Meatball Pita Sandwiches

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Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 4
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 431.3
  • Total Fat: 25.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 138.2 mg
  • Sodium: 272.1 mg
  • Total Carbs: 23.9 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 4.2 g
  • Protein: 26.1 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Meatball Pita Sandwiches calories by ingredient


Introduction

Meatballs are a surprisingly versatile option. You can vary the spices, meats, and veggies to create many different meals. Feel free to experiment! Meatballs are a surprisingly versatile option. You can vary the spices, meats, and veggies to create many different meals. Feel free to experiment!
Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

    For the basic meatballs:

    1 pound lean ground beef (can also use lamb, turkey, chicken, etc)
    1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
    1 egg, beaten
    1 clove garlic, minced (or to taste)

    You can add more items to the meatball mix, but they will change the nutritional content.

    Some items I've tried:

    -1 tsp ground cumin (or to taste)
    -1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
    -oregano, to taste
    -dash of cayenne
    -lemon, zest or juice or both
    -cilantro
    -green onions

    Salad:
    -1 large tomato
    -1 medium red bell pepper
    -romaine lettuce (or similar greens)
    -1 cucumber

    Dressing options (not included in nutritional information):

    -your favorite Ranch dressing
    -a lemon vinaigrette
    -tzatziki sauce
    -feta cheese blended with a bit of garlic, lemon juice, and lowfat milk
    -no dressing

    -2 large whole wheat pitas

Directions

For the meatballs:

Line a 15x10 (or whatever you have handy) baking dish with aluminum foil (not mandatory, but aids in clean-up later). You could also use an indoor or outdoor grill. Preheat your oven to 375.

Dump all ingredients (starting with raw meat) into a big bowl and mix together with your hands. It's important not to overmix. Roll into meatballs (any size you want) and place about 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes (for well-done) or until cooked to your liking.

For the salad:
While your meatballs are cooking, make your salad mixture. Start by slicing your veggies into medium-size chunks and slices. Toss. If you are choosing to include a dressing, make it now. Do NOT dress the salad now, though.

To assemble:
Cut your pitas in half and warm/toast them by putting them on a hot burner or on a pan for 20 seconds. You could zap them in the microwave very briefly too. You just want to get them a little soft.

Fill each half-pocket halfway with your salad mix. If you want to use a dressing, drizzle about a half a tablespoon on each half-pocket. Depending on how many meatballs you made, divide into equal numbers and place on top of salad mixture.

Each recipe makes 4 sandwiches, using 1/2 pita per sandwich.

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user THE_WORDGIRL.