Greek Taco Salad with Crispy Pita Wedges

A woman on my cooking board recently posted a recipe for Greek Tacos that sounded delicious. We are trying to eat healthier these days so I decided to make the recipe into a taco salad instead of using the crispy shells.


I really enjoyed the salad and used the crispy pita wedges as dippers for the tzatziki but SP wasn't a fan. I think he would have preferred these in the crispy taco shells. I actually put some of the leftover meat mixture, tzatziki, feta, and romaine into a pita for lunch the next day and it was fantastic, so that's another alternative to the traditional taco shells.

Greek Taco Salad with Crispy Pita Wedges
Inspired by A Seasoned Greeting

1 pound lean ground beef
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 teaspoons Greek seasoning (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bag baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cucumber, diced
2 hearts of romaine, torn into bite-size pieces

Crispy Pita Wedges
2 pitas, cut into 4 wedges
Olive oil for brushing
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Tzatziki
12 ozs. plain Greek yogurt
1 cucumbers, seeded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and a little pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes, Greek seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add spinach and olives; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Crispy Pita Wedges: Place pita pieces on a baking sheet lined with foil. Brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, oregano and thyme. Bake at 300° for 3-5 minutes or until heated through and crispy.

Tzatziki: Peel and seed the cucumber. Shred on the large holes of a box grater and then squeeze in a towel to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice. Salt to taste. Refrigerate overnight, if possible, or at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.

To serve, fill shallow bowls with romaine. Top with beef mixture, feta, red onion and cucumber. Dollop tzatziki on top and arrange crispy pita wedges around the perimeter.

Note: For a substitute for 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning use 1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, dried marjoram, garlic powder, lemon-pepper seasoning, ground mustard and salt.