Greek souvlaki, made with pork, beef, lamb or chicken is a classic. It's simple, naturally gluten free and delicious. With only four ingredients and no labels to read this is the kind of recipe gluten free cooks want in their meal rotation. Cooking with whole foods as much as possible is good for the brain and good for the gut.
I still remember the first souvlaki I had on the beautiful island of Mykonos. That vacation was a culinary adventure into Greek food before we ever saw tadziki and hummus at the grocery store. The tiny Book of Greek Cookery I brought home taught me to make all the specialties. From gluten free calamari with tadziki, many variations of Greek salad, a beet yogurt salad with walnuts, the BEST moussaka ever and so much more.
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Ingredients
Simple recipes call for quality ingredients. Use fresh lemons when you can and a good quality olive oil. Dried oregano is what makes this dish so don't substitute fresh. In the summer I use fresh sprigs from my garden, strictly as a garnish.
- pork, lamb, beef or chicken
- olive oil
- lemon
- dried oregano
See recipe card for exact amounts.
Variations
Meat - Pork and lamb are the most traditional meats for souvlaki but you can use anything. For a fancy party use more than one meat to keep your diners happy.
Greek Souvlaki Wrap - Using my chickpea flour wraps, fill them with Greek salad ingredients and the souvlaki meat for a delicious wrap.
Get The Tools
Food related gifts are my favourite to give and receive. The unique circular skewers in the photo are one of those gifts. Straight metal skewers, bamboo skewers or fancy skewers all work and this is the time to use them.
Storage
Meat can be frozen cooked or uncooked. When you're hosting a big party you need to plan the work in stages. Cube all the meat, add the marinade then freeze it. The meat will tenderize as it freezes and again when it thaws.
Leftover cooked meat can be stored for several days in the fridge, always in an airtight container.
Top Tip
Gluten free cooks know that everyone needs more variety in their diet, 30 different plants each week is the current recommendation for a healthy gut. As you create your favourite menus, think of pairing foods together. Keep it simple for everyday dinners but get in the habit of trying all the variations you see.
Start a Dinner Club with friends and put a Gluten Free Greek Night on the calendar!
Travel Tale from Mykonos
From time to time I write a guest post for my friend Sue over at Travel Tales of Life. In this post, Greek Souvlaki - An Authentic Greek Food Recipe I share some tales from Mykonos and that nude beach story.
Greek Souvlaki
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb or pork, cut into cubes
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
SERVING
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
Instructions
- Combine oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over meat and marinate for 1 hour or overnight.
- Thread meat onto metal skewers. Grill until cooked through, approximately 8-10 minutes, turning once.
- Sprinkle with dried oregano and serve with lemon wedges.
How to Come Up with Dinner Ideas
I have many ways to do this and one of them is thinking of cuisines from around the world. When I visited Greece, I had a tiny book called a Berlitz Eurpoean Menu Reader and used it to try as many traditional dishes as we could. A modern way to get ideas is asking Google, Google images or ChatGPT, what are some authentic dishes from 'country of your choice.' Build a list of favourites over time, keep cooking and keep adding.
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New here? Overwhelmed or frustrated with gluten free? Get started with this guide to understanding gluten free flour. I guarantee, you can learn to cook gluten free food everyone wants to eat.
🎉 Exciting news! Adventures in a Gluten Free Kitchen, a membership for gluten free cooks who want to learn together, is here. Click to learn more!
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Cinde Little
Simple yet so good! We just grilled up a half of a piece of pork tenderloin, cut into cubes and skewered. Served with a big Greek salad and some grilled asparagus. We're ready for the summer BBQ season.