Grilled Lamb Pita Pockets

I’ve mentioned before that once warmer weather is here, I make it a priority to use my grill instead of my oven/stovetop whenever I can, like with this recipe for Grilled Lamb Pita Pockets. It keeps the temperature down in my house, and it’s super easy to grill! Plus, who doesn’t love the flavor that grilling adds to food?

I had a craving for lamb this week, so I decided to make grilled lamb pita pockets for dinner one night. I grilled lamb meatballs on skewers and then topped the meatballs with a drizzle of tzatziki and a Greek-inspired pesto sauce with some extra feta and cucumbers for good measure. I unfortunately didn’t have any tomatoes on hand, but would strongly suggest adding chopped tomatoes as well!

Ingredients:

Lamb Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground lamb
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon dill, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Tzatziki:

• 1 cucumber, seeds scooped out and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon dill, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon mint, finely chopped
• the zest and juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Greek Pesto:

• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 cup mint
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more if needed
• 2 tablespoons feta cheese

Other:

• finely chopped cucumber
• diced tomatoes
• feta cheese, crumbled
• pita rounds

Before starting to make your Grilled Lamb Pita Pockets, add 8 wooden skewers (paid link) to a shallow plate with water. You want to soak the skewers for at least a half hour.

To make the tzatziki, halve your cucumber lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.

Finely chop the cucumber. Add the chopped cucumber, garlic, dill, mint, zest and juice of your lemon, salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt to a small bowl, stirring to combine. Set aside.

Add the walnuts, parsley, cilantro, mint, garlic cloves, salt and pepper to a small food processor. Process until finely chopped.

Drizzle with the olive oil. Pulse to combine. If the mixture is too thick for your liking, add a bit more olive oil and pulse to combine.

Add in the feta cheese and process until smooth.

When ready to cook, preheat your grill to medium-high heat.

To make the meatballs, add the ground lamb, garlic, shallot, dill, ground coriander, ground cumin, salt, pepper, egg, and panko to a large bowl, mixing to combine.

Form into 12 meatballs, a bit larger than a golf ball.

Thread the meatballs onto the skewers. I put 3 meatballs on each set of two skewers (using two skewers makes it easier to turn them on the grill).

Add the meatball skewers to the grill over direct heat. Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until the middle of the meatballs reads 160 degrees F. Remove from heat and set aside.

Before turning off your grill, add the pita rounds to the grill and grill for a minute or two on each side. Remove from heat and cut in half.

Pull apart each side of the pita to open the pocket. Stuff with chopped cucumber, diced tomatoes if you have them, feta cheese, and two meatballs. drizzle with the tzatziki and pesto and serve.

The lamb meatballs stay so tender and juicy! You get a hint of the spices in the meatballs which gives them great flavor.

Be sure to check the temperature of them on the grill to make sure you remove them around 160 so they don’t dry out.

The tzatziki is nice and creamy and the pesto adds a much needed freshness to the grilled lamb pita pockets. I love the crunch of the cucumber as well!