Shaved Beef Greek Pitas

Although Hubby and I enjoy eating traditional Greek Gyros out, and I had decided to give up trying to duplicate this meal at home (I have to have something we can still go out and enjoy at a restaurant), it’s just not in me to leave well enough alone. Thus my recipe for Shaved Beef Greek Pitas.

Actually, this sandwich is very different than the traditional Greek Gyros. Although the seasonings do give the beef a similar flavor to the lamb in a traditional Gyro, the shaved beef has a different texture and taste than the lamb. Plus with the addition of the pickled onions, feta cheese and my homemade tzatziki sauce — Wow, this pita really rocks.

• Servings: 6 Pitas
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Ingredients

• 1 Recipe Pita Bread (Click HERE for my easy recipe) or 1 package store bought.
• 1 Pound Shaved Beef
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda dissolved in 1/4 Cup Water
• 1/2 tsp. Oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Marjoram
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Lemon-Pepper Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Mustard
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Rosemary, ground
• 2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 8 ounces Feta Cheese
• 1 Large Sweet Onion, diced
• 1 Recipe Tzatziki Sauce (click Tzatziki Sauce for my recipe)
• Sweet Pickled Onions (click Pickled Onions for my recipe)

Directions

1. Even though shaved beef is very thin and can be very tender, I still like to soak it for 20 minutes in 1/2 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup water. This ensures that the meat will be super tender.
2. After the meat has soaked for 20 minutes, mix all the spices and sprinkle over meat.
3. Stir to combine meat with spices and allow to marinate 2 – 3 hours in the fridge.
4. Heat 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil in large fry pan over medium-high heat.
5. Add beef and cook 2 minutes without stirring.
6. Stir beef and continue cooking until no longer pink, approximately 3-4 minutes longer.
7. Serve beef on fresh pitas with feta cheese, raw onion, pickled onions, and tzatziki sauce.

Cooking Note

The raw onion in this recipe could also be roasted or fried if raw onions aren’t your thing. I actually just use the pickled onions, while the rest of the family likes the combination of both the raw and the pickled.

We typically use Bulgarian feta cheese on these pitas, but Greek feta is just as good. Whatever you can find will work.

Having a similar homemade version to one of Hubby’s and my favorite sandwiches to get when we go out is a great back-up. What if we get three feet of snow and are homebound for weeks on end? What if our favorite restaurant goes out of business? What if there is an embargo on Greek Gyro sandwiches? We need to be prepared for these things, and having this backup is all part of being Simply Grateful.