Delicious, simple, and amazingly flavorful, these lamb gyros are the absolutely perfect way to use up any of your leftover lamb portions! Pile up your soft pita bread with a quick combo of seasoned lamb, our easy Greek salad, and a drizzle of our tzatziki sauce for a perfect meal!
Easy Gyros With Leftover Lamb
Have some leftover lamb from the night before and you are looking to utilize it in another tasty recipe? These lamb gyros are the perfect, delectable solution to using up all of that flavorful lamb! With a nice mix of herbs and just a few steps, you will have a crazy-good meal that will have you saying "what leftovers?"
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
While this looks like quite a few ingredients, apart from the lamb, they are all pantry staples! Herbs and spices that you use on a semi-daily basis put together to enhance the flavor of your leftover lamb gyros!
- 1 pound Leftover Lamb - I recommend using leftover leg of lamb roast, but you could also use leftover lamb shoulder or lamb shank.
- Herbs & Spices - ½ teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried rosemary, plus ¼ teaspoon each of pepper, cumin, marjoram, and dried thyme.
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice - You can use freshly squeezed or store bought, but if you have lime juice on hand, you can use that in place of it.
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil - Olive oil gives off the best flavor, but vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil will work.
- 4 slices Pita Bread - Pita is the traditional bread used for gyros, if you do not have any, naan bread or even flour tortillas will work well.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*
🔪 Instructions
This recipe is perfect for someone who doesn't have a lot of time to cook a meal. With just a few steps, a mixing bowl, tongs, and a skillet, you will have a delicious meal that will make your mouth water!
- Coat the Lamb. Place the meat from the leftover lamb in a mixing bowl and add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon marjoram, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Mix together until the meat is thoroughly coated in the seasoning.
- Sear the Lamb. Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the seasoned lamb meat. Sear until heated through and there's a golden brown crust, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Warm the Pita. As the meat is searing, warm the pita bread in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
- Assemble the Gyros. Divide leftover lamb evenly between slices of pita bread. Top with tzatziki sauce and Greek salad, if desired, and serve.
These leftover lamb gyros can be on the table in less than 10 minutes! Serve it with a delicious cucumber vinegar salad or more of our easy Greek salad to keep with the Mediterranean theme. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Make sure you are using your leftover lamb meat within 3-4 days, as you do not want to use expired food, especially when it comes to meat. In order to check that it is still fresh, the meat should not be slimy and should give off a neutral smell.
- Not a big fan of lamb? These gyros are also delicious when made with chicken, beef, or chickpeas if you want to make it vegetarian!
- If you have leftovers, you can store them for another 3-5 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container!
🥡 More Leftover Recipes You'll Love
- Prime Rib Sandwich
- Prime Rib Eggs Benedict
- Turkey Enchiladas
- Turkey Stroganoff
- Cheesy Leftover Ham Pasta
- Leftover Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Stay in touch with me through social media @ Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Subscribe to the newsletter today (no spam, I promise)! Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Leftover Lamb Gyros
Ingredients
- 1 lb lamb (cooked, leftover lamb)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon marjoram
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 slices pita bread
Optional
- Tzatziki sauce
- Greek salad
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Place leftover lamb meat in a mixing bowl and add all seasonings and lemon juice. Mix until the meat is thoroughly coated in the seasoning blend.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the seasoned meat. Sear until heated through, 5 minutes maximum with about 2 ½ minutes per side.
- As the meat is searing, warm the pita bread in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
- Divide warmed leftover lamb evenly between slices of pita bread. Top with tzatziki sauce and Greek salad, if desired, and serve.
Notes
- Make sure you are using your leftover lamb meat within 3-4 days, as you do not want to use expired food, especially when it comes to meat. In order to check that it is still fresh, the meat should not be slimy and should give off a neutral smell. Discard any undesirable lamb meat.
- Not a big fan of lamb? These gyros are also delicious when made with chicken, beef, or chickpeas if you want to make it vegetarian!
- If you have leftovers, you can store them for another 3-5 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container!
John French says
Recipe does not include how to prep the meat. Are we to "chop" the meat, thin slice it, mince it, cube it or leave it whole sear it and then slice?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
That kind of depends on your leftovers. Slice them into bite size strips to emulate the thin strips of meat typically used in gyros as best as you can.