Best Greek Tzatziki Sauce Recipes

TZATZIKI SAUCE-- GREEK CUCUMBER/YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Peel cucumbers and dice. Put them in a colander and sprinkle with the tablespoon of salt (draws water out). Cover with a plate and sit something heavy on top. Let sit for 30 minute Drain well and wipe dry with a paper towel.
• In food processor or blender, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill and/or mint, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir into yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend.
• This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.
• ** If you can't find the thicker Greek Yogurt Cheese, you can use regular, plain yogurt that is either full fat or low fat. To thicken, spoon yogurt into cheese cloth that has been quadrupled. Draw the corners of the cloth up and tie together. Suspend above a bowl for 2 hours so that water can drip out. The consistency of the yogurt should be like that of sour cream.
• You can skip this draining process, if you want, but you will have a moderately messier, runnier result.

GREEK TURKEY BURGERS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the yogurt and remaining sauce ingredients; refrigerate until serving.
• Heat gas or charcoal grill. In medium bowl, mix all burger ingredients and remaining yogurt. Shape mixture into 4 patties, about 1/2 inch thick.
• Place patties on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 8 to10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes, until meat thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 160°F. Place burgers on buns; top with tomato slices and sauce.

GREEK PITA BURGERS WITH SPINACH, FETA AND TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Place shredded cucumber in clean dish towel; squeeze to remove any excess liquid. In small bowl, mix cucumber and remaining sauce ingredients. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.
• Heat gas or charcoal grill. In large bowl, mix all burger ingredients except buns, tomatoes and lettuce. Shape into 8 patties, 1/4 inch thick. Place patties on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 5 to 8 minutes, turning once, until meat thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 160°F.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons sauce on bottom half of each bun. Top with burger, tomato and lettuce. Cover with top halves of buns.

GREEK CHICKEN BURGERS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Set oven control to broil. Chop enough cucumber to equal 1/2 cup; place in small bowl (slice 8 slices from remaining cucumber for sandwiches; set aside). Stir in remaining sauce ingredients; refrigerate until ready to use.
• In large bowl, mix chicken, spinach, olives, cornstarch, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Shape into 4 oval patties, each about 1/2 inch thick. On broiler pan, place patties. Broil with tops about 5 inches from heat 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until thermometer inserted in center of burgers reads at least 165°F.
• Place burgers in pita pocket halves. To serve, top each burger with tomato, cucumber slices and about 3 tablespoons sauce.

MINI GREEK MEATLOAVES WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.
• In medium bowl, mix meatloaves ingredients. Scoop generous 1/3 cup meat mixture into each muffin cup, pressing down slightly.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of one loaf reads 160°F. Let stand in pan 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix tzatziki sauce ingredients; refrigerate until serving time. Serve meatloaves with tzatziki sauce.

GREEK TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Place yogurt in a coffee filter or piece of cheesecloth, and place in a strainer over a dish. Let drain for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator. If using Greek yogurt you do not need to drain it, as it is already a thick consistency.
• Meanwhile, put the chopped or grated cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove liquid. Discard liquid. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and mix into the cucumber. Set aside 20 minutes. Rinse a little to wash out the extra salt, if you want to. Then squeeze again to express as much liquid as possible.
• Draining the yogurt and cucumber make for a thick and authentic consistency of tzatziki sauce.
• Combine the drained yogurt and cucumber, sour cream, pinch of salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, mint and garlic. Note: we love garlic, so I tried adding more once. It made for an overpowering and almost bitter taste, so now I stick to only 1 clove.
• Place sauce in the refrigerator for 1 hour or more to meld flavors. Stir before serving. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

GREEK MEATBALL STUFFED PITAS WITH SIMPLE TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• For the Tzatziki
• Place the grated cucumber in the center of a clean kitchen towel. Roll up the towel and squeeze out the excess water from the cucumber. Place the cucumber in a medium bowl. Add the yogurt, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This can be made several days in advance.
• For the Meatballs
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease the foil with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and milk and let the mixture sit for a few minutes to let the crumbs soften. Add the parsley, egg, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add the turkey and mix until well combined.
• Portion the meatballs into tablespoon-sized balls and place ½-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center.
• To Serve
• Slice the pita breads in half. Dollop a spoonful of tzatziki sauce on the bottom of each pita. Add a layer of tomatoes and greens. Stuff meatballs inside and serve.

