Big Fat Greek Tacos

These delicious Greek-inspired tacos are a wonderful weeknight meal. Flavorful ground meat is stuffed into flatbread and topped with tzatziki sauce, cucumbers and tomatoes! These tacos are ultra-hearty and filling packed with the meat and veggies.

I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have recently updated it with new photos and recipe notes so you can make and love these big fat Greek tacos as much as we do!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The homemade meat mixture cooks quickly with every day ingredients and is packed with flavor.
• Easily customizable, every person can assemble their taco the way they want, adding or omitting any of the toppings.
• The cucumber-tomato salsa and the feta-mint tzatziki can be made several days ahead of time.
• You can use homemade or store bought pita or flatbread – delicious either way! My two favorite homemade flatbread recipes are here and here.

Key Ingredients for Greek Tacos

Don’t let the long list of ingredients in the recipe below scare you off; this meal comes together really quickly, especially since many of the components can be made ahead of time.

• Ground lamb or ground turkey: either type of meat will work very well in this recipe. Some commenters report that ground beef is delicious, too.
• Flatbread or pita bread: these Greek tacos are served in soft bread instead of a hard, crunchy taco shell.
• English cucumber: the cucumber is shredded, drained and used in the yogurt tzatziki sauce. If you don’t have an English cucumber, a regular cucumber will work fine (it may have more seeds – you can scrape them out, if desired).
• Plain Greek yogurt: this is essential for the delicious tzatziki sauce!
• Fresh mint: I love the addition of fresh mint in the tzatziki sauce, BUT, if you don’t have it, you can leave it out! Definitely don’t skip making this recipe just because of the fresh mint.

There are a handful of other pantry-friendly spices and fresh vegetables for this dish. See the recipe below for more details!

This is truly one of those “wow!” meals where the result definitely exceeds the effort. If you love Greek flavors, you will love these Big Fat Greek Tacos!

Big Fat Greek Tacos

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

4.91 stars (44 ratings)

Print Pin Rate Save Saved!

Ingredients

Cucumber-Tomato Salsa:

• 2 firm large tomatoes, diced
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• ½ cup diced red onion
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Feta-Mint Tzatziki:

• 1 English cucumber
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1-2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Lamb or Turkey:

• 2 pounds ground lamb or turkey
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup minced red onion
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth

For the pitas:

• 6-8 non-pocket pita or soft wrap breads (see note)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• For the cucumber salsa, in a medium bowl, add the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or up to 24 hours to marry the flavors.
• For the tzatziki, peel the cucumber and shred on the large holes of a box grater. Place the shredded cucumber in a clean kitchen towel and wring out the excess water until the cucumber is very dry.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the strained cucumber, yogurt, feta, garlic and mint. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. The tzatziki can be refrigerated up to 24 hours. Give it a good stir before serving.
• For the meat, heat a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground meat, salt, pepper, onion and garlic. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
• Stir in the oregano and tomato paste and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the broth and let the mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.
• Warm the pita breads in a cast iron skillet or in the microwave until soft, warm and pliable. Spoon meat into the center of the pita breads and top with cucumber salsa and tzatziki.

Notes

Pita Bread: my favorite homemade recipe for flatbread is here. 

Make Ahead: the cucumber salsa and the tzatziki sauce can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated.

Author: Mel

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Greek

Method: Stovetop

Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 538kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 975mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g

Recommended Products

Mixing Bowl

12-Inch Nonstick Skillet

Box Grater

Recipe Source: adapted from my friend Sally at Good Dinner Mom (increased amount of meat, simplified some of the steps)

Recipe originally published September 2013; updated August 2025 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.

Other Recipes Like This:

Quick and Easy Greek Lettuce Wraps

Simple Weeknight Greek Chicken Burritos {or Wraps!}

Chopped Greek Chicken Salad with Pita Croutons and Tzatziki Dressing

Greek Meatball Stuffed Pitas with Easy Tzatziki Sauce