Healthy Mediterranean Gyros

This is my first recipe post here on the blog and I'm so excited to share it because it is by far one of my favorite dinners to make. And the best part? It's meal prep friendly! It's my Mediterranean gyros, which is basically meatballs (with Mediterranean seasoning) on a pita accompanied with a traditional tzatziki sauce and a cucumber tomato salad. This receipt is so easy and you can make the salad and sauce ahead of time so the flavors can melt together. Overall this recipe takes 30 minutes!

INGREDIENTS 

You really don't need that many ingredients for this recipe:

• 4 pitas 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground lamb
• One large egg
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (you can use Italian breadcrumbs or whole wheat breadcrumbs)
• One cup Greek yogurt (I use Fage 0%)
• 1/3 cup grated cucumber
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• 1 cup diced tomatoes (you could also use halved cherry tomatoes) 
• 1/4 cup diced red onion (though you can omit this if you don't like onion)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dill (I use dried)
• 1/2 ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste

TZATZIKI SAUCE AND CUCUMBER SALAD

Like I said, the tzatziki sauce is best if you make it ahead of time so it has a chance to develop flavor. 

A note about the grating cucumber: Use a cheese grater but then be sure to remove excess moisture. I just take the grated cucumber and squish it between two paper towels.  Otherwise your sauce will be too liquidy (but if you like it that way then you do you!). 

For the tzatziki sauce, combine the Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, minced garlic, olive oil, and dill. Once combined add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Pop it in the fridge until you are ready to use. 

For the cucumber salad, combine the diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, and diced red onions. Add in our flat leaf parsley and then finish with salt and pepper to taste. Pop in the fridge next to your tzatziki sauce.

MEDITERRANEAN MEATBALLS

It can't be easier to make. The meatballs are a pretty typical meatball recipe but with a Mediterranean flair. I use a mix of ground beef and lamb but really you can make this recipe with whatever meats you like.

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Add the meat, egg, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, ground cumin, and 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Gently mix to combine.
3. Roll into balls (approximately 2 inches each) and place onto baking sheet fitted with a cookie sheet (this will let grease drop off the meatballs). 
4. Bake for about 10 or so minutes or until no longer pink. Baking time will vary depending your oven and the size of your meatballs.
5. Once cooked through, remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

Then assemble your gyros! Take a pita and line it with 3-4 meatballs (I like to chop my meatballs up sometimes), add add some tzatziki sauce and cucumber salad and dive in!

Some notes:
*You can serve this over couscous or rice if you don't want a pita.
*You can make this with turkey meatballs if you don't like eating red meat.
*You can use tzatziki sauce as a delicious dip for carrots and celery!

I didn't run the exact calories on this recipe but using MyFitnessPal it looks like the tzatziki sauce is 47 calories per 2 tablespoons, the meatballs are 294 calories for four, and the cucumber salad is 23 calories for 1/4 cup.

Did you try this recipe? How did you like it?