TRADITIONAL GREEK CHICKEN GYRO WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine Greek yogurt, garlic, cumin, sugar, cucumber, and salt and pepper. Stir and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Pound chicken as thin as you can get it. Even if you have purchased the thin sliced chicken you still want to get it as thin as possible. Place chicken in a bowl and combine with vinegar, oregano, paprika, and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• In the mean time, peel you potato and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Place cut potato in cold water for at least 15 minutes. Blanching the potatoes before frying will ensure a crispier fry.
• In a large skillet heat vegetable oil. Personally, I regulate the temperature by instinct. I let the oil heat up and test it with a drop of water; if the water shoots back I know the oil is hot enough. If you aren't comfortable with this method you want the oil to stay around 360 degrees. When the oil is hot enough drop fries inches Depending on the thickness of your fry and your temperature control your fries will take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. You want your fries to have a deep golden brown. Keep a careful eye on them and flip if necessary.
• Heat a medium DRY skillet. No oil is necessary to sauté the chicken. Begin to sauté chicken. It should only take about 1 minute on each side depending upon how thinly you pounded it. Let chicken rest under tin foil until you are ready to assemble.
• You can either toast your pita or microwave it. I prefer to microwave it so it is more pliable (only about 20 seconds). Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the tzatziki sauce and spread over pita. Then place half of the chicken, place mostly in the center, making sure that you are able to fold in the sides. Traditionally, fries are to be placed on top of chicken WITHOUT drying off the oil; however this is entirely up to you. Place fries on top of chicken and top with tomatoes, lettuce, and red onions. Serve with extra tzatziki sauce on the side for dipping.

GREEK SALMON WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Salmon: Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and coat generously with cooking spray.
• Brush salmon fillets with olive oil and sprinkle with the Greek Seasoning. Place on baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack for 13-15 minutes or until the Salmon is no longer opaque and it flakes easily.
• Tzatziki: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Store in fridge until ready to use. (flavor becomes better when it's stored in the fridge.).

GREEK CHICKEN WINGS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• In large resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix 2 tablespoons of the yogurt, the oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the garlic, 1 tablespoon dill weed, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Add chicken. Tightly seal bag; turn several times to coat chicken. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours, turning occasionally.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix remaining yogurt and sauce ingredients until well blended. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.
• Heat oven to 425°F. Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Arrange chicken in pan.
• Bake 50 to 55 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Serve with sauce.

GREEK CHICKEN MEATLOAF WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• MEATOAF.
• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Heat skillet over med-high heat, add oil.
• Sauté onion, peppers celery to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic; cook for 2 minutes to release flavor.
• Set aside.
• In large mixing bowl, stir together chicken and next 8 ingredients plus sauté veggies.
• Mix until just combined; too much mixing toughens meat.
• Spray a 9" loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Spread mixture into the pan, making sure that there are no air spaces in mixture.
• Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in center register 165F degrees.
• Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
• SAUCE.
• Mix all ingredients and chill at least 2 hours to blend flavors. Makes 1 cup.
• GYROS.
• Using favorite pita round, cut in half and cut for pita pocket, if needed. Slather lots of sauce inside pita. Slice meatloaf or cut into 1" cubes. Insert about 1/4 cup meatloaf, lettuce, sliced tomatoes and sliced cucumber (optional) -- ENJOY!

TZATZIKI (GREEK YOGURT CUCUMBER SAUCE) - WW CORE

Steps:

• Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds. Grate coarsely. Put the grated cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. If you're concerned about salt, rinse the cucumber and squeeze again.
• Peel and mince the garlic. I love garlic, so you may want to use a little less.
• Mix the cucumber, garlic, and yogurt. Let sit for a bit to mingle the flavors.
• Optional: Add olive oil and or minced fresh dill.

