My husband and I have a food conversation regularly. It goes like this: “Did you eat XYZ food when you were a kid?” Tzatziki definitely makes the list of foods that neither of us ate as children.

I don’t remember the first time I ate tzatziki, but I do know that I adored it from the first time. What’s not to like about a creamy sauce that is flavorful and made with healthy ingredients? If you’re thinking about making meatballs or lamb, consider trying this cool and creamy homemade tzatziki as the condiment of choice.

The original post from June 2010

When one thinks of meatballs, usually some sort of marinara accompanies it.  However, if the meatballs are made of lamb and have seasonings that lean toward a Greek-inspired dish, then you need a sauce to match.  For me, that is cool and creamy tzatziki.  Made with Greek yogurt, cucumber, and garlic, it is incredibly simple to make.

I know, many of you may be thinking, but it’s even easier to buy.  I will admit that I bought tzatziki when in a rush, and there are some decent store-bought tzatziki out there.  However, my recipe has only six ingredients (four, if you don’t count salt and pepper as ingredients).  It takes about 10 minutes to make and then just hangs out in your refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

More reasons to make your own tzatziki

Besides being simple and quick to make, why should you try this recipe?  Making it yourself, you’ll know exactly what is going into the sauce.  There won’t be any interesting ingredients with hard to pronounce names.  Also, you can choose how mild or intense the flavors are.  Like a lot of mint? Add an extra tablespoon.  Not that crazy about garlic? Use only one clove.  When you make this sauce, you get to control exactly what it’s taste will be.

Of course, if you’re going to make the tzatziki, you probably should  make the lamb meatballs to go with it.

Cool and Creamy Homemade Tzatziki

Michele Pesula Kuegler

A simple, Greek-inspired sauce to serve with gyros, meatballs, and more

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Chilling Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
• salt & pepper

Instructions

 

• Peel and remove seeds from cucumber.
• Shred cucumber on the coarse side of a box grater.
• Measure 1/2 cup of shredded cucumber, and place on several layers of paper towels.
• Squeeze paper towels to remove excess liquid.
• Combine cucumber, yogurt, garlic, and mint in a small bowl, and stir well.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

Notes

You can replace the fresh mint with 2 teaspoons of dried mint.

Keyword greek yogurt, tzatziki