April 20, 2023

Spiced Lamb Pockets with Tzatziki Sauce (Gluten Free)

Name: Spiced Lamb Pockets with Tzatziki Sauce (Gluten Free)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 92 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground lamb; 1/2 medium onion (finely chopped); 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander; 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 gluten free pitas with pockets (I use B Free brand) OR gluten free tortillas (I use Mission Brand); 2 mini cucumbers or 1/2 English cucumber (peeled and grated); 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (divided); 1-2 garlic cloves (finely minced or grated with a garlic press); 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar; 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt; Pinch of black pepper; squeeze of lime (optional); fresh herbs such as mint or dill (optional)

Yum. Yum. Yum! Spiced Lamb Pockets with Tzatziki Sauce (Gluten Free) are packed with unbelievable flavor. They’re a cinch to make and if you can grill a burger, then grilling the Spiced Lamb Pockets is well within your wheelhouse. Top with some cooling Tzatziki Sauce (or not!) and enjoy!

Jump to Recipe

Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients

ingredients for tzatziki sauce - cucumbers, greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, distilled white vinegar, squeeze of lemon (optional), fresh mint and/or dill (optional)

Organize ingredients for the tzatziki sauce – cucumbers, greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, distilled white vinegar, squeeze of lemon (optional), fresh mint and/or dill (optional)

Grating the Cucumbers

place grated cucumbers in a bowl and salt. let rest for 15-20 mins

Grate the cucumbers. Toss the grated cucumbers with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Let rest for 15-20 minutes and then squeeze out as much liquid as possible. (There will be a lot of liquid).

Making the Tzatziki Sauce

place grated cucumbers, greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, distilled white vinegar, squeeze of lemon (optional), fresh mint and/or dill (optional) in a medium sized bowl.

mix until combined. cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Place cucumbers, yogurt, garlic, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, white vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and any fresh herbs you may be using in a medium sized bowl. Mix to combine. (I did not add fresh herbs to mine but I think they’d be a delicious addition). Cover and refrigerate so the flavors meld and the sauce firms up a bit (anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours before serving). When ready to serve, stir the tzatziki sauce to refresh it and transfer to serving bowl. Drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil, optional.

Lamb Patty Ingredients

ingredients - ground lamb, onion, flat leaf parsley, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, kosher salt, pepper, olive oil, and gluten free pita

Organize all ingredients – ground lamb, onion, flat leaf parsley, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, kosher salt, pepper, olive oil, and gluten free pita/tortillas.

Making the Lamb Patties

place all ingredients (except for the pita) into a large bowl.

thoroughly combine all ingredients either with you hands or a large spoon.

Mix lamb patty ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and chill lamb at least 1 hour.

Gluten Free Pocket Choices – Pitas and/or Tortillas

Two options for creating pockets – 1) GF Tortillas and 2) GF Pita. Both work great for this recipe. If using pita be extra careful as you are filling the pockets to avoid tears since gf pita isn’t as pliable as regular pita.

Filling the Lamb Pockets

place lamb patty close to the outer edge of the tortilla.

If using the tortillas, divide the lamb mixture into four burger patties. The place a tortilla on a cutting board. Place the lamb patty at the outermost edge of the tortilla closest to you. Fold the left and right sides in towards the patty and then bring the back part of the tortilla up and over. Press down slightly.

If using the pita, cut each pita in half. Spoon filling into pitas being careful not to overstuff or tear the pita. Spread the filling as close to the edges as possible. Gently press on pita to seal. Place filled pitas on a plate and repeat.

Grilling

place lamb pocket on the grill. cook for 5-6 minutes on first side.

using tongs, carefully flip over pocket and grill an additional 5-6 mins

Place lamb pockets on the grill and close the lid cooking 5-6 minutes until pocket is crisp and slightly charred. Then using tongs, carefully flip pocket over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes. Total grilling time 10-12 minutes. (NOTE: There’s a fine line between charred and burnt. If your grill runs hot, you may need to have the grill on medium-low.) For cross hatch grill marks, turn each pocket about 90 degrees after 2-3 minutes grilling on each side.

Letting Lamb Pockets Rest

Take lamb pockets off the grill and place upright in a medium sized bowl to allow the lamb to rest but also to prevent the lamb juices from making the underneath side of the bread soggy.

