Meatball Gyros

If you thought I had run out of meatball ideas already then you were wrong because I’m only just beginning! I recently shared these mole meatballs on the blog, and if you follow me on IG then you might’ve seen these bacon cheeseburger meatballs that I shared over the weekend (I can’t recommend those enough). I know that might be meatball overload for some, but for me there’s no such thing. I love meatballs so much! And I especially love thinking of new ways to reinvent them. They’re versatile and cook in no time at all. These Meatball Gyros are so good, but the best part is that the oven does all the work for you, so you don’t have to stress too much about dinner.

In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, marjoram, red pepper flakes, parsley and dill until evenly combined.

**Tip: You can wrap this in plastic and chill for a few hours or overnight to marinate and deepen the flavor. If you don’t have the time, you can just use it right away with no problem.**

Shape into meatballs, about a tad smaller than a golfball and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven until golden and slightly crispy, 20 to 25 minutes.

**Tip: If you want to make clean up easier, you can line the baking sheet with foil or parchment. I find that the meatballs stick to foil a bit and so if you go that route, make sure you grease the foil liberally and also, allow them to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing as that’ll release the meatballs as they cool.**

In the meantime, to make the tzatziki, in a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, parsley, dill, garlic, oregano, red pepper and a large pinch of salt and black pepper.

**Note: Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container until ready to use. You can make this a couple days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.**

To assemble the gyros, slice the meatballs in half, warm the pita breads and gather the rest of the toppings. I like to use shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, sliced cucumber, dill, parsley and of course our homemade tzatziki from earlier.

Top each warm pita with tzatziki, lettuce, a few meatball halves, more tzatziki, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, dill and parsley. Roll up and serve immediately or at room temperature.

These can be made with ground turkey, chicken or lamb as well. Just keep in mind that if you use chicken or turkey, they’ll cook a bit faster. You don’t want to overcook them as those two tend to dry out faster.

The great thing about these gyros is that all the components can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use. Just rewarm the meatballs and pita right before assembling. It’s fast and easy!

If you make a few of these and need to keep them from falling apart, you can do what I did. I wrapped each gyro in a bit of parchment paper and tied them together using kitchen twine. It’s a nice presentation but also, it helps keep the gyros together!

I can’t stress enough, just how easy these are to make. I hope the next time you’re looking for a quick and delicious weeknight meal, lunch or even a simple weekend picnic idea, you’ll give these a try. The meatballs are great on their own as well, and can be served as an appetizer with the tzatziki on the side for dipping. I love double duty recipes like this! Let me know what you think below. Thank you for reading and following along.

5 from 2 votes

Meatball Gyros

These Meatball Gyros are a quick and easy weeknight meal, lunch or weekend picnic recipe to make when you want something fast and delicious!

Servings 2

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Equipment

• Mixing Bowls
• Baking Sheet

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (80/20)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup Panko or plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 small red onion minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped, plus more for garnish
• 6 pita breads
• 2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
• 2 tomatoes sliced
• 2 small Persian cucumber thinly sliced
• 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced

Tzatziki Sauce:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 small Persian cucumber chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
• 1 large garlic clove grated or minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and coarse black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425F. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
• In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, marjoram, red pepper flakes, parsley and dill until evenly combined. Optional: You can wrap this in plastic and chill for a few hours or overnight to marinate and deepen the flavor. If you don't have the time, you can just use it right away with no problem. Shape into meatballs and place on baking sheet. Bake until golden and crispy, 20 to 25 minutes.
• In the meantime, to make the tzatziki, in a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, parsley, dill, garlic, oregano, red pepper and a large pinch of salt and black pepper. Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container until ready to use. You can make this a couple days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
• To assemble the gyros, slice the meatballs in half, warm the pita breads and gather the rest of the toppings. Top each warm pita with tzatziki, lettuce, a few meatball halves, more tzatziki, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, dill and parsley. Roll up and serve immediately or at room temperature. Enjoy!