Name: Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Meatball Pitas
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons ground cumin; 2 tablespoons sweet paprika; 2 tablespoons ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground cardamom; ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or another red chili flake; 2 medium sweet potatoes (or your favorite roasted veggies), cut into ½-inch wedges; 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking sheet; 1 tablespoon shawarma spice blend; 1 pound ground chicken thighs (see Note); ½ cup panko breadcrumbs; ¼ cup plain yogurt; 2 tablespoons water; 1 egg; 2 garlic cloves, grated; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 tablespoon shawarma spice blend, or other spice blend; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro, or a mix of the two; ¾ cup plain yogurt; 1 tablespoon olive oil; Juice of ½ lemon (approximately 1 tablespoon); 2 teaspoons harissa, or more if you like it spicy; 4 pitas; 1 tablespoon olive oil; Additional herbs for garnish; Extra harissa for serving

Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Meatball Pitas

Be honest: How many times did you turn on your oven this summer? I cranked mine fewer times than the fingers on one hand and, frankly, have assiduously ignored it since mid-July. But with the arrival of the first cool evenings of fall, I can finally consider again hitting the “preheat” button.

I don’t feel ready quite yet to jump into a multi-hour roasting situation, so a beautiful leg of lamb or a Korean bo ssam isn’t in the cards for me, yet. I also hate doing dishes, so I won’t head towards any dish requiring an extensive equipment list.

This recipe—which comes together in a half hour and only requires 20 minutes of oven time, with bonus points for requiring only one mixing bowl and one sheet pan—is the gateway meal to getting back to full-on oven mojo.

These meatballs are enhanced with warming shawarma spices and share the pan with wedges of sweet potato. Once cooked, everything gets piled in a pita, drizzled with a cool-yet-spicy yogurt harissa sauce and festooned with loads of fresh herbs.

I used chicken thighs in this iteration of the dish but any ground meat will work. I would avoid very lean choices, like turkey or chicken breast, as the meatballs will turn out dry and dense. Similarly, any other good roasting vegetable, like white potatoes, butternut squash, or Brussels sprouts, could stand in for the sweets. I’ve included a recipe for the shawarma spice, but a good bottled blend will work just fine.

This recipe makes extra spice blend. Keep the leftovers in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, store in a cool cupboard and use to season any meat or vegetable, or sprinkle on deviled eggs for a spicy snack. To save time, make it a day ahead or opt for a pre-made blend.

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Servings 4 Serving(s)

Ingredients

Shawarma spice blend

2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or another red chili flake

SWEET POTATOES

2 medium sweet potatoes (or your favorite roasted veggies), cut into ½-inch wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
1 tablespoon shawarma spice blend

Meatballs

1 pound ground chicken thighs (see Note)
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons water
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon shawarma spice blend, or other spice blend
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro, or a mix of the two

Harissa-yogurt sauce

¾ cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon (approximately 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons harissa, or more if you like it spicy

For Serving

4 pitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
Additional herbs for garnish
Extra harissa for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F and place rack in the center of the oven. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potato wedges with the oil and seasoning. Transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet brushed lightly with oil and spread out the potato wedges on one side.
In the same bowl, mix the meatball ingredients together until well combined. Form into 2-inch meatballs (a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop is great for this), and transfer to the other side of the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the potato wedges. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. If the sweet potatoes aren’t browned and tender after 20 minutes, remove the meatballs to another dish and keep warm while you bake the potatoes another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce in a small serving bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning.
During the last few minutes of baking, brush each pita lightly with olive oil. Wrap the stack of pitas in aluminum foil and pop them in the oven for 3–5 minutes.
Serve meatballs and potatoes in a pita, drizzle with yogurt sauce and garnish with herbs and more harissa.
Note: While any ground meat (pork, beef, lamb or turkey or chicken thighs) works for this recipe, I avoid turkey or chicken breast because they will render overly dry meatballs.