Greek Lamb Pita Pockets
With Easter and Passover coming up, it’s all about spring recipes, and have a I got a few. There’s lamb, egg, lemons… so many options, and all of them are great choices for the spring holidays. Better yet, all of them coming up over the next few weeks. While red meat and bread aren’t usually on the menu for either Easter or Passover, there is one meat that’s not only okay, it’s a very popular choice: lamb.
I love lamb recipes, my favorites are lamb chops, both the lollypop chops and shoulder chops. But if you don’t have time to sear or roast a bunch of lamb chops, ground lamb is the next best thing. I know ground lamb is completely different from lamb chops, but it’s a popular choice since it’s a great alternative to ground beef and ground chicken, not to mention it’s so easy to turn into dinner. All you have to do is add some spices, maybe a few veggies and you’ve got yourself a great meal.
You may be asking how ground lamb turns into an Easter or Passover meal. Easy, you stuff it into some pita bread, add some great toppings and serve it with hummus, a Greek salad or some tabbouleh. While pita bread won’t work for Passover since eating bread is a big no no, you can still take this spiced up ground lamb and veggies and serve it on matzah or turn it into a great salad.
I bet you’re also wondering what makes this dish Greek. As with most ground meat recipes, it’s all about seasoning. Just as basil and oregano automatically get you thinking of the northern shores of Italy, garlic, garbanzo beans and mint get you thinking about Greece. Now, I know that garbanzo beans and garlic aren’t spices, but they do add distinct Greek flavors. Plus, those garbanzo beans make these pita pockets so filling you don’t need the pita. As a matter of fact, by simply adding some lettuce, cucumbers and bathing the lamb in chopped tomatoes, you can have a lovely meal. But all of that isn’t why I love this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. No, what makes this recipe a real winner is how it’s made: in the slow cooker.
That’s right, after browning the meat, everything is thrown together in the slow cooker and then cooked for hours. While it’s true, you can just mix all the ingredients together in a skillet and have it on the table in under 30 minutes, adding everything to a slow cooker instead gives this entreè a depth of flavor you simply can’t achieve with a skillet. A depth of flavor that makes this meal really special, special enough to serve at your holiday table.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced, fire-roasted tomatoes and their juices
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 pita bread rounds, cut in half
Instructions
- In a large skillet brown ground lamb, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is cooked through and onion is tender. Drain off fat.
- Transfer meat mixture to a 4-5 quart slow cooker. Add beans, tomatoes, wine, bay leaf, oregano, salt and thyme and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Discard bay leaf and spoon meat mixture into pita bread halves with a slotted spoon. Serve with crumbled feta cheese, chopped cucumbers and Kalamata olives.
