Gyro Casserole Recipes

GREEK NOODLE CASSEROLE (PASTITSIO)

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onion, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the lamb, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and mint. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• For the sauce: Simmer the milk and cream over medium heat in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheese and whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt.
• Add the meat sauce to the pasta and toss well until the noodles are coated. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. Spoon the cheese sauce evenly on top and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped mint if using, and serve.

GYROS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Process red onion in a food processor until finely minced. Scoop onion into a piece of cheesecloth and squeeze as much moisture from the onion as possible. Return onion to food processor; add garlic and process until the garlic is well integrated. Blend marjoram, rosemary, kosher salt, and black pepper into the onion mixture.
• Gradually blend ground beef and ground lamb with the onion and seasoning mixture by alternately adding small amounts of each meat to the mixture and processing until well incorporated before adding the next batch.
• Firmly pack the meat mixture into a loaf pan, assuring no air pockets are trapped in the meat.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 75 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Drain grease and slice thinly to serve.

GREEK GYRO RECIPE WITH HOMEMADE GYRO MEAT

Steps:

• Start by making the Tzatziki Sauce. It needs time to marinate, so get it done first so it can sit in the fridge while you make the rest.
• Make the gyro meat. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Or line with foil and spray with nonstick spray.
• If you have a food processor, use it to finely chop the onion and garlic. If not, use a knife to chop finely.
• In a large bowl, add all gyro meat ingredients: 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound ground lamb, 2 tablespoons butter OR bacon grease,* 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 cup Panko crumbs, chopped onion, minced garlic, 4 teaspoons kosher salt (see note), 2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon marjoram. (It's ok if you don't have the marjoram.)
• Combine the meat using your hands. I like to wear disposable gloves when I do this. Using your hands feels a little weird, but it mixes the meat so much faster and more evenly than using a spoon, resulting in nice tender meat (as opposed to being overworked.)
• Shape the meat into about 10 oval patties. See photos. Line them up on the pan making sure they are not touching each other.
• Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, prepare the gyro toppings: Thinly slice a red onion. Slice the tomatoes. Slice the cucumbers. Warm the pita bread either in the microwave or in the still-warm oven. Chop extra fresh dill, if you want.
• How to construct your gyro: Add a layer of Tzatziki Sauce to a warm pita. Slice a gyro patty in half lengthwise for easier eating, and place on top of Tzatziki. Garnish with red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh dill. Devour!
• Gyros are traditionally served with french fries, or you could try it with these 3 ingredient Roasted Potatoes. It would also be great served with this Greek Salad!

GYRO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cook beef, onion and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the garlic in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring fequently, until the meat is browned and crumbly. Mix in the the tomatoes, parsley, oregano, cumin, cinnamon and salt.
• Spoon beef mix into the prepared dish. Arrange pita bread on top of the beef.
• Bake until the filling is bubbly and pitas are golden, 20-25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine cucumber, yogurt, mint and remaining garlic; mix well. Serve sauce with casserole.