A garlicky-herb filled marinade saturates tender pork loin, grilled on skewers and accompanied by a fresh tomato salad, and tzatziki flavoured rice.
There are two types of people in this world:
Those who like to cook.
And those who don’t.
I count myself very fortunate that I’m in the first group of people! When we go out for dinner, I find it a fun, interactive experience to order meals that need assembling, like chicken lettuce wraps. Whereas Jeremy, whose kitchen skills leave much to be desired, find those meals to be a downer of an experience.
“Aren’t I paying the chef to make a good meal for me? Why do I need to put this together?”
At first I interpreted his disdain as a touch of laziness, but with further prodding, I learned that he simply doesn’t know how much of which meal components he should assemble and is stressed that it’s not going to taste great.
Much more understandable than not wanting to do a bit of “work” for his meal!
This was one of those meals that stressed him out when I first served it. Initially, I had left the tzatziki on the side and encouraged him to take a dollop to add to his rice.
Then I saw a bit of sweat on his brow and I knew what was happening.
I made up a plate for him and then the next time, I just mixed the tzatziki into all the rice – problem solved!
So – it’s up to you, my friend! Feel free to keep your rice un-tzatziki-fied and add a dollop to your plate. Or mix it all up to begin with!
Pork Souvlaki Tasting Notes
This pork is so flavourful! My kids love it on their own because… they’re kids, lol. And it is sooo good! But combining it with the tomatoes and rice is not only responsible for making sure you eat a balanced meal, it really elevates the whole experience!
Why This Pork Souvlaki is a Smart Choice
Protein is all the rage these days – it just can’t seem to do anything wrong! While many of the protein claims are blown out of the water, consuming higher amounts can be beneficial to maintain or build muscle, especially as we age. I just celebrated a new milestone of a birthday this year so my mind is starting to shift to eating for my “older” age.
Which brings me to my main point – one serving of this recipe will give you 40g of protein! Not only that, it’s a good source of potassium and Vitamin A.
Recipe Notes, Tips, Substitutions, Etc.
If you don’t have a BBQ, you can skip threading the pork and onion chunks onto the sticks and fry them up in a pan. You’ won’t get that same flame-kissed flavour but that’s just an added bonus. The marinade for this pork definitely is enough.
Along the same lines, if you have a blackstone grill type of item, save yourself the effort of making the kebabs and just grill the meat and onions!
Pork Souvlaki with Greek Tomatoes and Tzatziki Rice
Ingredients
Pork Souvlaki:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Zest and juice from one medium lemon
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 2 lbs pork loin
- 1 large red onion sliced into 1 ½” chunks
- Wooden skewers for kabobs
Greek Tomatoes:
- 4 cups diced roma tomatoes about 4 tomatoes
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp basil
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
Tzatziki Rice:
- 1 cup rice uncooked
- Leftover marinade boiled for 30 seconds
- ½ cup tzatziki
Miscellaneous:
- Lemon slices for serving
- Chopped fresh oregano for serving (optional)
Instructions
For the pork souvlaki:
- Stir together the olive oil, zest and juice from one lemon, white vinegar, minced garlic, oregano, paprika, salt, pepper, and onion powder.
- Slice the pork into 1” cubes and add to the bowl of marinade.
- Allow the pork to marinate for at least half an hour. Alternatively, you can place it in the fridge overnight.
- While the pork is marinating, soak the wooden skewers in water.
- To make the kebabs, alternate threading two pieces of pork and one slice of red onion onto the skewers. Alternatively, you can skip making the skewers and fry the pork and red onion in a pan on the stove.
- NOTE: don’t discard the leftover marinade. We will use it to flavour the rice.
- Grill over high heat until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre of the pork reads a minimum of 140°F.
For the Greek tomatoes:
- While the pork is marinating, stir together all the ingredients for the Greek tomatoes.
For the Tzatziki rice:
- Cook the rice according to the package instructions.
- Take the leftover souvlaki marinade and bring it to a boil for 30 seconds.
- Pour the boiled marinade over the rice.
- Stir in ½ cup of tzatziki.
For serving:
- I like to stir everything together: some pork, onions, tomatoes, and rice. Top with a squeeze of fresh lemon and some chopped oregano, if available to you.
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