Greek pitas with lamb and dill tzatziki
This is one of those weekday lunches for which noon cannot come fast enough.
*Checks clock.* *Checks clock again.* *Checks clock and IT'S STILL ONLY 10:30.*
The worst.
I love a make-ahead lunch that is as good as something you'd pay for. I might go so far as to say that this is better than a lot of Greek pitas I've paid for, and that's because I've mastered those parts that I think make a pita great. It's all about good bread, good tzatziki, good hummus, and a wide variety of veggies for flavor and texture. I'm purposely not mentioning the meat because I think this would be just as good vegetarian. I do love this lamb version, and I've made it countless times with grilled or baked chicken breast, but I'm all about everything else in it.
Here's what you need
Good pita or flatbreads
Ground lamb, seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked to temperature on the stove (or chicken—I make these with chicken all the time)
The best homemade hummus, or store bought
Dill tzatziki (recipe below)
Cucumbers, quartered
Grape tomatoes, halved
Green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
Red onion, thinly sliced
Dill, chopped
Feta cheese
Prep all ingredients the night or morning before, but wait until lunchtime to assemble. Spoon onto pita bread a couple tablespoons of hummus, followed by the lamb (which you can heat up if you prefer) and sliced/chopped veggies. Top with dill and a sprinkling of feta and plenty, plenty, plenty of dill tzatziki. Eat and repeat.
Dill Tzatziki
Yields about 1 cup, or enough for 3-4 pitas depending on how much you drench your pita in it
About 5-6 oz plain nonfat Greek yogurt (I use one individual serving which comes in a 5.3 oz container)
About 1 tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup freshly grated cucumber
¼ cup chopped dill
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour if you can manage the wait—the flavors improve after festering a while.