Greek Meatball Pita with Tzatziki

Greek Meatball Pita with Tzatziki

Greek Meatball Pita with Tzatziki is a classic Greek dish. We use our Greek Salad Dressing Mix for the seasoning, which adds a wonderful savory flavor. The meatballs are served in a pita bread pocket with the Tzatziki Sauce and other toppings for a lunch, or add rice pilaf and a side salad for a complete meal.

Serves: 4

Meatballs:
1 Pound Ground Beef (We use 85/15.)
1 Large Egg
1 ½ Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
½ Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon Sheffield’s Greek Salad Dressing Mix
¼ Cup Red Onion Coarsely Grated
¼ Cup Fresh Flat-leaf Italian Parsley, Minced Fine
Olive Oil

Serving and Toppings:
4 Greek Pita Breads, cut in half
1 Cup Tzatziki Sauce (See recipe below.)
Chopped Romaine Lettuce
Cherry Tomatoes, Cut in Half

Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Medium or ½ Large English Cucumber, Cut in half lengthwise
1 Cup Strained Greek Yogurt. Use a thick variety or the tzatziki will be too thin. We use Fage.
1 Tablespoon Dried Dill Weed
1 Tablespoon Dried Spearmint
1 Garlic Clove, Minced Fine
Zest of 1 Lemon, Finely Grated
2 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
½ Teaspoon Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, or to taste

Cut English cucumber lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a small spoon. Grate the cucumber in a box grater using the large holes. In a medium mixing bowl, add the cucumber, yogurt, dill weed, spearmint, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine well. Let rest in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to let the favors develop.  We also have the full Tzatziki Recipe HERE.

Meatball Directions:
Prepare the Tzatziki Sauce.
Preheat oven broiler. Lightly oil a shallow-rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, egg, oyster sauce, Panko breadcrumbs, Greek Salad Dressing Mix, red onion, and parsley. Mix until just combined. Roll mixture into 25 to 30 meatballs about 1 ½” diameter each. Transfer them to the baking pan. Lightly brush them with olive oil. Broil for 6 to 8 minutes, turning them over every 2 minutes until browned and an internal temperature of 160ºF.

To serve, put 5 to 7 meatballs in each pita half, depending on the size of the meatballs. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Tzatziki sauce in each pita on the meatballs. Top them with some of the chopped Romaine lettuce, and cherry tomato halves. If you want to make it a complete meal, serve with a side of rice pilaf and some Greek salad, Enjoy!