Sheet Pan Doner Kebab
This Sheet Pan Doner Kebab is an easy oven shortcut for thin, crispy beef served gyro-style in soft pita with tzatziki and fresh vegetables.
Servings: 4 servings (1 pita with fillings & ¼ cup Tzatziki)
Calories: 525kcal
Equipment
- 15x12 Sheet Pan
- 2 Medium Bowls
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Doner Kebab Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef $6.44*
- ½ onion grated, (100g) $0.35
- 2 garlic cloves minced, $0.12
- 2 tsp dried oregano $0.08
- 1 tsp ground cumin $0.08
- 1 tsp paprika $0.08
- 1 tsp salt $0.04
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.08
- ¼ tsp dried thyme $0.02
- ¼ tsp garlic powder $0.02
- ¼ tsp onion powder $0.02
- 4 pita $2.18**
Tzatziki Ingredients
- ½ cucumber grated and pressed dry, (125g) $0.37
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt $0.84
- 1 garlic clove minced, $0.06
- 1 tsp dried dill $0.12
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice $0.07
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil $0.04***
- ½ tsp salt $0.02
- ⅛ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.02
Instructions
- Gather and prepare all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a medium bowl, add the ground beef, grated onion, garlic, dried oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, dried thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Using your hands or a rubber spatula, combine all the ingredients until fully incorporated and divide the mixture in half.
- Place each half on a sheet of parchment paper, then fold in half. Using a rolling pin, roll the beef mixture out thin to the edges of the parchment paper. Continue with the other half.
- Fold each of the parchment papers with the meat into thirds and place on a sheet pan.
- Place the sheet pan in the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.
- While the meat is cooking, you can make the tzatziki. Grate and press the cucumber into a medium bowl. Discard the liquid. Then add the grated cucumber, Greek yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper into the bowl. Stir to combine and set it aside.
- After 15 minutes, remove the sheet pan and turn the oven to broil.
- Carefully unwrap the beef from the parchment****. Using kitchen shears or your hands (when the meat has cooled enough), cut the beef into medium-sized pieces and place them back on the sheet pan.
- Place the pan back in the oven and broil for an additional 3 minutes until the edges of the beef are crispy. Make sure to keep an eye on it while it broils so it doesn’t burn.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Divide the meat evenly onto each pita. Drizzle on the tzatziki and top with your favorite veggies, then enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
*Doner meat is usually a combination of lamb and beef. To make it budget-friendly, I used just beef. If you really want to save some money, you can use ground chicken or turkey, too! I used 73/27 ground beef because fattier meat has more flavor and helps the thin sheets stay juicy. Ground beef should reach 160°F, and ground chicken or turkey should reach 165°F. If the sheet pan looks oily after baking for 15 minutes, carefully pour off some of the rendered fat before letting the meat cool and tearing it into pieces.
**I used store-bought pita bread, but you can also use homemade pita bread or homemade naan.
***Our original tzatziki sauce recipe uses extra virgin olive oil, but that can be pricey. Any neutral cooking oil will work here, so use whatever you already have (such as avocado oil or vegetable oil). You can also customize the tzatziki sauce with more lemon juice or dill, or add mint, red wine vinegar, or sour cream.
****Let the meat cool slightly. The meat and trapped steam are very hot when you open the parchment, so let it cool for a few minutes before handling it and tearing it into smaller pieces.
Optional Toppings: Shredded lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, pickled onions, olives, pickles, bell peppers, cucumbers, or whatever you want.
The total price and nutrition calculation includes the beef, pita, and tzatziki. Optional toppings are not included (use whatever you like and have to hand!).
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (1 pita with fillings & ¼ cup Tzatziki) | Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 27g | Sodium: 1270mg | Fiber: 2g