Meatball Gyros
Meatball gyros are an easy way to make the classic pita wrap sandwich at home. The beef meatballs are seasoned with garlic, oregano, and mint and piled in warm pita. For the finishing touch, top them with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, and creamy tzatziki sauce.
To make things easy, you can make the meatballs and store them in the refrigerator or the freezer to make gyros whenever you want a quick dinner with lots of fresh flavors.
I love Greek gyros, but making traditional gyro meat at home is not in the cards these days. As much as I’d love to mix up the ground meat and spices, pack them into a meatloaf-like log, and cook said meat log on a rotating spit for hours, other life things are going on that make that prohibitive. So, enter these Greek meatball gyros. They’re a short-cut way to get a gyro fix without so much hassle.
Ingredients
- Meat: Traditional gyro meat is made with ground lamb, but for this recipe, I use 90% lean ground beef. Of course, you can choose your own adventure and use ground lamb or combine it with ground beef. Or try ground turkey. I think it’d work well, too.
- Seasonings: The meatballs are seasoned with garlic powder, dried oregano, dried mint, kosher salt, and black pepper. You know, Greek-inspired flavors. In a pinch, you could skip the whole meatball-making step and use frozen meatballs.
- Other meatball ingredients: You’ll also need an egg, some dried breadcrumbs, and olive oil to cook them in.
- Pita: I like to warm them up in the microwave so they’re nice and soft when you assemble the gyros.
- Tzatziki: This is a Greek yogurt sauce made cucumber, mint, fresh dill, lemon juice, and garlic. You can make homemade tzatziki sauce or buy some at the grocery store. It’s usually near the deli.
- Other toppings: To finish the wraps, add some crumbled feta cheese, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and a little sliced onion.
How to Make the Gyros
☑️ Mix the ground beef with the egg, breadcrumbs, and seasonings in a large mixing bowl.
☑️ I like to use two tablespoons of the meat mixture to form each meatball. You can make yours bigger or smaller, but you will need to adjust the cooking time.
☑️ Brown the meatballs in a large skillet with olive oil until cooked and no longer pink.
Tip: At this point, you can cool the cooked meatballs and store them for later. They will keep in an airtight container for several days in the refrigerator or for several months in the freezer.
☑️ Warm up the pita breads in the microwave, then place a few meatballs on each one.
☑️ Top the meatballs with tzatziki, feta cheese, tomatoes, and cucumber. I also like to have some extra tzatziki on the side!
Tip: Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, and feta cheese in a bowl to make a tomato-cucumber salad. Then, spoon it over the pita or serve it on the side so everyone can help themselves.
Recipe Tips
You can bake the meatballs in the oven instead of cooking them on the stove. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the meatballs in a single layer. Bake them at 375°F for about 15 minutes or until they are no longer pink inside.
If you want to meal prep this recipe, you can make and bake the meatballs beforehand. You can also dice the veggies and keep them in the refrigerator. It’s best to keep the components separated in the refrigerator and wait to assemble the gyros until you’re ready to serve them.
Meatball Gyros
These meatball gyros are an easy way to make the classic pita sandwich wrap at home. The meatballs are wrapped in warm pita with tzatziki, feta cheese, and fresh veggies.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Greek-Inspired
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (90% lean)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 pita, warmed
- 1 cup tzatziki sauce, plus extra for serving
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Combine the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, oregano, mint, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well until all ingredients are well combined.
- Scoop two tablespoons of the mixture to form each meatball. Place the meatballs on a cutting board or plate.
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook them for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them occasionally to ensure even browning on all sides. You may need to cook the meatballs in two batches. Once they are browned, transfer them to a clean plate.
- Place the meatballs on the warm pita. Spoon some tzatziki over the top and add the feta, tomato, cucumber, and red onion. Serve with extra tzatziki sauce on the side.
Notes
You can make the meatballs ahead and store them in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months.
Nutrition
- Calories: 472
- Sugar: 6.9g
- Sodium: 1893.2mg
- Fat: 17.5g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.4g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 52.2g
- Fiber: 5.2g
- Protein: 29.2g
- Cholesterol: 91.1mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
