Easy Ground Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce (Recipe Inspired by MIDDLESEX)

The hardest thing about these Easy Ground Beef Gyros is figuring out how to pronounce them.

Gyro.

Is it “Jy-roh”? Or, is it “Guy-ro”? Maybe it’s “Year-roh?

I’ve been to Greece, and I still don’t know how to pronounce “gyro” correctly. (To be fair, I didn’t see gyros on any menus there, so I didn’t have the opportunity to inquire about its pronunciation).

I think it’s the last one (“year-roh”), but please do NOT quote me on that. I have not a drop of Greek blood in me.

But, you know who does? Main character Calliope Stephanides from the amazing novel Middlesex.

Why are Ground Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce the book-inspired recipe for Middlesex?

Middlesex was featured in my latest Quick Look Books post about Powerhouse Books, and I wanted to make a recipe that paid homage to Calliope’s gnarled family roots. There were a lot of delicious Mediterranean-inspired meals to consider, but I wanted something that’s more easily classifiable as “Greek.”

Since I wasn’t about to tackle moussaka (I hate eggplant) or pasticchio (I have enough pasta recipes in mind for this blog), I decided to go with a Greek restaurant classic: the beef gyro. 

What I love about Ground Beef Gyros

When researching gyros, I found lots of recipes that cleverly have you make a seasoned meatloaf, then slice and fry up the slices to resemble freshly shaven gyro meat.

Genius idea. It sounds delicious.

BUT. I don’t want to do all that work. This is supposed to be an easy recipe. So, this dinner better come together in 20 minutes or less.

These Easy Ground Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce admittedly have a few ingredients and topping to get ready. It’s similar to making tacos. But, once you’re all prepped, dinner’s on the table in about 10 minutes.

The best part is that these ground beef gyros give that classic gyro flavor without all the baking, slicing, or installing a rotisserie spit in your kitchen (the Cottage kitchen could not accommodate that). This is also great meal to prep on the weekend and then cook up quickly on a weeknight.

Although lamb is the traditional gyro meat, I’ve used ground beef in this recipe since it’s cheaper and more readily available in my supermarket.

Plus, when I was in Greece, I ate so much lamb that I vowed not to touch it again for at least a decade. 

You can put whatever you like on your gyro, but I like the traditional toppings of lettuce, tomato, and tzatziki sauce. I know that most people add sliced, raw onions, but Mr Tart and I do not. Instead, I’ve added the onions directly into the meat mixture to get all their delicious flavor without their eye-stinging potency.  

What do you serve with Easy Ground Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce?

A great side dish for these ground beef gyros would be a Chickpea Shepherd’s Salad or a Simple Shepherd’s Salad. Or, try an Arugula, Watermelon, and Feta Salad if you want to be a little bit fancy. Another Greek-inspired dish you might like is Greek Chicken Orzo Salad. 

Warning: these little sandwiches can be extremely messy, so only make this recipe for people you feel comfortable being a slob around. Thankfully, most of my friends and family already know I approach mealtimes with reckless abandon, so messy eating is just another evening at the Cottage.

Ground Beef Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Easy Ground Beef Gyros are full of mouthwatering spices and fresh veggies, then toped with a homemade tzatziki sauce. Ready in 20 minutes!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

Gyro Beef Mixture

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove grated garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Tzatziki Sauce

• 6 oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 clove grated garlic
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Gyro Toppings

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 4 whole wheat pitas with pockets (8 half-moon pockets all together)

Instructions

 

PREP INSTRUCTIONS

• Chop onion and set aside.
• Grate clove of garlic for beef mixture and set aside.
• Grate clove of garlic for tzatziki sauce and set aside.
• Combine marjoram, rosemary, oregano, salt, and pepper together in small prep bowl and set aside.
• Chop up half a cucumber, and set aside.
• Chop tomatoes and set aside.
• Chop mint and dill, and set aside in a small prep bowl.
• Juice half a lemon and set aside.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

• In a small food processor: combine yogurt, chopped cucumber, lemon juice, one clove grated garlic reserved for tatziki sauce, olive oil, dill, mint, red wine vinegar, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ ground black pepper. Pulse ingredients until mixture is smooth and blended together. Pour tzatziki sauce into a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and chopped onion, mixing together until beef is slightly browned and onions are starting to soften, 1-2 minutes. Add the spice mixture to the beef and stir to combine.
• Cook beef mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently until beef is completely browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
• Assemble gyros: Line the inside of a pita pocket with some lettuce. Add spoonfuls of the gyro beef mixture. Top with tomatoes and homemade tzatziki sauce, then serve immediately.