waiting for the meatballs to cook.
Which made Kevin crazy.
Which made me happy.
That's what you get for not jumping on the gyro train with me
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about meatball sandwiches. I have been wanting to turn several of my favorite main dishes into meatball sandwiches.
Think about it.
Beef Stroganoff Meatball Sandwiches
Chicken Parm Meatball Sandwiches
Salisbury Steak Meatball sandwiches
See what I mean?
The things I ended up thinking about!
Anywho,
Once the meatballs were out of the oven we were ready to dive in, but picture first *sigh*
I even recruited Mini-me as a hand model
Wanna know the funny thing?
Kevin had to admit that he liked them!!
I love it when that happens!
So what do you think of my meatball obsession? What main dish would you like to see made into a meatball sandwich?
Gyro Meatball Sandwiches
ingredients:
- 2 cups Greek yogurt
- 3 cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, chopped, and separated
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 2 lemons, juiced and separated
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, chopped
- 1 handful parsley leaves plus 3 tablespoons, chopped and separated
- 1 pound Certified Angus Beef ® brand ground beef
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon minced onion
- 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 4 pita rounds
instructions
- Place 2 of the chopped cucumbers in a colander, reserving one cucumber for the relish. and sprinkle with salt. Let the cucumbers to sit for at least 30 mins to allow the cucumbers to release their liquid. Roll them in a clean dish towel to squeeze out any excess liquid.
- Add the drained cucumbers, garlic, dill, juice of 1 lemon, and some fresh cracked black pepper to the food processor. Process until smooth. Stir cucumber mixture into the yogurt. Taste and adjust your salt and pepper if needed. Place in an airtight container and allow to set in the refrigerator. The longer it sits the better it tastes so doing this the day before would work well.
- For the relish, in a medium bowl, combine the remaining cucumber, tomato, remaining lemon juice, red onion, and 3 tablespoons of the parsley leaves, and extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover and place in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, the remaining parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram, minced onion, and minced garlic. Form into 16 meatballs (I use a small cookie scoop).
- Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your meatballs.
- When the meatballs are cooked through, remove them from the oven to rest. Place the pita directly on the oven rack, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until warm and slightly toasted.
- To assemble the sandwiches, place 4 meatballs in each pita, and spoon the relish and Tzatziki on top of the meatballs, and sprinkle with feta cheese.
Like what you see? Please leave me a comment!
Janel
My mouth is watering. I wish there was a good gluten free gyro, but the good thing is I can eat this with rice instead.
hal bloss
this looks so delicious - i love anything greek - especially the feta!
Bobbi | Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
I know they have gluten free bread, so there might be gluten free pita out there, but you are right this would be great over some brown rice too!
Bobbi | Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Me too Hal I have been craving Greek food for weeks!!
Unknown
Oh my husband would love this!
Lauren Vavala
What a great idea! I'm not a fan of lamb so I would go with beef too! My fiance will love these!
Tessa
What a great idea!!! Thanks for sharing!!! Never thought of this as an alteration for gyro meat!!! I will definitely be trying this!!!
Unknown
These look amazing! I also love Greek food and my favorite thing to get are always the gyros. It's just so darn delicious!
http://www.flashesofdelight.com
Michigan Food Blog
That looks legit good! Currently doing a vegetarian challenge so this is killing me lol.
Jennifer L.
Omg this looks so delicious! Such a great sandwich recipe for spring too.
Kimberly @ Berly's Kitchen
This is a great idea for a gyro! Looks delicious and sounds simple to make. I'll take two. 🙂
Bobbi | Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
It is great when you don't have/can't get to a Greek restaurant!!
Bobbi | Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Aahhhh no!! Well, the cucumber tomato salsa/relish on this is to die for 🙂
Bobbi | Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Thanks! This is so good I could literally eat it everyday!!
Sondra Barker
Looks like a delicious recipe. I cannot wait to try.
emman damian
Gyro Meatball Sandwiches seems very easy to do! I bet it was so yummy!
Vian
Yummy overload, I don't cook but I love to eat.I might try to make the above recipe...for a change! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Ashlee Morgan
This looks so delicious!! Definitely something I'll have to try out one of these days.
Unknown
That looks so yum and ingredients are so healthy. Great pictures too.
Jp
I would love to eat this. It looks really scrumptious. Love a Greek salad on the side!
Ada
These sandwiches look so tasty! Yum yum.
Unknown
Oh wow. These look amazing. I would love to eat one now
Ayushi
This really looks super delicious and got me craving for some of those! I love how u made the Greek food come to you when you could not go get it..
kittynecessity
I used to get gyros all the time at the restauruant by my house. This recipe sure made me miss it but I think I will opt for a homemade one this time. Thanks!
LAKATWOMAN.com
TColeman
I have never seen a gyro made with meatballs like this before. It looks absolutely incredible and I will be making it soon for my family to try!