Go Back
+ servings
Three pitas stuffed with gyro meatballs, tzatziki, cucumber, and tomatoes, wrapped in parchment paper.

Gyro Meatballs

Savory, juicy, and utterly delicious, these gyro meatballs are perfect in pitas or over rice with tzatziki.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Yield:20 meatballs

Equipment

  • large baking sheet
  • Aluminum Foil or parchment paper
  • neutral-flavored cooking spray
  • large mixing bowl
  • small cookie scoop with release handle optional, see Notes for alternative
  • internal meat thermometer

Ingredients

For the Gyro Meatballs

  • 1 pound ground lamb or lean ground beef, or ground pork
  • ¼ cup minced white onion
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup finely crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil (or parchment paper) and spray foil (or paper) lightly with cooking spray. Set baking sheet aside.
  • Add 1 pound ground lamb, ¼ cup minced white onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 large egg, ½ cup finely crumbled feta cheese, 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning, and ½ teaspoon salt to large mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together with hands until ingredients are fully incorporated and mixture is uniformly blended.
    Gyro meatball ingredients added to a medium white mixing bowl, shown before mixing everything together.
  • Use small cookie scoop to portion mixture into meatballs. Quickly roll each scoop between palms of hands to shape into smooth balls, then place meatball on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until entire mixture has been formed into approximately 14 to 20 meatballs.
  • Place filled baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake meatballs 8 minutes, then check doneness with internal meat thermometer. Continue baking meatballs, checking doneness every 2 minutes, until meatballs reach 155° Fahrenheit internally.
  • Carefully remove baking sheet from oven and set aside. Let meatballs rest on baking sheet 5 minutes, then serve with desired sides.

Notes

  • Number of Meatballs: The number of meatballs this recipe yields will depend on the size of the cookie scoop you use and how large the meatballs you form are. You should get 14-20 meatballs out of this recipe as-written.
  • Cookie Scoop: If you don’t have a cookie scoop or anything with a release handle, that’s totally fine. To keep your meatballs uniform and equally sized, press the entire mixture evenly into the mixing bowl, then use a wooden spoon to divide it into 4 equal sections. From there, remove each section from the bowl and divide each section into 5 equal meatballs.
  • Ground Meat: You can combine ½ pound ground lamb with ½ pound ground beef to add a little more flavor or cut costs.
  • Meat Temperatures: The meatballs will keep cooking a little as they rest on the sheet pan, so we recommend you take them out of the oven just before they hit their target temperature. For ground lamb, ground beef, and ground pork, the recommended food-safe temperature is 160°F. Take the meatballs out of the oven when they reach 155°F.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 meatball (out of 20) | Calories: 79cal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 62mg | Total Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Net Carbs: 1g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik