Greek Meatball Pitas are a fun and healthy dinner! Tender Greek meatballs are stuffed in a pita with fresh tzatziki sauce, crumbled feta, lettuce, red onion and tomato. They are flavor packed and a fan favorite!
Greek Meatball Pitas Recipe
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What's not to love about Greek food?! The classic Greek flavors are simply irresistible and so unique. These Greek meatball pitas are similar to Greek Gyro which is thinly shaved slices of meat but instead the meat is shaped into meatballs. These pitas are packed with flavor and so easy to make!
What are Greek Meatball Pitas
Greek meatballs (keftedes) are a popular dish made from the combination of ground pork and beef, classic Greek herbs, spices, red onion, and breadcrumbs that are pan fried, baked or air fried until crispy and golden brown. The pitas are stuffed with the meatballs, tzatziki sauce, tomato, red onions, lettuce, and crumbled feta.
What to Serve with this Dish
- Lemon Garlic Roasted Greek Potatoes
- Greek Salad
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
- Spanakorizo (Greek Feta and Spinach Rice)
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- Ground Beef and Ground Pork - traditionally Greek meatballs are made with a combination of ground beef and ground pork. This gives the meatballs the best texture, moisture and flavor. You can swap to use all ground beef, or a combination of ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
- Feta Cheese - this is not a traditional ingredient in Greek meatballs but we love the addition of crumbled feta. It adds a nice salty and cheesy flavor to the meatballs and it also helps keep the meatballs nice and moist.
- Red Onion - finely diced or shredded red onion adds a ton of flavor the meatballs. By finely dicing or shredding the onion it bring outs the juice from the onion that adds additional flavor and moisture to the meatballs.
- Panko Breadcrumbs - these help keep the meatballs moist while baking, you can also swap for plain Italian breadcrumbs or plain breadcrumbs of choice (store bought or homemade breadcrumbs work great).
- Egg - this acts as a binder to keep the meatballs together while cooking.
- Garlic - lots of freshly minced garlic gives these meatballs the most irresistible flavor!
- Herbs and Spices
Pita Ingredients
- Pita Bread - you can use Greek pita bread that has a pocket inside or the thicker style of Greek pita bread that does not have a pocket. Both work great!
- Lettuce - any variety works great. You can use shredded iceberg lettuce, romaine, green leaf, or even spring mix.
- Feta Cheese - the more feta the better! The meatballs are made with feta inside and extra feta is crumbled into the pitas. It adds a nice salty and cheesy flavor.
- Tomato - thinly sliced tomato add a great flavor to the pitas. You can use Roma, beefsteak, or really any variety of tomato you like.
- Red Onion - we love the addition of raw red onion in many Mediterranean and Greek recipes. You can soak the onions in cold water to cut down on the onion flavor if you prefer, or you can even use pickled red onions!
- Tzatziki - homemade or store bought tzatziki can be used for this recipe. It is a cucumber and yogurt based sauce with garlic, dill, and lemon juice.
How to Make Greek Meatball Pitas
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of page
Prepare the Meatballs
- Line a sheet pan with edges with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, spray lightly with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Use a box grater or cheese grater to finely shred the onion. Or you can finely chop the onion with a knife on a cutting board. Add to a large bowl.
- Add all the remaining meatball ingredients to the bowl and mix until evenly combined.
- Use a cookie scooper, ice cream scoop, or tablespoon to scoop the meatballs, this recipe makes about 32 meatballs. Roll the meatballs and place on the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake the meatballs for about 15 – 20 minutes, shake the sheet pan halfway through cooking to flip the meatballs. While the meatballs cook prepare the tzatziki and pita toppings.
Prepare the Tzatziki
- If using store bought tzatziki skip these steps.
- Using a box grater or cheese grated, shred the cucumber. You do not need to peel or remove the seeds from the cucumber, this is optional. For the best flavor and color we recommend leaving the peel and seeds. Place the shredded cucumber in fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the shredded cucumber to draw or water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Squeeze cucumbers to remove remaining water and discard the water.
- In a large bowl combine the Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, dill, drained cucumbers, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Assemble the Pitas
- Assemble your pita with warm pita bread, tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion, feta and 5-6 cooked meatballs.
