Greek Beef Pita Sandwiches

Greek Beef Pita Sandwiches are a sloppy joe with a Greek twist!
 

I LOVE THIS DINNER!

It’s so fun. It’s so easy. It’s so satisfying. And it’s perfect for the whole family.

Proof:

As much as possible (aka 3-4 times a week) we have dinner as a family, where we all eat together and we all eat the same thing. Eating together is really important to me, and I think it can be so helpful in getting past separate kid and adult meals. I am also not above taking advantage of a toddler who wants to eat whatever is on our plate. 🙂

One of my approaches to feeding kids (you can read more about my philosophy here) is to let Demi decide what and how much she eats off of her plate. I (parent/caregiver) decide what goes on her plate and when she eats. Officially, it’s called the division of responsibility. Unofficially, I love that it helps me draw a clear line and stand firm when I need to say no to snack requests or cereal for dinner.

I always make sure that there is something on her plate that she’ll like and eat – because trust me, just like you, the last thing I want to deal with is a hungry toddler at 2am. By including this meal component at every meal, you can be sure that if your child is hungry they’ll eat something. And it removes any need for making them a separate meal or giving them other options than what you are serving. For us it’s often a slice of bread and butter, or as you can see above, pita bread with butter.

That’s not to say we’re perfect all the time – we’re DEFINITELY not. There are tears at mealtimes. There are requests for snacks. There are times at parties, or when we’re just plain tired, that the ideal goes out the window and Demi has juice, chips, and a cupcake for dinner. And that’s ok, because most of her meals are good ones – it’s important to not lose sight of the big picture when feeding kids.

But let’s get back to this meal. Everyone enjoyed this one. Who can resist a saucy mixture of ground beef, topped with cool yogurt sauce (tzatziki) and a cucumber salad on the side? No one!

And you know how I feel about meals that naturally include protein, whole grains, AND vegetables. Yay!

I hope your family likes it as much as ours does. It’s a messy sandwich, just like sloppy joes –  serve with napkins! 😉

I love hearing from you guys when you make recipes you’ve found here so let me know what you think, or tag me on social media (@anutritionisteats or #anutritionisteats) so I can see your creations!

Greek Beef Pita Sandwiches

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Emily Dingmann
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner, Easy

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Ingredients

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• 1 english (or hot house) cucumber
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups plain greek yogurt (16 oz)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 lb. ground beef (I use 80% lean)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup
• salt & pepper
• pita bread

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Instructions

Tzatziki Sauce

1. Grate 1 cup of cucumber with box grater.
2. Grate 1 clove of garlic with zester or mince as finely as possible.
3. Stir together cucumber, yogurt, grated garlic, 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of dried dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Refrigerate until serving.

Cucumber Salad

1. Thinly slice the rest of the cucumber.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, vinegar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of dill.
3. Stir together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Beef

1. Chop onion and mince remaining 2 cloves of garlic.
2. Heat large pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil to pan.
4. When oil is hot, add onion, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.
5. Add garlic and ground beef to pan, stirring to break up meat, and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until meat is cooked through.
6. Stir in cinnamon, worcestershire sauce, and ketchup.
7. Lower heat, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 3 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pita Sandwich

1. Warm pitas as desired and stuff beef mixture into pita bread, topping with tzatziki.
2. Serve the cucumber salad on the side.

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Notes

If you are into meal prep, the ground beef mixture could be made a few days in advance and the tzatziki a day before.

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Nutrition

• Calories: 546
• Sugar: 9 g
• Sodium: 576 mg
• Fat: 21 g
• Saturated Fat: 6 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 56 g
• Fiber: 9 g
• Protein: 40 g
• Cholesterol: 76 mg