Pita Sandwiches with Plant-Based Meat
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 31, 2022
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
¾ cup plain plant-based or dairy yogurt ½ cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and chopped fine2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided3 garlic cloves, minced to paste, divided1 tablespoon minced fresh mint or dill ½ teaspoon table salt, divided4 (8-inch) pita breads ½ onion, chopped coarse1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried1 teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon pepper 12 ounces plant-based ground meat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 large tomato, sliced thin2 cups shredded lettuce
Before You Begin
If using pocketless pitas, heat them in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes. Do not cut the top quarters off pocketless pitas.
Instructions
- Combine yogurt, cucumber, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon garlic, mint, and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
- Cut top quarter off each pita bread. Tear 1 top quarter into 1-inch pieces and discard remaining 3 top quarters. (You should have about ¼ cup pita pieces.) Stack pitas and wrap tightly in aluminum foil; set aside.
- Process onion, oregano, cumin, pepper, pita pieces, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining garlic, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in food processor until mixture forms a cohesive paste, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add ground meat and pulse until combined, about 10 pulses. Remove processor blade. Using your moistened hands, divide meat mixture into 12 lightly packed balls, then flatten into ½-inch-thick patties. Transfer patties to plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place foil-wrapped pitas directly on oven rack and heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer patties to skillet and cook until well browned on first side, about 3 minutes. Flip patties and continue to cook until browned on second side and meat registers 130 to 135 degrees, about 2 minutes longer. Divide patties, tomato, and lettuce among pitas and serve, passing sauce separately.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
¾ cup plain plant-based or dairy yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced to paste, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint or dill
½ teaspoon table salt, divided
4 (8-inch) pita breads
½ onion, chopped coarse
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon pepper
12 ounces plant-based ground meat
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large tomato, sliced thin
2 cups shredded lettuce
Ingredients
¾ cup plain plant-based or dairy yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced to paste, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint or dill
½ teaspoon table salt, divided
4 (8-inch) pita breads
½ onion, chopped coarse
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon pepper
12 ounces plant-based ground meat
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large tomato, sliced thin
2 cups shredded lettuce
Ingredients
¾ cup plain plant-based or dairy yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced to paste, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint or dill
½ teaspoon table salt, divided
4 (8-inch) pita breads
½ onion, chopped coarse
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon pepper
12 ounces plant-based ground meat
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large tomato, sliced thin
2 cups shredded lettuce
Why This Recipe Works
A traditional Greek gyro starts with cooking seasoned meat on a vertical rotisserie for hours. Since most home cooks don't have that kind of setup, a while back we developed a simplified recipe that calls for shaping the meat into patties and cooking them in a skillet. That's the recipe we used as the jumping-off point for these plant-based gyro-style pitas. To keep the patties moist, we borrow the idea of using a panade (a paste of bread and water) from our plant-based meatball recipes, using pita scraps as the bread. To complete the pitas, we stuff them with sliced tomato and shredded lettuce and make a cooling cucumber-yogurt sauce.
Before You Begin
If using pocketless pitas, heat them in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes. Do not cut the top quarters off pocketless pitas.
Instructions
- Combine yogurt, cucumber, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon garlic, mint, and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
- Cut top quarter off each pita bread. Tear 1 top quarter into 1-inch pieces and discard remaining 3 top quarters. (You should have about ¼ cup pita pieces.) Stack pitas and wrap tightly in aluminum foil; set aside.
- Process onion, oregano, cumin, pepper, pita pieces, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining garlic, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in food processor until mixture forms a cohesive paste, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add ground meat and pulse until combined, about 10 pulses. Remove processor blade. Using your moistened hands, divide meat mixture into 12 lightly packed balls, then flatten into ½-inch-thick patties. Transfer patties to plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place foil-wrapped pitas directly on oven rack and heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer patties to skillet and cook until well browned on first side, about 3 minutes. Flip patties and continue to cook until browned on second side and meat registers 130 to 135 degrees, about 2 minutes longer. Divide patties, tomato, and lettuce among pitas and serve, passing sauce separately.
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