- Roll up the pita tightly, wrap in foil or parchment paper (to hold together and make it easier to eat). Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Greek Meatball Pitas
- Meat - this recipe is traditionally made with a combination of ground beef and ground pork. This combination yields the most tender, moist and flavor packed meatballs. However, you can swap for any combination of ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey.
- Cooking - traditionally the meatballs are pan fried until golden brown. You can pan pan fry, bake, or air fry the meatballs and the results are great. This is a great recipe for making ahead for dinners or parties as you can fully cook the meatballs the day before and then simply reheat them.
- Pitas - we recommend only assembling the pitas right before serving. If you assemble them too far in advance the pita will start to get soggy from the tzatziki. You can prep them at most 20 minutes in advance.
FAQ
Reheat the meatballs and then assemble your pita:
Air Fryer – Preheat Air Fryer to 400˚F. Add to the air fryer basket or tray and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until warmed through.
Oven – Preheat oven to 375˚F. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until warmed through.
Microwave – microwave for 1 minute. Note this method will not make them crispy again.
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, or freeze following below steps. It is best to store each component of the pitas separately, then reheat the meatballs and assemble the pita.
Yes this is a great make ahead recipe! You can cook the meatballs and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days before serving, reheat using the above reheating directions. Slice the lettuce, tomato and onions in advance and keep them stored in the fridge. The day of serving just set out bowls with all the toppings and have everyone make their pita wraps.
Leftover meatballs can be frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, bake or air fry the meatballs from frozen to reheat, adding 3-4 minutes to the above reheating times. We do not recommend freezing leftover assembled pitas. Only the meatballs and pita bread can be frozen.
For a gluten free recipe when you make the meatballs use gluten free breadcrumbs. When making the pita wrap use a gluten free pita.
For a dairy free recipe when making the meatballs you can swap the feta cheese for a dairy free cheese or you can omit the cheese. You can also make the tzatziki with a dairy free yogurt.
More Easy Dinners
- Hunan Beef
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewers
- Louisiana Chicken Pasta (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
- French Onion Chicken
Enjoy!
- Sab
Greek Meatball Pitas
Ingredients
Greek Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef (medium or lean)
- ½ lb ground pork (or ground beef)
- 1 red onion (medium)
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup feta cheese (crumbled)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (minced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint (minced)
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Tzatziki Sauce (or 2 cups store bought)
- 2 cups greek yogurt (plain, 2% for thicker sauce or 0% for thinner sauce)
- 1 cucumber + 1 teaspoon salt (English cucumber)
- 1 clove garlic (finely minced or shredded)
- ½ lemon (juiced)
- 1 teaspoon dill (fresh or, ½ teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pitas
- Oil (for cooking)
Pita Toppings
- 2 cups lettuce (shredded)
- 1 tomato (thinly sliced)
- ½ red onion (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup Feta cheese (crumbled)
Instructions
Prepare the Meatballs
- Line a sheet pan with edges with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, spray lightly with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Use a box grater or cheese grater to finely shred the onion. Or you can finely chop the onion with a knife on a cutting board. Add to a large bowl.
- Add all the remaining meatball ingredients to the bowl and mix until evenly combined.
- Use a cookie scooper, ice cream scoop, or tablespoon to scoop the meatballs, this recipe makes about 32 meatballs. Roll the meatballs and place on the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake the meatballs for about 15 – 20 minutes, shake the sheet pan halfway through cooking to flip the meatballs. While the meatballs cook prepare the tzatziki and pita toppings.
Prepare the Tzatziki
- If using store bought tzatziki skip these steps.
- Using a box grater or cheese grated, shred the cucumber. You do not need to peel or remove the seeds from the cucumber, this is optional. For the best flavor and color we recommend leaving the peel and seeds. Place the shredded cucumber in fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the shredded cucumber to draw or water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Squeeze cucumbers to remove remaining water and discard the water.
- In a large bowl combine the Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, dill, drained cucumbers, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Assemble the Pitas
- Assemble your pita with warm pita bread, tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion, feta and 5-6 cooked meatballs.
- Roll up the pita tightly, wrap in foil or parchment paper (to hold together and make it easier to eat). Enjoy!
Nutrition
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