Fast and flavorful, Turkish Lamb Wraps -a simple weeknight dinner made with savory ground lamb infused with Turkish spices that can be made in under 30 minutes!
Here’s a simple recipe for all the lamb-lovers out there- Turkish Lamb Wraps! Made with savory ground lamb generously seasoned with Turkish spices and fresh mint, a slathering of labneh (or yogurt) topped with crunchy cucumbers, and end-of-summer tomatoes – this weeknight dinner is fast and easy, with bold flavors.
This week I’m partnering with American Lamb to create a quick and easy recipe for all the working parents out there. This time of year can often be hectic and here’s a flavorful wholesome dinner that can be on the table in under 30 minutes.
Ground lamb is not only full of flavor, it’s time-saving in the kitchen because it cooks up so quickly. I always like to have a package on hand in the freezer, using it like I would ground beef or ground turkey.
When buying ground lamb, look for local, American lamb which is sustainably raised and has traveled much shorter distances to get here, compared to imported lamb. To me, this means it is fresher.
Also, check your local farmers market- always the best option!
Nutrition-wise, lamb is an excellent source of protein, zinc, selenium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 – all linked to supporting the immune system.
Here we’re using one pound, which will make 4 Turkish wraps.
Sear the ground lamb and onion in a cast inro skillet, breaking it apart with a metal spatula. Add the garlic and the flavorful spices- sumac, cumin seeds, cinnamon and fresh mint.
This part will take about 15 minutes. While the lamb is searing, prep the wrap ingredients. Next add a little tomato paste and a splash of water, stirring well to combine.
Heat a large tortilla over a gas flame directly on the stovetop, or warm in a microwave.
Lather with labneh (or use greek yogurt or even something like hummus), and top with the seasoned lamb.
Then layer with the cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs and peppery watercress (or arugula or spinach).
The fresh mint really makes this, so don’t leave this out.
If you like heat, sprinkle with chili flakes- Urfa Biber is especially nice here- Turkish chili flakes.
Roll up the Turkish Lamb Wraps and cut in half. You could also stuff this in pita bread if you prefer.
So easy, so delicious!
A simple, easy and fast meal perfect for busy weeknights.
More Ground Lamb Recipes:
- Lamb Meatballs with Indian Curry Sauce
- Pastitsio | Baked Greek Pasta with Lamb
- Grilled Lamb Kofta Wraps
- Grilled Lamb Burger with Harissa Aioli
- Grilled Lamb Kebabs with Herb Salad and Yogurt Sauce
- Thai Larb Salad
- Turkish Cabbage Rolls
Give these tasty Turkish Lamb Wraps a try this week and let us know what you think in the comments below.
xoxo
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Turkish Lamb Wrap
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: wraps, sandwiches
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Turkish
Description
Fast and flavorful, Turkish Lamb Wraps are made with savory ground lamb seasoned with flavorful Turkish spices, wrapped up in a tortilla with labneh, cucumbers, tomatoes, mint, parsley and peppery watercress. A simple weeknight dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Lamb filling:
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or ground)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes or urfa biber
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup chopped mint (or sub parsley)
Turkish Wraps
- 4 large tortillas, wraps or thin pita bread
- 1 cup labneh , plain greek yogurt or Tzatziki
- 1 cup diced tomatoes (or sliced radishes)
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup very thinly sliced onion
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley (or sub mint and scallions)
- 1–2 cups greens ( arugula, spinach, watercress)
Instructions
- Make the lamb filling: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add lamb and onion. Using a metal spatula (easiest), break lamb apart into little bits, and cook for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the garlic and salt and continue browning until the lamb releases all it’s moisture and fat, and begins to brown, about 5-7 more minutes. Drain the fat.
- Add the cumin seeds, sumac, cinnamon, optional chili flakes and saute 2 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and water, incorporating it into the lamb. Stir in the chopped mint.
- Taste, and adjust salt, spices and heat level to your liking.
- Assemble the wraps: Lather 4 large wraps ( fee free to warm them first) with labneh, divide and top with the lamb filling, add the tomatoes and, cucumbers, (sprinkle them with a pinch of salt), red onion, parsley, mint and peppery greens. Roll them up and cut them in half.
Notes
Lamb filling can be made ahead, refrigerated, and reheated.
For even more flavor, double the spices.
If you are sensitive to red onion, soak in cold, salted water for 15 minutes while you make the wrap. Drain.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: one wrap
- Calories: 595
- Sugar: 8.7 g
- Sodium: 1289.1 mg
- Fat: 33.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 13.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 41.6 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 92.2 mg
Amazing! Husband loved it
Great!
