Got some leftover lamb after a big lamb roast? Yes, I did and I made this super easy lamb doner kebab in less than 20 minutes. You can do it too, it is the easiest, tastiest meal ever.
Full of flavor, this leftover lamb doner recipe is filled with roasted lamb, fresh vegetables, a garlicky sauce and fresh herbs and is SO good. It’s the perfect dinner recipe to use up lamb leftovers.
Doner Kebab Has A Special Place In My Heart
I have a special place in my heart for doner kebab and its amazing Mediterranean flavors.
For one, it was my absolute favorite thing to eat growing up. Well, that and pizza. And many other things. I would get together with my friends and we would always buy some doners and roam the streets eating and trying not to get too many stains on our clothes. There were three things that made doner my favorite meal to eat when out with friends:
1. it was cheap, 2. it was the closest thing to a home-cooked meal, 3. it tasted so good (meat, fries and vegetables wrapped in a flatbread, are you kidding me?)
Then I moved to Germany and doner kebab was a bit different. A bit bigger, with a bit more meat, more vegetables and no fries. Again, cheap, closest to a real meal and SO good. Perfect for one hungry student. Turkish doner kebab stores seemed to be everywhere, no wonder Berlin has more doner kabab places than Istanbul. I remember many times waiting in line for 20 minutes during my lunch break to have this popular doner with roasted vegetables in Berlin, it was super flavorful.
Ah, memories. I went down that hole and so when I saw the leftover roasted lamb in the fridge, I decided: DONER. I am going to make it. It’s a bit lightened up, but still so fresh and flavorful. You wouldn’t believe how fast it comes together. It will be ready before you know it.
What Makes This Doner Kebab Easier?
Usually, doner kebab is made using meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie that spins around and is cut with a huge knife, it almost looks like a sword. Now, I do have a sword made out of wood that I can borrow from my nephew, but I lack the vertical rotisserie. Because of this, to me it always seemed pretty impossible to make doner kebab at home.
Until I changed my mindset and decided to use what I already had. I did have the leftovers from the lamb my dad cooked in the oven a few days back. So I used those. It was the easiest thing in the world. Using cooked meat really fastened and simplified the process of making lamb doner at home and the result was a great tasting doner in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients For The Easy Lamb Doner Kebab
Lamb. I used the leftovers from our roasted lamb for this recipe. If you’ve recently cooked lamb, you can use the meat and follow this recipe. Needless to say, you can use any type of cooked meat you enjoy to make this doner kebab.
Vegetables. Lots of fresh vegetables! Onions, garlic, cucumbers, tomatoes, arugula and peppers are all part of the plan. You can also add greens like spinach, cabbage or even lettuce.
Garlicky Tahini Sauce. I made a garlicky tahini sauce to bring it all together. I actually forgot about the sauce first and once I started eating the doner I realized I did, therefore you don’t see the sauce in the pictures. Add it, it is so good!
Fresh herbs and some spice. Mint is my absolute favorite herb to use with lamb and when it comes to doner. You can also use basil, parsley, cilantro or even oregano to try out different flavors. I also recommend adding some chili flakes or your favorite spicy sauce if you love spicy food.
Flatbread. I just used tortillas to wrap everything together. Any type of flatbread, suitable for wrapping will work in this recipe.
How To Make An Easy Lamb Doner Kebab
Start by pulling the leftover cooked lamb into bite-sized pieces. Add them to a nonstick pan with some extra garlic, a splash of lemon juice, some dried mint, cumin, paprika and black pepper. Stir for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through. The meat I used had a good amount of fat, so I didn’t add any oil. If your lamb is too lean, add a bit of olive oil.
Chop the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, pepper and mix them together.
Mix tahini, garlic, lemon juice and water to make a delicious garlicky tahini sauce.
Place the meat in the middle of a tortilla or other flatbread of choice. Add the vegetables and the tahini sauce on top.
Wrap the bread like a burrito and toast in a pan with some oil on both sides. You can use the same pan you cooked the meat in. First, do the side that needs sealing. After 2-3 minutes, flip and do the other side as well until golden brown.
Cut carefully in the middle and enjoy immediately!
Great Additions To Try
- Roasted vegetables. Like eggplant, peppers, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower or broccoli. These add so much flavor and goodness to a doner! Since my goal was to make this meal as fast as possible, I left those out, but next time we have lamb, I will definitely add some roasted or grilled vegetables to the kebab.
- Fries Might be because of my childhood, but there is something about fries in wraps or burgers. So, so good!
- Hummus
- Olives or pickled vegetables
More Easy Mediterranean Wraps
I hope you enjoy the leftover lamb so much and make this easy lamb doner recipe your own! For more Mediterranean wrap recipes, check out the links below.
Easy Lamb Doner Kebab
Make this super easy lamb doner using leftover lamb for lunch or dinner! Full of flavor, this leftover lamb doner recipe is filled with roasted lamb, fresh vegetables, a garlicky sauce and fresh herbs and is SO good.
Ingredients
- 9oz/ 250g leftover lamb, pulled
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 cup arugula
- 2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
- 1 sweet pepper, chopped
- Chili flakes
- 2 tortillas
Instructions
- Lamb: Start by pulling the cooked lamb into bite-sized pieces. Add it to a nonstick pan with 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice, dried mint, cumin, paprika and black pepper. Stir for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through. The meat I used had a good amount of fat, so I didn't add any oil. If your lamb is too lean, add a bit of olive oil.
- Tahini sauce: Mix the tahini with 1 tbsp of lemon juice, one minced garlic clove, some salt and 2 tbsp of water. Mix until creamy. If you decide you want it thinner, add another tbsp of water.
- Vegetables: Chop the cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, arugula and mint. Mix them together.
- Assemble: Place the meat in the middle of the tortilla, then vegetables, tahini sauce and sprinkle chili flakes (optional). Wrap like a burrito and toast on both sides in a pan until golden brown (you can use the same pan you cooked the meat in).
- Cut in halves and enjoy immediately!
Nutrition Information
Yield 2 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 701Total Fat 39gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 22gCholesterol 121mgSodium 348mgCarbohydrates 50gFiber 6gSugar 8gProtein 41g