lamb pita with dilly minty yogurt sauce

it's lamb time.

Lamb!

We’re doing it. After many, many requests, lamb is making its inaugural appearance on What To Cook this week! We’re starting simple — no racks today. We’re using ground lamb, and we’re sautéing it with fresh herbs and delicious spices.

I thought about lamb burgers or meatballs but then I thought, nah, too obvious. So instead we’re making lamb pita. This recipe reminds me so much of the meals George and I ate when we were in Israel — there are pita shops all over the place, each one specializing in a different type of pita. Eggplant (sabich), lamb, beef kebab… each with their own special spice blend or unique sauce.

For this recipe, we’re making herby, deliciously spiced lamb and stuffing it into a FRESH, warm pita with juicy tomatoes, crisp iceberg lettuce, and sharp red onions. The kicker is the dilly minty yogurt sauce that we’re going to absolutely down our pita in.

I’ll convert you all to lamb lovers with this one.

two-ingredient pita!

While we’re on the topic, let’s talk lamb for a sec. Lamb has a similar caloric and fat content to beef, but it wins on nutritional content. Most lamb is grass fed (look for it on the label), so it’s incredibly high in omega-3 fatty acids. Even higher than grass-fed beef. Omega-3 fatty acids are one of those super nutrients — they can help treat depression and anxiety, boost brain health, reduce inflammation… you get the gist.

But you know I always encourage using up whatever you already have, so if you have ground beef in the freezer, or if it’s way cheaper at the store, you should definitely just use that here!

Summer travel is on the horizon, and FYI this would make an excellent vacation/rental house meal. Most of the ingredients (other than a few spices and flour) are fresh, so you won’t get halfway through the recipe only to realize that you don’t have everything you need. It’s quick and simple and you can shave minutes off by buying tzatziki instead of making the sauce, and by using store-bought pita.

PS: I just did a huge vinegar, flours, and nut restock on Thrive and man, I feel invincible with a stocked pantry. I basically only have to buy fresh produce and dairy since I also have a freezer stocked with meat. As always, you can use this link to get 30% off your first order and a free $60 gift. Last year I shipped a Thrive shipment directly to our beach rental house and it made things so easy!

this could be a 15-minute meal…

But it’s not. I’ve been wanting to share this 2-ingredient pita recipe forever, and now felt like the time! And the sauce! We had to have a delicious sauce. But like I said above, you could just make the lamb, buy pita (warm it up in a skillet if using store-bought!), and buy tzatziki or even just plain sour cream instead of making the yogurt sauce. That would be a delicious meal, and a much better fit for a night that you truly don’t feel like cooking.

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lamb pita with dilly minty yogurt sauce

Serves 4 (as always, I recommend doubling the meat because it makes great leftovers!)

Cook time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Tools:

• Chef’s knife

• Cutting board

• Platter (for serving)

• Blender

• Large bowl

• Rolling pin (or a wine bottle)

• Your largest skillet (or griddle, if you have one)

• Another large skillet (a large pot or braiser will work for cooking the meat if you don’t have two large pans)

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh dill

• 2 large ripe Roma tomatoes, diced

• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

• 2 1/3 cups Greek yogurt, divided

• 1 bunch fresh mint

• 1 large lemon

• 2 cups self-rising flour

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 pound ground lamb

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• Optional: feta or goat cheese