I enjoyed last week’s recipe so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and one of my thoughts was how so many of the ingredients would work really well in a Greek/Middle Eastern recipe. Olives, roasted red peppers, onions, and tomatoes all would work perfectly.
Then, of course, I got to thinking about the other things that I would have to adapt. And before I knew it, I had a nearly completely different recipe using nearly the same template.
I’ll admit some ingredients were easier to replace than others. I could have still used barley, but pearl couscous was sitting right there being perfect.
I thought about going full vegetarian, since ground sausage wouldn’t work. That’s when I remembered that gyro slices exist and are practically a perfect meat.
The sauce did take me awhile. Well, I thought of something pretty early, but it took awhile to convince myself it was the best option. Of course, it was a simple yogurt sauce.
Anyway, the results were absolutely fantastic.
Not only was it a delight but it also didn’t taste like I’d made the same thing two weeks in a row. Double bonus.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
- 1 c. dried pearl couscous (cooked to package instructions, to yield about 3 c. cooked)
- Oil, for coating
- 1 lb. gyro meat slices, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 (12 oz.) jar roasted sweet red peppers, chopped
- ½ c. pitted green olives, chopped
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts
- 1 c. plain yogurt
- ~⅛ c. lemon juice
- Fresh dill, to taste (I used the entire package, but I love dill)
- ¼ c. chopped parsley
- 1 T. oregano
- Pepper, to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used the jar stuff, sorry)
- ½ c. mozzarella, shredded
- 1 ½ c. crumbled feta, divided
- 1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 c. pepperoncinis, sliced, optional
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, on the stove top, coat a large Dutch oven and heat over medium. Brown the gyro meat, stirring occasionally, and soon after add the onions, and cook continuing to stir until the onions are translucent.
Add the roasted red peppers, olives, artichoke hearts, and cook for a minute or two to just meld flavors.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, dill, parsley, orgeano, and pepper.
Remove the Dutch oven from the heated stove top, and add the cooked pearl couscous, tomatoes, the mozzarella, about half the feta, and the yogurt sauce. Stir to combine.
Cover the mixture and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, take off cover, add the remaining feta to the top, about half the pepperoncinis if using, and then continue to bake uncovered for about 10 minutes more until the cheese is melty. Add the remaining pepperoncinis just before serving for an extra kick, and enjoy!
