Lamb Meatball Pitas

These should actually be more accurately called lamb meatball pit-zas! This is another case of bringing together two cuisines into one yummy dinner. I love this one because it’s a nod to both my Italian and Lebanese influences. The spiced lamb, hummus and yogurt sauce all remind me so much of meals made by the lovely Jeanie, while the meatball and pizza concept made up the heart of every single dinner at Lulu’s house. These lamb meatball pitas beautifully and deliciously get to the core of what this blog is all about!

The lamb meatball mixture for the lamb meatball pitas all combined.
The lamb meatball mixture had so many glorious spices and herbs to really give them huge flavor. I stirred everything but the lamb together first. That way I didn’t have to mix it as much when I added the lamb in. Handling the lamb less meant that the meatballs were going to be juicier and more tender!
The lamb meatballs formed and ready!
I rolled my lamb meatballs through more breadcrumbs to give them more body and heft. Then they just needed to bake for 40 minutes to crisp up a little on the outside and cook through completely.
Gorgeous lamb meatballs for the lamb meatball pitas.
When they came out of the oven I drained them on paper towel since there was a little excess grease. Oh my goodness, they were so golden and aromatic! I couldn’t wait to make them the star of these lamb meatball pitas. To make them more manageable, I quartered each meatball.
The yogurt sauce all combined.
While the lamb meatballs were baking, I had assembled the rest of what I needed and made the super easy yogurt sauce. It was a basic version of tzatziki sauce with lots of cucumber, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. It was going to be the perfect creamy “cheese” component of these lamb meatball pitas!

I used roasted red pepper hummus that I bought as the “red sauce” spread out on each toasty pita bread. Then I built them from there with the yogurt sauce, meatball pieces, sliced red onion and baby spinach. They were so full of vibrant colors and huge flavor! I liked to just fold up the pita in half and eat it like a big, gooey, messy slice of NYC style pizza or big gyro. These lamb meatball pitas were little delights of huge Middle Eastern flavors in an Italian package!

Lamb Meatball Pitas
Lamb Meatball Pitas
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Lamb meatball pitas
Lamb Meatball Pitas
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
Course: Main Course
Servings: 4
Author: Jeanie and Lulu's Kitchen
Ingredients
FOR THE MEATBALLS
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs plus an additional cup for breading the meatballs
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint packed and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 1 pound ground lamb
FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 a cucumber peeled and grated on the smallest largest of a box grater
  • 1/2 a lemon juiced
  • 1 dash olive oil
  • 1 pinch salt
FOR ASSEMBLY
  • 4 whole fresh pita breads
  • 1 container roasted red pepper hummus 3 tablespoons per pita is what you'll need
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1/2 a red onion thinly sliced
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 and get out a 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl except for the lamb. Stir them together, then add in the lamb. Gently work the mixture together with your clean hands. Take a small amount of the mixture about the size of your palm and roll it into a ball. Roll it in the extra breadcrumbs, then place it in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining mixture until you have 12-13 meatballs. Bake them through completely for 40 minutes.
  2. While the meatballs bake, make the easy yogurt sauce and gather the ingredients for assembly. To make the sauce, simply stir the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, olive oil and salt together in a bowl. Set it aside until you need it. Toast the pita breads so that they get warm and slightly crisp around the edges. When the meatballs are done, transfer them to a plate lined with paper towel to drain any grease, then cut them all into quarters.
  3. To assemble the lamb meatball pitas, take the toasted pitas and spread 3 tablespoons of roasted red pepper hummus on each one. Drizzle two teaspoons of the yogurt sauce on top of the hummus and then put 12 quarters of the meatballs on top, pressing them into the yogurt and hummus so that they stick. Sprinkle a generous amount of spinach and red onion on top of the meatballs and serve the pit-zas immediately!

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