Prepare to embark on a culinary adventure as we delve into the art of creating the perfect gyro with tzatziki sauce. This tantalizing dish, originating from Greece, has captivated taste buds worldwide with its symphony of flavors. Imagine tender slices of seasoned meat, lovingly grilled and nestled in a warm pita bread, complemented by a refreshing tzatziki sauce that bursts with cucumber, garlic, and tangy yogurt. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a novice home cook, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and techniques to craft an unforgettable gyro that will transport your taste buds to the vibrant streets of Athens.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
HOMEMADE GREEK GYROS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE (KEBABS*)
My version of Alton Brown's delicious gyro recipe.
Provided by adapted by Christina Conte
Categories Main Courses
Time 1h35m
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Run the onion in a food processor for about 15 seconds. Place the onion in the center of a kitchen towel and squeeze out the juice and return to the food processor.
- Add the meat, garlic, spices, salt and pepper to the onion, and process. Do so until it looks like a fine paste, about a minute. Place the mixture in a loaf pan and press evenly.
- Bake in a water bath (place loaf pan inside another pan filled with water) at 325°F (165°C) for about an hour or more until temperature reaches 165-170°F (75°C.)
- Remove from the oven, drain fat, and place on a cooling rack.
- Cover meat with aluminum foil and a heavy weight (Alton suggests a brick) for about 15 minutes until internal temperature is 175°F (79°C) (I found the times are not quite accurate, and I didn't know if the brick actually had an effect, but I think the important part is getting the meat to the correct temperature.)
- Place meat on a cutting board and slice as thinly as possible with an electric knife (using anything else would be much more difficult.)
- I added the following step myself as I think it mimics the rotisserie a bit more. Add a few slices to a nonstick frying pan (very little or no oil) and heat gently until the meat browns a little.
- In another pan, heat the pita bread.
- Finally, place the meat on one half of the pita, topped with tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and onion. You could also put a little Greek dressing on the tomatoes too (extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt, oregano.)
- Serve Homemade Greek Gyros with rice pilaf or a Greek salad, and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 343 calories, Carbohydrate 6 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 106 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 22 grams fat, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 30 grams protein, SaturatedFat 8 grams saturated fat, ServingSize 1 gyro, Sodium 692 milligrams sodium, Sugar 3 grams sugar, TransFat 0 grams trans fat, UnsaturatedFat 10 grams unsaturated fat
LAMB GYRO WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE AND SPICY SOUR CREAM SAUCE
Provided by Brianna Jenkins
Time 1h10m
Yield 8 gyros
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- In a large bowl, toss the cubed lamb with the garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and lemon juice. Coat the lamb completely. Let the lamb marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat a large, deep skillet over high heat and drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the lamb with 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the lamb to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides and cooked to medium-rare, about 4 minutes on each side.
- Heat the pita bread in a dry pan or in the microwave for just a few seconds until warm and pliable. On each piece of bread, lay a few pieces of lamb, some tomato slices, lettuce, feta and a spoonful of each sauce. Transfer to a serving platter, fold and enjoy!
- To make Tzatziki sauce:
- In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, mint, dill, lemon zest, and yogurt. Season with salt, to taste, and serve with the gyros.
- Yield: about 2 cups
- To make Spicy Sour Cream Sauce:
- In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, lemon, and sriracha sauce together until completely blended. Season the sauce with salt, to taste, and serve with the gyros.
- Yield: about 1 cup
20-MINUTE GREEK GYROS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE
Easy to make Greek gyros that take just 20 minutes from start to finish! We're using a combination of lamb and beef to make these gyros patties tender and delicious. Wrapped inside of a pita and topped with dill tzatziki, this meal it totally weeknight friendly!
Provided by Marzia
Categories 30 Minute Meals
Time 20m
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a large bowl combine the ground lamb, beef, garlic, all spice powder, onions, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Shape the meat into 12 small patties. Alternately, you could just shape them into 4-5 larger ones. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the tzatziki sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for serving.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the patties for 3-4 minutes (smaller) and 6 minutes (larger) or until they are cooked to desired doneness.
- to serve: Warm the pita bread, layer with meat patties, sliced onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Top with tzatziki sauce and serve immediately.
BEEF GYROS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE
A gyro is a Greek sandwich made of thin slices of roasted meat, served on pita bread with a cucumber-yogurt sauce. In this recipe, lean ground beef is seasoned with oregano and marjoram, pressed into a loaf pan, baked and thinly sliced to fill the pita.
Provided by EatingWell Test Kitchen
Categories Healthy Beef Recipes
Time 1h15m
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Prepare Tzatziki Sauce: In a small bowl stir together Greek yogurt, cucumber, red wine vinegar, dill, minced garlic and salt. Cover and chill up to 4 hours until ready to serve.
- Prepare Beef Gyros: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper; coat paper with cooking spray.
- In a food processor combine the 1 cup onion and the water; cover and process until smooth. Press pureed onion through a fine-mesh sieve to remove excess liquid; discard liquid. Return onion to food processor. Add the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, oregano, marjoram, garlic, salt and pepper). Cover and process until mixture forms a paste.
- Lightly press meat mixture into prepared loaf pan. Place loaf pan in a 13x9-inch baking pan. Pour enough boiling water into baking pan to reach halfway up sides of loaf pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until done (160 degrees F) (see Tip). Drain off fat. Cool 10 minutes. Remove; cut into slices about 1/4-inch thick.
