Go Back

Lamb Meatball Pitas

These quick tasty meatball pitas are the perfect "I need dinner and I need it now" solution. Because who has time for complicated when you've got hungry humans staring at you? Lamb sounds fancy, but it's literally just meat in ball form—we're not reinventing the wheel here, people.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground lamb or beef if you're playing it safe
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced (white onion works too—we're not onion snobs)
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley the green stuff that makes everything look intentional
  • 1 Tbsp oregano
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika this is where the magic happens
  • Red pepper flakes add with your heart, remove with regret
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 4 Whole wheat pitas or regular—carbs are carbs
  • Tzatziki sauce or hummus if you're switching teams
  • Arugula fancy lettuce that tastes like it has opinions

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Because we're civilized humans who plan ahead (sometimes).
  2. Mix ground lamb, onion, parsley, oregano, smoked paprika, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Get your hands dirty—this isn't the time for delicate mixing. Roll meatballs into 1-inch size balls and place on a greased baking sheet. They don't need to be perfect spheres; rustic is the goal here. Drizzle lightly with olive oil because everything's better with a little fat.
  3. Bake meatballs for 15-20 minutes. Broil for 3-4 minutes if you want a little extra crisp or if you're feeling fancy. Watch them like a hawk during broiling—the line between "golden perfection" and "charcoal disaster" is thinner than you think.
  4. Cut pitas in half, open, and spread about 1 Tbsp tzatziki in each half pita. Don't be stingy with the sauce, life's too short for dry pitas.
  5. Fill with desired amount of meatballs (I recommend 3-4, but you're the boss of your own pita) and top with a handful of arugula.

Notes

Reality Check
This serves 3-4 people, assuming everyone gets reasonably full and doesn't go back for thirds. Substitute ground beef for lamb if your grocery store gives you judgy looks, or swap tzatziki for hummus if you're team chickpea. We don't discriminate against Mediterranean spreads here.