Gyro Bowl
Crispy-edged homemade gyro meat with fresh vegetables, feta, olives, and creamy tzatziki over lemony quinoa make a bowl that's better than takeout.
Servings: 6 people
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Gyro Meat
- 1 pound ground lamb or 85% lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 large onion cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
- 3 ounces bacon cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
For the Tzatziki
- 1 cup grated cucumber (peeled if necessary)
- 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from about 1/2 large lemon
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill plus more for garnish
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced (recipe note #1)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
To Make the Quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa rinsed thoroughly and drained (recipe note #2)
- 3 cups cold water ideally filtered
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt optional
For the Bowls
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from about 1 small lemon
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 medium cucumbers diced (peeled if necessary)
- 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives halved
- 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese or more
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper for garnish, optional
Instructions
To Make the Gyro Meat
- Add ground lamb, salt, pepper, oregano and cumin to a medium bowl and mix well with your hands. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. (While it chills, make the tzatziki - recipe below.)
- Once the meat mixture has chilled, preheat oven to 300℉.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
- To the bowl of a food processor add onion and garlic; pulse several times to mince. Scrape down sides with a rubber spatula and add lamb mixture and bacon pieces; process to a smooth puree, scraping down sides as necessary.
- Transfer meat mixture to center of foil lined baking sheet. Wet hands and form meat into a rectangle, approximately 8-inches long, 5-inches wide and 1 1/2-inches high.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 155˚F. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.
To Make the Tzatziki
- Wrap grated cucumber in a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as possible over the sink. Transfer drained cucumber to a medium bowl.
- To the cucumber add yogurt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, dill, garlic and salt; stir well to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook the Quinoa (2 Options)
- Cook the quinoa either in a rice cooker (my preferred method) or on the stovetop. (Quinoa can be cooked and cooled, then refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
- Rice Cooker Instructions: Add quinoa, water and salt (optional) to a rice cooker and stir to combine. Cook on white rice setting (25 to 35 minutes, depending on brand). Once done, let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with fork and turn rice cooker off to allow quinoa to cool slightly.
- Stovetop Instructions: In a saucepan, combine quinoa, water and salt (if using) and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes more. Fluff with fork and set aside to cool slightly.
To Assemble the Bowls
- Adjust oven rack to highest position and preheat broiler. Line baking sheet with foil.
- Transfer loaf of gyro meat to a cutting board and carefully slice crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one. Broil 2 minutes, until slices are hot and edges are crispy. Remove from oven and tent with foil.
- Drizzle cooked quinoa with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Season lightly with salt if desired and toss to coat.
- Divide seasoned quinoa among 6 individual bowls. Top each bowl evenly with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives, feta, and gyro meat slices. Spoon desired amount of tzatziki sauce over each bowl; garnish with fresh dill and crushed red pepper if desired and serve.
Video
Notes
- If you prefer a subtle garlic flavor in your tzatziki, use 1 clove of garlic. Or, for a more pungent garlic flavor, use 3 cloves.
- You can cook quinoa up to 5 days in advance and store in the refrigerator. This bowl is equally delicious with warm or chilled quinoa.
Nutrition
Calories: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 1119mg | Potassium: 806mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 4mg
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