- Fill pita bread with meat, tomato, cucumber and red onion slices; top with cheese. Serve with Tzatziki Sauce.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 205.7 calories, Carbohydrate 18.7 g, Cholesterol 63.7 mg, Fat 6.7 g, Fiber 6.9 g, Protein 23.7 g, SaturatedFat 2.3 g, Sodium 609.5 mg, Sugar 4.1 g
GYRO SALAD WITH TZATZIKI DRESSING
If you're fond of gyros, you'll enjoy this garden-fresh salad showcasing ground lamb, crumbled feta cheese, Kalamata olives, tomatoes and a creamy, tangy dressing. -Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Lunch
Time 30m
Yield 6 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- In a large bowl, sprinkle cucumber with salt; mix well. Let stand 5 minutes. Drain. Stir in remaining dressing ingredients. Cover and refrigerate., In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook lamb, onion and Greek seasoning until meat is no longer pink; drain., Arrange salad mix on a large serving platter; top with tomatoes, cheese, olives and lamb. Spoon dressing over salad. Serve immediately with toasted pita wedges.
Nutrition Facts :
GYRO MEAT LOAF WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE
A spin on a classic meat loaf, I love this because I can sneak spinach in on my meat-and-potatoes family. Serve it with Greek-style potatoes or a Greek salad. I also get to make a whole other meal the next night with the leftovers-gyros. -Mandy Rivers, Lexington, South Carolina
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 1h15m
Yield 8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble lamb over mixture and mix well. Shape into a loaf and place in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish., Bake, uncovered, 55-60 minutes or until no pink remains and a thermometer reads 160°. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with tzatziki sauce. Freeze option: Securely wrap and freeze cooled meat loaf in plastic wrap and foil. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Unwrap meat loaf; reheat on a greased shallow baking pan in a preheated 350° oven until a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 354 calories, Fat 21g fat (9g saturated fat), Cholesterol 136mg cholesterol, Sodium 472mg sodium, Carbohydrate 15g carbohydrate (2g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 26g protein.
TZATZIKI (GYRO SAUCE)
I love the sauce that is on a gyro. I wanted to make my own for a greek salad to use as a dressing and found this in a Gourmet magazine. It worked out great. Now I just need to figure out gyros so that I can have it on that. Cooking time is for the chilling it is not necessary but I like mine served cold.
Provided by Huskergirl
Categories Sauces
Time 1h15m
Yield 1 cup
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Toss cucumber with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a colander and drain 15 minutes.
- Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt, then whisk together with olive oil, yogurt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Squeeze out any excess water from cucumbers with your hands, then stir cucumbers into yogurt mixture. Season with salt.
- Cover and chill 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 418.1, Fat 35.2, SaturatedFat 8.9, Cholesterol 31.9, Sodium 1279.7, Carbohydrate 18.6, Fiber 1.1, Sugar 14, Protein 9.8
GYRO BURGERS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE
Make and share this Gyro Burgers With Tzatziki Sauce recipe from Food.com.
Provided by BxChick
Categories Lunch/Snacks
Time 30m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Combine yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, mint, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small container. Cover and refrigerate.
- Combine beef, oregano, feta cheese, onion powder, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Form into 4 patties.
- Grill patties on each side until desired doneness is reached.
- Grill pitas for a minute or two on each side to warm.
- Assemble sandwiches - open pitas, add burger, a dollop of sauce, and any of the sliced vegetables listed above for garnish. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 384.9, Fat 17.9, SaturatedFat 8.1, Cholesterol 105.5, Sodium 396.5, Carbohydrate 20.7, Fiber 1.8, Sugar 3.6, Protein 34
Helpful Cooking Advice
Kick-start your culinary journey with these invaluable tips & tricks, handpicked from the heart of our article. Elevate your cooking skills to new heights and inspire your taste buds with these kitchen-tested techniques.
- Precise Measuring: Accuracy is key in cooking. Use proper measuring tools like spoons, digital kitchen scale, or measuring cups to achieve consistent results.
- Fresh Ingredients: Embrace the power of fresh ingredients. When possible, opt for fresh produce, herbs, and spices to infuse your dish with vibrant flavors and nutritional benefits.
- Kitchen Essentials: Elevate your cooking efficiency with essential kitchen utensils, including a sharp set of knives, a variety of spatulas, measuring cups, a quality kettle, and various storage containers.
- Mastery of Seasoning: Unleash the art of seasoning. Enhance your dish with the perfect blend of herbs, spices, and sauces. Experiment with different combinations to create flavorful and memorable dishes.
- Patience and Techniques: Cooking is an art that takes time and practice. Master the techniques of sautéing, simmering, braising, and roasting to create culinary wonders. Be patient, allow for cooking time, and trust the process to achieve the desired results.
- Presentation Matters: Don't overlook the importance of presentation. Arrange your dish aesthetically, using vibrant colors and textures to create an enticing visual appeal. The way your dish looks can significantly enhance its overall appeal.
Conclusion
With a pinch of culinary knowledge, a sprinkle of experimentation, and a dollop of passion, you can transform ordinary ingredients into an orchestra of flavors. The culinary journey never ends; every meal is an opportunity to explore, create, and indulge. Embrace the magic of cooking and let your taste buds be the judge. Bon appétit, fellow foodies, and may your culinary adventures be filled with joy and delicious creations.
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