The Best Easy Greek Gyro Salad With Tzatziki Dressing

This Greek gyro salad is a great family dinner. Quick and easy, it's all about fresh veggies topped with pan-seared marinated lamb and drizzled with Greek yogurt tzatziki dressing. Paprika roasted chickpeas add extra protein and bring so much flavour and texture.

Greek food is healthy, packed with flavor and usually easy and quick to make. I've used lamb in this recipe which is traditional, but you can use turkey, chicken, or even beef to make it lighter if you prefer.

This Greek watermelon salad is another favorite. As are these- halloumi salad, Moroccan couscous salad.

A simple marinade of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and rosemary adds so much flavor to the lamb and tenderizes the meat at the same time.

A traditional gyro is essentially everything in this salad but then wrapped in pita bread. We're skipping the wrap and keeping this fresh and light.

Ingredients needed

• lamb- I've used lamb leg steak, but you can use any tender cut of lamb.
• fat-free Greek yogurt
• feta cheese- regular or reduced fat work great
• romaine lettuce- it stays crisp and fresh for a few hours.
• cherry tomatoes- you can use regular ones here, if that's what you have
• garlic, rosemary, lemons and rosemary- for making the marinade
• cucumber
• dried oregano
• fresh mint
• pita bread (optional but nice to have)
• chickpeas
• paprika
• avocado- not traditional but still really good
• kalamata olives
• extra virgin olive oil
• red onion- these are very traditional in a gyro, but I've omitted them because I can't stand the taste of raw red onion. But you can absolutely add them in if you like.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Step By Step Instructions

1 & 2

• Make the marinade for the lamb by whisking the olive oil, lemon zest, juice, garlic, and rosemary together. Place the lamb in the marinade and leave for about 1 hour. *You can do this ahead and leave the lamb in the marinade overnight too.
• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium hight heat and sear the lamb on both sides for about 5 minutes. Until the lamb is golden on the outside and the center is just pink. *Cook your lamb for longer if you prefer it well done. Set aside on a plate to rest while you make the rest of the salad.

3 & 4

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350F) and drain a tin of chickpeas. Toss the chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes until the chickpeas have started to turn crispy.
• Make the dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add some more salt, lemon juice, or herbs depending on what you prefer.
• Once everything is ready, all that's left to do is assemble to salad.

Hint: The chickpeas and dressing can be made the day before or even a couple of days before to help with meal prep.

Recipe: FAQ

Substitutions & Variations

If you know how to make the recipe fit a certain diet, let the reader know here. Don't fake it - only provide guidance on topics you have actual experience with.

• Lamb - instead of lamb you can use chicken breast or thigh, ground turkey or beef . You can also use ground meat like chicken, lamb, beef, or turkey rather than breast meat.
• Tomatoes - I've used cherry tomatoes because I find them sweeter but your can use regular tomatoes if that's what you have. Just cut them into quarters and toss them in the salad.
• Dairy - use low fat or fat free feta and Greek yogurt to keep this really healthy.

Plan ahead and meal prep gyro salad

1. Make the chickpeas and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
2. Marinate the lamb the day before making. Or make the lamb on the weekend and store it in the fridge to use during the week.
3. Make the dressing up to 3 days before and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Equipment

You really don't need much to make this salad amazing but here are a couple of things that will certainly make the job easier.

• lettuce spinner
• baking tray
• whisk
• salad bowl
• measuring spoons

Storage

Store the wet ingredients (lettuce, tomato, cucumber) separately from the dry ingredients (pita bread, chickpeas), and recombine when ready. Good for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

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Recipe

Greek Gyro Salad

A quick and easy Greek gyro salad with tender marinated lamb, gyro seasoning and a creamy tzatziki dressing. Perfect Mediterranean flavors, but you can always use shredded rotisserie chicken if time is an issue.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Salad

Cuisine: Greek

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Marinading time: 4 hours

Servings: 4 people

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Author: Deborah Rainford

Ingredients

• Lamb leg steaks

For the marinade

• 25 ml olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 sprigs of rosemary finely chopped

For the tzatziki dressing

• ½ cup fat-free Greek yogurt
• 25 g grated cucumber skin left on. Squeeze excess moisture out of the cucumber.
• ½ tablespoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½- 1 clove garlic grated
• Sea salt and fresh pepper
• 3-5 mint leaves chopped

For the salad

• 2 romaine lettuces washed and shredded
• 3 mini cucumbers finely sliced
• 10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
• Feta fat-free or regular
• 10-20 kalamata olives

For the chickpeas

• 1 x 240g tin chickpeas drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

Instructions

• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients together and place in a ziplock bag with the lamb leg steaks. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour preferably overnight.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a non-stick frying pan or cast-iron skillet. Once the oil is hot, it will shimmer. Take the lamb out of the marinade and place it in the hot pan. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side until the lamb is golden and slightly charred around the edges. Leave the lamb on a plate and cover with foil to rest.
• While the lamb is resting, make the dressing. Place the Greek yogurt in a medium mixing bowl and stir in the shredded cucumber. Mix in the olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic. Add some water to loosen the dressing until you have your desired consistency.
• Assemble the salad by placing the romaine lettuce in the bottom of a salad bowl and season with some salt and drizzle with the tzatziki dressing. Layer the cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, olives, and feta over the lettuce. Slice the lamb, and place it on top of the salad. Drizzle with the dressing and some extra mint leaves. Serve with pita chips.

For the chickpeas

• Preheat the oven to 180c (350F). Drain the chickpeas and toss them with olive oil and paprika. Place evenly on a baking tray and roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until the chickpeas are golden and start to go crispy.

Notes

1. Sometimes raw garlic can be a little bit overwhelming. If you want to skip it in the tzatziki then that's okay. You can also replace it with some powder garlic. Not quite the same flavour but a good option in this case.
2. You can use chicken, or turkey in place of the lamb. 
3. If you use ground turkey, lamb or beef, skip the marinating and add garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil to the skillet when browning the mince.

Nutrition

Calories: 745kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 66g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 48g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 627mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 886IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 3mg

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