Grilled Beef Skewers on a Pita with Tzaziki

Grilled Beef Skewers on a Pita with Tzaziki

It's nice that ground beef is so cheap, but I get really tired of the same ol' routine with it: tacos, spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, hamburgers.....all of them delicious comfort foods, but a little less than exciting. I was able to get a fabulous deal on ground beef this week, so with all the extra beef in my freezer I challenged myself to find something different.

I definitely succeeded.

This is a twist on Greek Pitas and so easy to make....as easy as hamburgers.

Recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray
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Serves 4

Tzaziki Sauce:
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup grated cucumber
1 clove garlic grated
1 tsp dried dill
Salt and pepper

Beef Skewers:
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp cumin
1 clove grated garlic
Salt and pepper

8 wooden skewers*
4 pitas

Put the wooden skewers in a container of water to soak for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, put yogurt in a bowl. Grate the cucumber and place in a clean kitchen towel. Wring out over the sink, then place dry cucumber into the bowl with the yogurt (this step is important, since it ensures that your sauce won't get runny). Add garlic, dill and salt and pepper to taste. Place in the fridge to let the flavors meld until you are ready to eat.

Heat an indoor grill or barbecue to medium heat.

In another bowl place the ground beef, cumin, garlic and salt and pepper. Mix together well and divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into about a 6 inch log, and then skewer with two wooden skewers. Place on a plate and drizzle with oil. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for about 8 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.

Microwave the pitas for about 10 seconds each right before you are ready to eat. Place a beef skewer on top of a pita and drizzle with tzaziki sauce. Serve with a Mediterranean inspired salad along with it like Tomato/Avocado/Mozza Salad or Pepper, Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.

Click here for printable recipe of Grilled Beef Skewers on a Pita with Tzaziki
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THE RESULTS?
These were incredibly delicious. We love Greek food and Mediterranean flavors so this really hit the spot for us. We ate them with Tomato/Avocado/Mozza Salad rolled inside the pita as well, but a simple salad of tomato/cucumber/pepper dressed with lemon juice and greek seasoning would be just as good. I imagine they would be a fun meal for kids to eat because of the skewer - although for kids you might want to cut back on the cumin flavor. I love cumin, but it's definitely a dominant flavor in these kabobs.

I'm shocked that for all the times I have gone out and bought tzaziki because I thought it was too complicated to make, that it was that easy. I won't make that mistake again.



*Updated December 30, 2011: I ALWAYS forget to pre-soak my wooden skewers and would always end up with burnt ends, so I  picked up some metal skewers for super cheap.  I think they were about $2 for a pack of 6.  I absolutely love them and would recommend getting some.  No more remembering to pre-soak!






For more inexpensive meal ideas, check out the $5 Dinner Mom and for more Rachael Ray recipes visit Taste and Tell's Saturdays with Rachael Ray.