Beef and Lamb Gyro Meatballs

Beef and Lamb Gyro Meatballs are moist and packed with flavors! No special equipment and anyone can make them at home. Serve with tzatziki sauce, hummus, simple salad, and pita bread to make a satisfying complete meal! 

Gyro no doubt is my favorite Greek food! That flavorful blend of meat with herbs is roasted vertically over fire until nicely browned and slightly crisp on the outside. Either in a sandwich or serve on the side, gyro is absolutely delicious! But to do a rotating roast at home isn’t something everyone can do. I have a tiny grill on a tiny patio. And I’m not going to spend money on buying a rotisserie skewer that I would only use for once or twice.

Therefore, I turned the gyro meat into meatballs. Anyone can make them at home and you can serve them in many ways. These meatballs taste just like the gyro meat. I used a mixture of ground beef and ground lamb. The meat was seasoned with onion, garlic, dried rosemary and dried marjoram. Marjoarm is a herb that I have never heard or used before. It is actually very similar to oregano, but sweeter and more delicate. The blend of seasoning for the meat are just on point.

Traditionally, you don’t want much liquid in gyro meat, because you want a nice crisp on the outside and you don’t want the meat slide off the skewer. But for the meatballs, you want them to stay moist on the inside. Therefore, I didn’t squeeze out the liquid from the minced onion. Instead I used all the liquid and added 1 egg and panko (Japanese breadcrumb), that helped to keep the meatballs intact and moist.

The meatballs did not finish in a sauce, so I like to serve them with the tzatziki sauce (cucumber yogurt dip). The freshness and the tanginess from the tzatziki balance the dish nicely. You can try my easy tzatziki recipe or buy a pack from grocery store. Other than tzatziki, I also include some fresh vegetables (romaine lettuce and tomatoes), pita bread, and hummus to serve alongside with the meatballs. Tasty and satisfying! Enjoy!

Print Pin

4 from 1 vote

Beef and Lamb Gyro Meatballs

Course Dinner

Cuisine Greek

Keyword beef, greek, gyro, lamb, meatball

Servings 3 servings

Author Lokness

Ingredients

• ½ pound ground beef
• ½ pound ground lamb
• ½ medium onion (finely minced)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely minced)
• ½ tablespoon dried marjoram
• ½ tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix together beef and lamb roughly. Add onion, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, pepper, egg and panko. Mix well with hands. Divide the meat mixture into about 30 portions (about 1½-inch diameter). Roll the meat portions into meatballs with wet hands. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• When ready to cook, in a large skillet over medium heat, warm up 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook until cook through and golden brown, about 13 – 15 minutes. Make sure to rotate them for even cooking. Transfer the meatballs to a large plate lined with paper towels to drain for 1 minute. Place the meatballs on serving plates. Serve with homemade tzatziki sauce. 

Notes

1. To ensure tasty meatballs, test the seasoning by cooking a little meat patty in a small pan. Taste it. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
2. Always serve the meatballs with tzatziki sauce.

(Adapted from CIA Taste)