Ground Turkey Gyros
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If you’re craving a gyro but don’t have a vertical rotisserie at home, try this recipe for Greek Tacos instead! It has all of the delicious flavors of a gyro. Greek spiced ground turkey with cucumber tomato salsa and feta cheese in warm pita bread! Best part is, it’s quick and easy to make in just 29 minutes!
Table of contents
While this is not a traditional taco or a traditional gyro, it’s a wonderful fusion of the two. And it’s TOTALLY DELICIOUS!
I’ve been making these “Greek Tacos” for years now. And it’s still one of the recipes I get most excited to make. The combination of flavors and textures is on point!
A gyro is traditionally made with meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Since I’m guessing most of you don’t have a vertical rotisserie hanging in your kitchen, I’m bringing the flavor to your stovetop. I used ground turkey in this recipe, but ground lamb or ground beef can be used for a more traditional gyro.
The meat is topped with a tomato cucumber salsa, which I could seriously eat by the spoonful! It’s so light, fresh and flavorful, and perfect on these tacos. Then of course I finish it off with crumbly, salty feta cheese, a squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh mint. Like I said, flavor combination, on point!
Over the years I’ve also added tzatziki sauce and hummus to these gyros. Both are great additions to the dish. But I’m updating the recipe to now say that tzatziki sauce is a MUST on these gyros! The light, creamy, greek yogurt sauce really ties the entire gyro experience together.
So much flavor packed into a recipe that’s easily made in 29 minutes, winning!
I made this recipe on San Diego 6 News years ago. One of the anchors said she still makes it for her family all of the time. She said it’s one of their favorite meals! I guarantee it will become one of yours too!
Instructions
- Prepare the salsa.
- In a large bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and onions.
- In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper together.
- Pour the dressing over the tomato cucumber salsa and toss to combine.
- Prepare the meat.
- Pour olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add diced red onion and saute for 4-5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and saute for an additional minute.
- Choose the ground meat of your choice, turkey, lamb or beef, and add it to the skillet.
- Cook the meat for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Drain any grease from the skillet.
- Add oregano, salt, pepper and sun dried tomatoes.
- Simmer the meat on low for 5 minutes.
- Assemble the gyros.
- Warm pita bread in the microwave for 20 seconds.
- Fill the warm bread with the ground meat and cucumber tomato salsa.
- Top with feta cheese, fresh mint, a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and tzatziki sauce. Optionally add a dollop of hummus or spicy feta dip.
Is this recipe healthy?
These gyros are made with lean ground turkey, making them a healthy option as part of a balanced diet. Each gyro or greek taco is 398 calories.
Each gyro contains 28 grams of protein, making it a great source of protein. They also contain 380 mg vitamin A and 185 mg calcium per serving.
Leaving out the pita bread is a great way to lower the calories. Instead of serving the dish as a pita wrap, you can easily serve it in a bowl. If serving the gyro meat in a bowl topped with the cucumber tomato salsa, feta cheese and tzatziki sauce, each serving is 244 calories.
How to make low carb gyros
Instead of serving the gyros in pita bread, serve all the delicious ingredients in lettuce wraps or over cauliflower rice. Also, omit the sun dried tomatoes, which add a significant amount of carbs.
By omitting the pita bread and sun dried tomatoes, this recipe is 9 carbs per serving. By substituting the pita bread with lettuce wraps, you’re also making this recipe gluten free. This is a perfect option for those on the keto diet and great for meal prepping!
What is the difference between gyro and pita?
Both gyro and pita are from Greece. Gyro (pronounced YEE-ro) is meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Pita is a flat, hollow unleavened bread. You will find gyro meat typically served in pita bread and sometimes called a gyro pita, gyro wrap or gyro sandwich.
More easy weeknight meals
- One Pot Buffalo Taco Spaghetti – tacos + spaghetti + buffalo sauce = always a good time!
- Spicy Vegetable Pad Thai – this is one of my go-to weeknight meals! It’s made in just 15 minutes and better than take-out!
- Buffalo Chicken Cheesy Penne – the most popular recipe on the blog since 2011! This creamy, cheesy dish is always a fan favorite!
- Veggie Fajita Rice Bowls – I love this vegan recipe for Meatless Monday. And I really love that it’s easy to make in just 10 minutes!
- Korean BBQ Beef – serve this easy beef recipe over rice, in lettuce wraps or as tacos, each way, it’s totally delicious!
Ground Turkey Gyros
Ingredients
Ground Turkey Gyros
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes
- 6 pita breads
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbles
- 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 1 lemon, sliced into 6 wedges
- ½ cup tzatziki sauce
Cucumber Tomato Salsa
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, or ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
Cucumber Tomato Salsa
- In a large bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, red onion and cucumber.
- In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, black pepper and kosher salt together.
- Pour this mixture over the tomato cucumber salsa and toss to combine. Set aside.
Greek Turkey Tacos
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions, saute for 4-5 minutes, add the garlic, saute 1 minute, then add the ground turkey.
- Cook the turkey through, drain any grease, then add the oregano, black pepper, kosher salt and the sun dried tomatoes.
- Simmer on low for 5 minutes.
- Warm the pita bread in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30-60 seconds on each side.
- Add the cooked ground turkey to the pita bread, top with the cucumber tomato salsa, feta cheese, fresh mint and tzatziki sauce.
- Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the tacos.
Video
Notes
- Gluten Free Option: Serve the gyros in lettuce wraps or in a bowl by itself or with cauliflower rice, instead of in pita bread.
- Low Carb Option: Select one of the serving options above, instead of serving the gyro in pita bread and omit the sun dried tomatoes to make this recipe low carb.
Nutrition Facts
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