“I’m officially obsessed with this recipe. The olive oil and the lamb fat renders into the pita bread while grilling, resulting in a crispy, savory, absolutely delicious meat pie.”
The first day of October brings happy thoughts of transitioning over to all my cold weather favorite meals, but not so fast! The sun has been shining bright, temperatures have been in that ideal comfort sweet-spot of low 70s, and, well, I’m not ready to give up the grill just yet. I’m especially not ready to give up making this grilling recipe gem, Spicy Grilled Lamb Pitas: ground lamb–spiced and seasoned with garlic, onion, parsley, coriander, cinnamon, and cumin–and then grilled inside pita bread.
Ever since I first encountered this recipe from Bon Appetit on my social media newsfeed back in early summer 2019, I was intrigued, and honestly, also a little intimidated. I mean, how in the world can you throw pita bread on the grill without burning it to an unsalvageable crisp? Also, it seemed like it required a cumbersome step to stuff each pita pocket. Nonetheless, I had to give it a go. The step of carefully cutting halfway through each pita pocket crossways, to open it up for stuffing, definitely took a little getting used to; but, after a little practice (and sharpening/honing my neglected chef’s knife), I quickly got the hang of it. The recipe quickly became a warm-weather staple and I’ve since served it countless times.
Given that there are only two of us, I halve the original recipe as posted on Bon Appetit, to make either two generously stuffed pitas (if using large pita pockets), or four pitas (if using smaller pita pockets). I use 1 pound of ground lamb, preferably from a local farm like Mahoning Creek Farm. A few other adjustments I’ve come to prefer include: 1) doubling the spices; 2) grate the onion rather than finely chop; 3) add in two cloves of minced garlic; 4) freely switch out the parsley for cilantro or mint if that is all I have available.
During summer, when the mint is growing wild in my garden, I especially love this meal served with a cucumber-mint tzatziki sauce. In my opinion, the very best tzatziki recipe (and the easiest, as you do not even need to peel the cucumber) is from one of my favorite food bloggers, Cookie and Kate. She has a way of simplifying favorite recipes, but never, ever compromising on results.
And yeah…about that fear of burning the pita bread on the grill? No such worries! Just be sure to have your grill on medium heat. The olive oil and the lamb fat renders into the pita bread while grilling, resulting in a crispy, savory, absolutely delicious meat pie. I’m officially obsessed with this recipe! If you like gyros, you must make this!
SPICY GRILLED LAMB PITAS
Makes two large or four small pita pockets
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground lamb,
1/2 medium onion, grated
2 gloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro OR flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grilling
2 large (or 4 small) thick pita breads with pockets
PREPARATION
Step 1
Using a fork, mix lamb, onion, garlic, cilantro (or parsley), coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of oil in a large bowl. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
Step 2
Prepare grill for medium heat and oil grate.
Step 3
Working one at a time, open each pita pocket by cutting along edge, halfway around perimeter. Divide seasoned lamb mixture into four even portions. Carefully insert filling into pitas, using a spoon or fingers, spreading to edges. Close, pressing down on the pita pocket to seal.
Step 4
Grill pitas until filling is cooked through and bread is crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with with a creamy yogurt sauce such as cumin-spiced yogurt or tzatziki. Click here for a fabulous tzatziki recipe from Cookie & Kate.
Click here for the original Spicy Grilled Lamb Pita recipe from Bon Appetit.
WRITING BY STACEY. PHOTOS BY KEVIN AND/OR STACEY.
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This looks and sounds delicious. I’d. Love to eat it
Thanks, Mom! ❤️