When my roommate and I made these on Sunday night they instantly became a new favourite! We made them with ground beef, since that’s what we had, but ground lamb is a Greek alternative. They don’t take very long to make, and with so many available variations (we were thinking humus, grilled eggplant, red and green bell peppers for next time) they may just become a regular weekday meal.
I originally found the idea on Pinterest, repined from an article in the New York Times and couldn’t find actual measurements for the ingredients, so we just eyeballed them and I approximated them for you here to get you started. Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 Pita Breads
Ground Beef (or ground lamb)
½ Cucumber
½ Tomato
Feta (to taste)
75 g Kalamata Olives (approximately)
¼ Red Onion
Tzatziki (to taste)
Tzatziki Ingredients
½ container Plain Yogurt
½ a Cucumber
½ a Lemon’s Juice
1 – 2 cloves of Garlic (to taste)
Dill (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
- Set plain yogurt in cheesecloth in a strainer over night to thicken it and get rid of much of the moisture (it will make for a thicker tzatziki sauce).
- Grate the cucumber and set in a strainer as well to drain the moisture as well – you could also pat with a paper towel to help absorb the moisture.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit for several hours before serving to allow all the flavours to develop. You can choose how much garlic, dill, and salt you would like to add depending on how garlicky you like your food. (I find 1 big clove, or 2 small cloves to be about right)
Assembling the Nachos:
- Start browning the ground beef (or lamb)
- Cut the pitas into triangular pieces and lightly spray with Pam, or brush with oil and bake in the oven at 350°C for about 3 minutes on each side.
- Meanwhile, finely chop up the cucumber, tomato, red onion, cut the olives into 3 pieces, and crumble the feta.
- To assemble the Nachos start with the pita crisps then add the ground beef; feta; tzatziki; cucumber, red onion, and tomato; and finish with more feta.
You will have some tzatziki left over but that can be added as you eat if you want more!