Healthy, quick, and popping with flavor, these vegetarian gyros and tabouli will soon become a family favorite for a busy weeknight meal. And they won’t even miss the meat – promise!
But what if I don’t want to be a vegetarian?
It’s ok! I’m not asking for a lifelong commitment here. Just a small ask of trying this ONE meatless meal to see what you and your family think. If you hate it and feel like you’re depriving yourself you don’t ever have to make it again. Deal?
When I go back over menus I’ve made for our weekly dinners, I’m sometimes surprised at how many are actually vegetarian. We like meat. And seafood. Heck, we split a cow every year with our extended family, so we definitely eat our share of beef. But somehow a meatless meal almost always makes the cut. It makes for a nice break of something lighter, greener, and (lots of times) easier to prep.
Chickpeas, yes please
Just because we’re skipping the meat here doesn’t mean we’re skimping on flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good lamb gyro; but I can honestly say I’ve never attempted to cook lamb because it intimidates me. Maybe one day.
But the beautiful thing about chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, as they’re sometimes called) is that they hold up well to the high oven heat and take on all those Greek spices like a champ. I mean, they make a mean hummus already, so we’re just using them in a different form for our protein substitute. With spices like oregano, garlic, and smoked paprika, you won’t even miss that lamb.
Ok, maybe a little.
But the tradeoff of having barely any prep for roasted chickpeas compared to shaving off pieces of spit-roasted lamb is enough to get me hooked.
Tzatziki – a fancy way of saying yogurt sauce
This stuff is the magic of the gyro! All those warm herbs and spices need a cool complement, and this Greek yogurt sauce is the perfect match. It’s got cucumber and dill and lemon juice and is so tangy that you could eat it straight up with some warm pita or naan bread. And it’s inexpensive to make – my favorite kind of dipping sauce!
And it doesn’t get any simpler than just throwing the ingredients in a bowl, stirring it up, and putting it in the fridge.
My favorite way to get the cucumber flavor without the huge chunks is to use a microplane instead of chopping – so easy, so fast, so effective. I use it all the time.
Tabouli, tabbouleh, or tabouleh – no matter how you spell it, it’s good!
For real, I always have to look up how to spell this. It just never sticks in my mind for some reason. But the good news is that there’s three acceptable spellings according to Webster’s, so I can usually guess one of them correctly.
I could eat this all by itself for lunch. For a week straight. Because it only gets better the longer it sits in the vinegar, lemon juice, and herbs. And bulgur wheat goes a long way, so I usually make a big batch to make sure I have it to munch on all week. It’s light and bright and goes perfectly with the warm spices of the vegetarian gyro.
What you need:
For the roasted chickpeas:
- chickpeas
- extra virgin olive oil
- smoked paprika
- oregano
- garlic powder
- salt and pepper
For the tzatziki sauce:
- Greek yogurt
- cucumber
- lemon juice
- garlic powder
- dill
For the tabouli salad:
- bulgur wheat
- fresh mint
- fresh parsley
- extra virgin olive oil
- lemon juice
- red wine vinegar
- cucumber
- tomatoes
- garlic powder
How to make this vegetarian meal:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the chickpeas with the olive oil and spices in a bowl, pour onto a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until slightly browned and crispy.
While the chickpeas are roasting, mix the tzatziki ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until chow time.
Make the bulgur wheat according to the package directions. Once it’s ready, add the remaining ingredients, cover, and refrigerate until time to eat.
Serve the chickpea gyros on naan bread with fresh onion, tomato, lettuce, and tzatziki sauce, alongside the tabouli salad.
Make it ahead, make it at the last minute, it doesn’t matter – whatever works for you that day!
Want to try your hand at homemade naan bread?
I got you, boo. Make the dough ahead to rise for at least 2 hours, roll them out super thin, drizzle them with olive oil and spices, and bake for only 8 minutes. I’ve got the whole recipe for you here (at the bottom of the page): Homemade Naan/Pita Bread.
Think your family will happily go vegetarian with this meal? Let us know in the comments!
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Vegetarian Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce and Tabouli Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas drained
- ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- For the Tzatziki:
- 2 c. Greek yogurt
- ½ cucumber finely chopped
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried dill
- For the tabouli:
- bulgur wheat
- water
- ½ cucumber chopped
- 3 tomatoes diced
- fresh mint finely chopped
- fresh parsley finely chopped
- ½ c. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbs. lemon juice
- 3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- Naan bread
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the chickpeas with olive oil and spices in a bowl until thoroughly coated. Pour onto a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until slightly browned and crispy.
- While the chickpeas are roasting, gather the ingredients for the tzatziki sauce and mix in a bowl. Refrigerate until time to serve.
- Prepare the desired amount of bulgur wheat according to the package directions. Once it’s ready, add the remaining ingredients, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve the chickpea gyros with fresh onion, tomato, lettuce, and tzatziki sauce, alongside the tabouli salad.