This was amazing! My son & hubby agreed as well.
We subbed tzatziki as that’s what we had on hand & parsley for mint. Otherwise made as directed.
All came together quickly too !
Glad you enjoyed this Penelope!
Highly recommend this recipe.
Turkish lamb wraps.
I subsituted beef for lamb bc martins was out, subsitute za’atar instead of sumac, smoked paprika instead of Chilli flakes, and parsley instead of mint. I also put double garlic lol.
It was very delicious. I would like to try it with the sumac and lamb and mint some time. I’d have to order the sumac and the store would have to have the lamb.
Glad you made this work for you! The sumac, lamb and mint are a delicious combo, for sure!
Made this recipe today and added some additional spice. I used 2 tablespoons of Cote D’Azure Morocco spice rub purchased from The Gourmet Warehouse. Love the North African spices. The wraps were delicious with the ground lamb.
Glad you enjoyed Susan!
I confess that your recipes are usually out-of-this world fantastic, and your blog is my go-to site. But I’m sorry to say that this is your first recipe that I’ve found to be somewhat disappointing. We eat a lot of middle eastern foods and found the lamb in this recipe to be way under spiced- I’d probably double or more likely triple the spices. In the absence of labneh we used Greek yogurt which I found to be way too thick. The recipe might lend itself more to a tsaziki-style sauce. Sorry to seem negative because, honestly, your recipes are overwhelmingly fantastic and we love your site! Just being honest in case other may want to adjust the recipe accordingly.
Thanks for your honest feedback Mary- it is always appreciated and we never take offense. this is how we improve the recipes, so we rely on honest feedback- even if it is negative! I’ll have to remake this one. Quick question- did you cut back on anything, or change anything that you can remember, including the salt?
No, I used the spices exactly as indicated and served it with arugula (a good pairing!), garden tomatoes and cucumbers as well as fresh mint and parsley from our garden. That being said, I served the leftovers tonight. I adjusted the remaining lamb to be equal to 3x the spices, served it with tzatziki on whole wheat wraps with garden cherry tomatoes (halved), parsley and arugula. It was excellent! I will definitely make it again with the spice adjustment and tzatziki in place of the plain Greek yogurt.
Fascinating. I too find Sylvia’s recipe’s almost never have to be adjusted. I made this and we really liked it, but now that you mention it, I’m really interested in trying it with a lot more spice, I can imagine how that would be even better. Thanks Mary!
By the way, when I tripled the spices in adjusting the recipe I did NOT increase the salt.
Can this be easily adapted to a slow cooker meal? Flavours look yum!
Great question- I’m not a slow cooker expert, but I’m sure it can be done!
5 stars! I subbed a beef/veal/pork mix, bumped the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp, added a 1/4 tsp black pepper, and used parsley instead of mint. Amazing with the arugula! Can’t wait to try it with lamb.
Perfect, love it Maria!
Made this with ground elk (because I had it) and it was fabulous!! Added extra mint just because, ate it in a collard green because no gluten. 9yo boy approved!
Delicious. I had lamb kebabs planned for tonight, but found this recipe and it was much easier and full of flavor. My family loved them.
I just made these and I will definitely make it again. It is so packed with flavor, delightfully fresh given all the veggies, and deceptively simple to cook. Incredible recipe!
These are Oh So Good!!!!! I had a hard time finding ground lamb, but when I did, I made these right away and they are a huge hit with my family. I loved wrap stuffed with arugula – the flavors are incredible together. So tasty!
Awesome Lisa- I’m so glad you liked these!
Quick, delicious, easy, delicious…did I forget to mention delicious?! It was a hit with everyone. Served it on garlic naan and added zhoug and garlic sauce. Thank you!
Just as delicious every time! Now a staple in our house. Tonight I used a lamb/ground beef mix from our local Middle Eastern grocery store. t cuts the richness of the lamb nicely for those who get overwhelmed by all lamb. Everyone loves it. And I love how quickly it comes together. Thank you! Thank you!
Thanks so much Heather!
Wow. Super tasty, love the flavors here.
Super delicious, healthy, easy, and cheap. And minimal cleanup. Made a vegetarian version for myself with seitan—so great. The little store nearby was out of lamb so I used shaved steak for my husband and he was none the wiser, actually thought it was lamb. I added some lemon zest to the yogurt. The mint makes it special.
Awesome!~
I commented but forgot to rate 😉
I made it last night! So delicious. I doubled the spices in the meat and it was so flavorful. I used whole wheat tortillas and added hummus and tzaziki to the wrap. Paired with a Greek-style salad. So good!!
Awesome Nicole! great to hear!
Yum! So good and easy to make. Everyone loved it