GREEK CHICKEN IN A PHYLLO WRAP WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Make the tzatzki sauce enough ahead to allow flavors to marry. Combine the yogurt, cucumbers, garlic. lemon juice, salt, mint and hot sauce. Cover and chill.
• 2. Cut the chicken into 6 strips, the long way.
• 3. Put the chicken in a zip lock bag and add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper.
• 4. Rotate bag a few times and refrigerate at least 1 hour, longer is better.
• 5. Make a pocket in each piece of chicken by slicing the side and opening up the chicken like a book.
• 6. How much you want to stuff is to your judgement, I put in about a teaspoon each of artichokes, olives and feta.
• 7. Close the chicken up and season with oregano, and salt and pepper.
• 8. Line a cookie sheet with foil (no cleanup) and spray with non stick spray.
• 9. Melt the butter, and open up the Phyllo. Cover the phyllo with plastic wrap and then a damp towel, removing the sheets one by one.
• 10. Brush melted butter on the first sheet, from the middle out to the edges, repeat until you have 6 sheets.
• 11. Cut the sheets crosswise wide enough to cover your filling, maybe about 4 inches.
• 12. Place a piece of chicken on the dough, season with salt, pepper and oregano, wrap it around the chicken, and set on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat for the rest of the chicken pieces and the phyllo.
• 13. Bake in a preheated 425° for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 400° if it looks like the dough is cooking too fast.
• 14. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until internal temp is 180° Serve with tzatziki sauce.

CRISPY ZUCCHINI FRITTERS WITH GREEK YOGURT SAUCE (TZATZIKI)

Steps:

• For the fritters:
• Grate the zucchini and place it in a colander, over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze out moisture and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place the grated zucchini in a bowl and add the green and yellow onions, dill, parsley, cheese, flour, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
• Pour oil into a sauté pan to a depth of ¼ of an inch. When oil is hot, drop the mixture by the tablespoon into the pan, pat it down gently with the back of the spoon and fry for 2 minutes on one side then 3 minutes on the other or until golden brown.
• Transfer the fritters to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
• Keep warm until ready to serve.
• For the tzatziki:
• Peel the cucumber, seed it and grate it. Place it in a colander, sprinkle with some salt and let it sit for half an hour. Squeeze the water out by pressing it between the palms of your hands. Place the grated cucumber in a medium bowl.
• Mince the garlic cloves and the fresh dill and add it to the bowl.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, season with salt, mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least a couple of hours.
• Before serving, mix again, drizzle with some extra olive oil, place a Kalamata olive in the middle and serve with wedges of toasted Greek pita bread, or with zucchini fritters.

TZATZIKI (GREEK YOGURT AND CUCUMBER SAUCE)

Steps:

• 1. If you don't have Greek yogurt, strain plain yogurt as described above. Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Slice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.
• 2. In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Add olive oil. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)
• 3. Tzatziki will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.

TZATZIKI (GREEK CUCUMBER-YOGURT SAUCE)

Steps:

• In an airtight container (that can hold 2 cups), combine the yogurt, salt, and the garlic.
• Peel the cucumber, and remove the seeds if they are large. Finely chop the cucumber.
• Squeeze the cucumber bits to get rid of any excess liquid, then add it to the yogurt.
• Stir in the dill, pepper, and the vinegar. Mix thoroughly.
• Cover and refrigerate for up to two days.

GREEK CHICKEN PITAS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Notes for the Cook: Make ahead. You can make the Tzatziki Sauce and the chicken the day before if you like. I usually put it all together in the morning or the night before and then just cook up the chicken when I am ready to serve it. It's also great for a reheat so you can make the chicken ahead of time and reheat it to serve. If you have a big crowd just double or triple the recipe and warm the pitas on a cookie sheet in the oven. It is also great served with a Greek salad. You can even put the chicken on skewers and grill it and serve it over a creek salad with the sauce and pitas on the side.

GREEK-STYLE LENTIL BURGERS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• For Burger:.
• Cook lentils according to package directions. Drain.
• Heat oil in skillet over medium heat, add onion and bell pepper and sauté for 7 minutes. Stir in garlic.
• Blend chickpeas, parsley, olives, eggs,cumin, coriander, salt and pepper in food processor 2 minutes or until smooth.
• Stir chickpea mixture, bread crumbs, onion and bell pepper, and carrots into lentils.
• Shape into 8 patties. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.
• Preheat grill to high. Brush frozen patties in oil. Cook 6 minutes on each side.
• For Sauce:.
• Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix together.

TRE'S GREEK TZATZIKI SAUCE (CUCUMBER ZIGI SAUCE)

Steps:

• Blend well.
• Cover and chill 6-24 hours.
• Serve with gyros or other tasty sandwich.

TZATZIKI - A GREEK MOTHER'S SAUCE

Steps:

• Squeeze excess water from cucumber using a paper towel.
• Blend cucumber, tofu, dill, garlic, pink salt, and black pepper in a food processor until evenly mixed.