If your family dinner ideas are starting to take a dive, these Kid Favorite Sloppy Gyros Tortilla Boats will have you sailing over smooth waters, with the wind at your back.
I don’t know what I love the most about this recipe for Sloppy Gyros Tortilla Boats. It may be the ground lamb that’s cooked and seasoned with garlic and oregano. Or maybe it’s the traditional cool and creamy tzatziki sauce that’s made with Greek yogurt, lemon zest, and cucumbers. Or quite possibly it’s the stand-and-fill tortilla “boats” that make them as fun to look at (and serve), as they are to eat!
Lamb has always been a favorite of mine. When I was a kid my mom used to make lamb patties with ground lamb, and I always looked forward to their big bold taste. If you’re not a fan of lamb because you consider the taste to be “gamey,” feel free to substitute ground beef for the lamb in this recipe and then carry on with the directions as if nothing has changed. I promise you’ll still enjoy these Sloppy Gyros Tortilla Boats every bit as much, and they’ll still be a hit with the kids because they’re just so much fun to eat!
Tzatziki sauce is super easy to make. I make it pretty much on a regular basis and use it on all sorts of meats, and will even use it as a dip for veggies and chips from time to time. An important thing to remember when making homemade tzatziki sauce is that because cucumbers are made up of so much water, it’s important to salt and drain them before mixing up the remaining ingredients so your sauce isn’t watery and runny.
Let’s get started making the tzatziki sauce, and put together the Sloppy Gyros Tortilla Boats:
Peel, seed and dice a large cucumber. Place the diced cucumber in a colander or strainer and sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons salt. Allow the cucumbers to drain over a bowl or in the kitchen sink for approximately 15 minutes.
In a medium size bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, dried oregano, salt, garlic, and diced red onion.
Add the diced, drained cucumbers to the tzatziki sauce and stir well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use. Meanwhile brown the ground lamb in a large skillet and season with salt, pepper, dried oregano and garlic. When fully browned, pile the ground meat into the stand-and-fill tortilla boat and top with the chilled tzatziki sauce.
Garnish with tomatoes and mint leaves if desired.
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1½ cups Greek yogurt
- 1 cucumber peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 small red onion peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 clove garlic minced
- pinch black pepper
- 2 pounds ground lamb
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 package stand-and-fill flour tortillas OR flat flour tortillas
- grape tomatoes and mint leaves for garnish optional
- colander or strainer to drain the cucumbers
- chefs knife and cutting board to dice cucumbers and onion
- medium bowl
- large skillet
- large spoons
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Add the diced cucumbers to a strainer or colander. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and allow the cucumbers to drain for at least 15 minutes over a bowl or in the kitchen sink.
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Add the mayo, Greek yogurt, diced red onion, dried oregano, lemon zest, garlic to a medium size bowl and stir to combine.
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Add the drained cucumbers to the sauce. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to use.
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Brown the ground lamb in a large skillet until no longer pink.
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Season with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic.
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Spoon the browned meat into the stand-and-fill tortilla boats.
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Top with chilled tzatziki sauce.
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Garnish the sloppy gyros with tomatoes and mint leaves if desired.
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Serve and enjoy!
Because I’ve dubbed this recipe a kid favorite, it seems only fitting that I pair it with a kid friendly (not wine glass related) design. This is an oil bottle I painted that I hope will make you smile…but probably only if you’re old enough to remember Olive Oyl, that is! 😉
If there is ever anything I can paint for you, from glassware items to fabrics (aprons and flour sack towels), please don’t hesitate to contact me or visit one of my shops: Etsy, Wazala, and Kudos Kitchen Paints. Custom orders are always welcome, and I will happily paint and design from any photo, idea or description you send my way.
Kudos Kitchen by Renée ~ Where food, art, and fun collide each and every day!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
Welcome to my Kudos Kitchen.
Such a clever idea and it certainly makes eating lamb way more fun!
This is such a fun way to eat gyros! I think I could even sneak the lamb past my kids by serving it in the tortilla boats 🙂
Lamb is one of my new favorites after eating at our local Gyro shop recently! Love these tortilla boats and your ingredients in this recipe sound fantastic! Yummy!
I think my favorite part would be one bite with everything mingling together – love gyros!
Such a great idea and the perfect way to get the family to eat lamb!
I’ve never had lamb before, but these look amazing! This is such a fun idea that I can’t wait to try it!