Beef or chicken gets bathed in a yummy spiced yogurt marinade for extra tender meat. Skewer them up with some veggies and toss them on the grill for an easy weeknight meal. Serve it up in a pita (or as a plate) and top with cooling, crunchy tzatziki sauce. This meal packs in the a rainbow of veggies, protein, carbs, and healthy fats.
Ingredient highlight
Whole milk yogurt! Yogurt is one of my favorite ways to get in lots of probiotics, protein, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. I love buying Greek yogurt because it packs in more protein and is much thicker, making it great for dolloping onto things.
If you don’t already, I really encourage you to start buying whole milk yogurt (and all dairy products!) rather than nonfat or lowfat. Not only is the whole milk dairy more flavorful, creamy, and delicious, research also shows that it may be a lot better for you than low-fat or non-fat. Read this great article here to learn more!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- ⅓ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or red wine vinegar*
- 1 tbsp honey**
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper, divided
- 1-1.5 lb top sirloin steak or boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 zucchini, sliced into 1-inch thick round
- 2 bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
- ½ red onion, cut into thick wedges
- ¼ cup chopped parsley, optional
- 2-4 pita pockets depending on size
For the tzatziki sauce:
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 small cucumber, peeled, chopped about 1 cup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- *If marinating for more than 2 hours, add the lemon juice 2 hours before grilling.
- **if your honey is solidified, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to thin it out so that it mixes into the marinade better.
Instructions
- In a large bowl with a lid, whisk together the yogurt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, oregano, paprika, garlic, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper until smooth. Add the beef to the bowl and use your hands to mix and rub everything together. Let marinate for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 hours (see note).
- Heat your grill up on high at least 15 minutes before you want to start grilling.
- In a small bowl, make your tzatziki by mixing all ingredients together until smooth. Taste and add more salt or lemon, if needed.
- Add veggies to a medium bowl and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Form your kebabs by alternating between marinated beef and veggies. Grill the kebabs until cooked through and charred, about 10 minutes, rotating them halfway through.
- Warm your pitas up on the grill. Fill them with the beef kebab contents and top with tzatziki sauce and parsley (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make marinade
- Cut beef into cubes and marinate (up to 2 hours, if more than 2 hours, skip the lemon)
- Prep your veggies for the skewers
- Make tzatziki sauce
Substitutions:
- To make it vegetarian, use tofu in place of the meat. Marinate it as you would the meat.
- To make vegan, use tofu (as above) and substitute mashed avocado for the yogurt in the sauce. Skip the yogurt entirely in the marinade.
- Top sirloin steak is the best cut, you could also use NY strip steak. You just want a steak cut that isn’t very fatty. Chicken thighs can also be used.
- Use any skewer-able veggie you’d like here.
- If you don’t have a grill, you can bake these in the oven at 450F until nice and browned, about 10-15 minutes. You can hit it with the broiler to get some extra browning
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge:
- Kebabs: up to 4 days
- Tzatziki sauce: up to 5 days
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Use leftover grilled meat and veggies in salads or bowls all week.
- Warm up the meat and veggies in the microwave. Stuff into leftover pita and top with tzatziki sauce.
- Leftover tzatziki sauce is good on everything!