Remove lamb pockets from the grill and place upright in a medium sized bowl to allow the lamb to rest and also to prevent the lamb juices from making the underneath side of the pockets soggy. Let rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.

Spiced Lamb Pockets with Tzatziki Sauce (Gluten Free)

After letting the lamb pockets rest, serve immediately on a platter or individual plates. Serve with Tzatziki Sauce and enjoy!

Print Recipe

Spiced Lamb Pockets with Tzatziki Sauce (Gluten Free)

Prep Time20

Cook Time12

Refrigeration Times1

Total Time1 32

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword: cinnamon, cucumbers, gluten free, gluten free pita pockets, gluten free tortillas, greek yogurt, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground lamb, Parsley, tzatziki

Servings: 4 people

Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 gluten free pitas with pockets (I use B Free brand) OR gluten free tortillas (I use Mission Brand)

Tzatziki Sauce

2 mini cucumbers or 1/2 English cucumber peeled and grated
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
1-2 garlic cloves finely minced or grated with a garlic press
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
Pinch of black pepper
squeeze of lime optional
fresh herbs such as mint or dill optional

Instructions

Tzatziki Sauce

Toss the grated cucumbers with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Let rest for 15-20 minutes and then squeeze out as much liquid as possible. (There will be a lot of liquid).
Then place cucumbers, yogurt, garlic, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, white vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and any fresh herbs you may be using in a medium sized bowl. Mix to combine. (I did not add fresh herbs to mine but I think they’d be a delicious addition).
Cover and refrigerate so the flavors meld and the sauce firms up a bit (anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours before serving).
When ready to serve, stir the tzatziki sauce to refresh and transfer to serving bowl. Drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil, optional.

Lamb Pockets

Mix lamb, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and oil in a large bowl. Cover and chill lamb at least 1 hour.
Preheat grill for medium heat and spray grate.
If using the tortillas, divide lamb mixture into four burger patties Then place a tortilla on a cutting board. Place the lamb patty at the outermost edge of the tortilla closest to you. Fold the left and right sides in towards the patty and then bring the back part of the tortilla up and over. Press down slightly. (See photos on recipe web page for an example.) Place rolled pocket on a plate and repeat.
OR
If using the pita, there's two ways to tackle this: 1) cut each pita in half or 2) cut along the seam horizontally, halfway around the perimeter. Method #1 results in 8 smaller pockets and method #2 results in 4 larger pockets. Whichever way you do it, the next step is to spoon lamb filling into pitas being careful not to overstuff or tear the pita. Spread the filling as close to the edges as possible. Gently press on pita to seal. Place filled pitas on a plate and repeat.
Place lamb pockets on the grill and close the lid cooking 5-6 minutes until pocket is crisp and slightly charred. Then using tongs, carefully flip pocket over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes. Total grilling time 10-12 minutes. (NOTE: There’s a fine line between charred and burnt. If your grill runs hot, you may need to have the grill on medium-low.) For cross hatch grill marks, turn each pocket about 90 degrees after 2-3 minutes grilling on each side.
Remove lamb pockets from the grill and place upright in a medium sized bowl to allow the lamb to rest and also to prevent the lamb juices from making the underneath side of the pockets soggy. Let rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.
After letting the lamb pockets rest, serve immediately on a platter or individual plates. Serve with Tzatziki Sauce and enjoy!

Notes

Filling and Tzatziki can be made 8 hours ahead if desired. Refrigerate and cover until ready to use.

If using pita be extra careful as you are filling the pockets since gf pita isn’t as pliable as regular pita.

Use regular pita and/or tortillas if you don’t follow a gluten free diet.

Lamb Pocket recipe is from Bon Appétit and the Tzatziki Sauce recipe is from The Mediterranean Dish. Both recipes are modified slightly by me.

If you like this recipe, you may also like these other GFchow recipes. Gluten Free Smash Burgers, Classic Hungarian Cucumber Salad, and Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken with Cilantro-Lime Mayo.

GLUTEN FREE DISCLAIMER

The recipes you find here are considered by me to be gluten free. However, it is up to you to make sure the ingredients you use are gluten free. Whenever possible, I will list specific brands of ingredients that I use, but always be sure to check the labels yourself to verify the item is gluten free.