Easy Gyros at Home

I remember the first time I had a gyro.  It was at a food fair with my Mom and I was in my young twenties.  It was a love affair from the start!  Back then (about 30 years ago) they weren't quite as easy to find, at least in our area.  It was always a treat when we would find a restaurant that actually served them.  Now Greek restaurants are more widespread and we have a few in our area.  We still love to go out for the occasional gyro, but I have found a recipe where I can actually make them at home.  I have combined three different recipes that I came upon to make my own version.  Here it is.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  It is also a quite easy recipe.

1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 T. dried oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt I don’t usually use quite this much, so use your judgment
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.
Return the onion to the food processor and add the meat, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and feta cheese.

Tzatziki Sauce

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt or low fat sour cream
1/4 cup cucumber, grated
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Stir together the above ingredients and let sit 30 minutes or so to blend flavors.

Tex-Mex Casserole

This is a great potluck dish.  It makes a nice amount and goes fast.  It is always a favorite when I serve it.  Sometimes I add in a can of pinto beans or refried beans into the hamburger mixture. You can use either plain tortilla chips or if you prefer you could use nacho, taco or ranch flavor.  They all work equally well.

Tex-Mex Casserole


2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 t. garlic powder
1 10-3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 10-3/4 oz. can cream or mushroom soup
16 oz. enchilada sauce (hot or mild)
3/4 c. milk
10 oz. bag tortilla chips
8 oz. pkg. shredded cheddar cheese

In skillet, brown beef with onion and garlic powder; drain. Stir in the soups, enchilada sauce and milk. Crush chips and place in bottom of sprayed 13 x 9 inch baking dish.  Spread beef mixture over chips and top with cheese.  Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.