Lamb Gyros with Cilantro Sauce
Lamb Gyros with Cilantro Sauce are one of our favorite summer dinners. I start my gyros by mixing together ground lamb and spices. Then, I bake this mixture in a loaf pan. After letting the cooked lamb cool, I slice it thinly and grill it. Finally, I serve the grilled lamb with a creamy Cilantro Sauce, fresh vegetables, and pita bread. We like this dish for several reasons. First of all, I like that this recipe can be made ahead of time. I like to form the meat loaf the night before I want to serve the gyros. Then, right before serving the gyros, I grill the meat and assemble the gyros. Secondly, I like that I can make this dish with only about ten minutes of hands- on time. And, lastly, we all love the spicy lamb, crisp veggies, and creamy Cilantro Sauce.
The Equipment I Used
- A Food Processor- I use this to finely chop the onions. If you don’t have a food processor, you will need to use a knife to finely chop the onions.
- A Loaf Pan- You will need a 9 by 5 loaf pan to bake the lamb in.
The Ingredients Needed for Cilantro Sauce
- Lamb- Use ground lamb.
- Garlic- I like to buy the peeled cloves and store them in my freezer.
- Fresh Herbs- Fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano add such great flavor to the lamb.
- Pita Bread- Find the recipe for my homemade pita bread below.
- Yogurt- Use whole milk, full fat, plain Greek yogurt for this recipe.
- Lemons- Lemon juice and lemon zest add great flavor to the Cilantro Sauce.
How I Made my Gyros
- First, I mixed together the lamb mixture. It’s important to process the onion very finely.
- Next, I baked the lamb loaf. It’s important to let the loaf cool properly. Otherwise, it will be hard to slice.
- Finally, I served the lamb with all the components.
If you like lamb, you need to try these delicious Lamb Gyros with Cilantro Sauce.
Lamb Gyros with Cilantro Sauce
Equipment
- 9×5 loaf pan
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. each ground cumin and black pepper
- ½ tsp. each kosher salt and cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp. each fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano
- 4 pita breads
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 cup each grape tomatoes, sliced red onion, sliced cucumber
For the Cilantro Sauce:
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- ¼ cup minced cilantro
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- ⅛ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- 2 tbsp. each lemon juice and lemon zest
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper, so that it hangs over the sides of the pan.
- In a food processor, finely chop the onions. Then, put them in a clean dish towel and wring out all the moisture. Put the onions in a large bowl along with the lamb, garlic, and all the herbs and spices. Stir until well combined.
- Pack the meat mixture tightly into the pan, and bake for forty minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf measures 160 degrees. Cool on a wire rack and then in the refrigerator for three hours or overnight.
- While the meat cools, make the Cilantro Sauce. Place the yogurt in a bowl along with all the other ingredients and stir them together.
- Slice the meat thinly, and grill it along with the pita on a oil greased grill pan.
- Serve the meat on top of or inside of the bread, with the sliced vegetables and Cilantro Sauce.
Easy Bread Machine Pita Bread
Equipment
- Bread Machine
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp. plain full fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2½ cups bread flour (300g)
- 1 tsp. instant yeast
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in your bread machine, in the order recommended by your manufacturer. Process on the dough cycle.
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the dough into four equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a circle, about a quarter inch thick.
- Bake on two parchment lined baking sheets, for about five minutes, or until they puff up. Cut each pita in half and use a knife, if needed, to help along the separation.
