Middle Eastern Ground Beef Pita Sandwiches
Tender ground beef, cooked with onions, garlic, and fragrant spices, stuffed into warm pita with crisp vegetables, and drizzled with garlicky yogurt sauce. This is my twist on kofta, but it’s quick-and-easy and great for any night of the week!
What is kofta? Kofta is a Middle Eastern dish made from ground beef or lamb that’s mixed with onions, garlic, parsley, and fragrant spices. The mixture is shaped into meatballs, patties, or logs (for kebabs), and grilled. Once cooked, the kofta is served with pita, vegetables, dips, and sauces. This amazing dish is a lot less laborious than kofta, but you still get those same incredible flavors.
You can stuff the pita with any vegetables you want! I added red onion, cucumber, and radishes, but feel free to use what you have. Great options would be spinach, sliced tomatoes, and arugula.
You can swap in store-bought tzaziki for my cucumber sauce. I created a garlicky yogurt sauce that’s spiked with plenty of dill. It’s similar to tzaziki, but I didn’t add cucumbers because I stuff sliced cucumbers into the pita.
For a true Middle Eastern experience, serve these sandwiches with hummus! Hummus isn’t necessary – and there’s plenty of flavor in these sandwiches without it – but it’s a optional, tasty addition.
Middle Eastern Ground Beef Pita Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
For the Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or 3/4 teaspoon dried
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
For Serving
- 2 pitas of choice, white, whole wheat, whole grain, gluten-free, halved to make 4 pockets
- Sliced red onion
- Sliced English cucumber
- Sliced radishes
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the allspice, cayenne pepper, paprika, cardamom, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and stir to coat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spices are fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Fold in the parsley and remove the pan from the heat.
- To prepare the sauce, whisk together the yogurt, dill, and garlic powder. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Spoon the beef mixture into the pita pockets. Add the red onion, cucumber, and radishes. Drizzle with the yogurt sauce and serve with extra yogurt sauce on the side.