Disclaimer: the point of this particular recipe is not to create the most gourmet victuals you’ve ever feasted upon. It’s just balls of meat for heaven’s sake. The point is to make some pretty darn good meatballs that also happen to pack in so many nutrients, we might have to utilize quantum physics to get them all in there.
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Because, you see, like so many of the recipes I foist upon my unsuspecting children, these meatballs contain secret ninja vegetables. And not just a couple ninjas. We’re talking the whole dojo, here.
Three. Entire. Zucchinis.
(Or three “courgettes,” if your ninjas happen to be British. Man, now I really want to do an eggplant recipe too, just so I can be posh and call them aubergines.)
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Where was I? Oh yes — peel and chop. You must use a food processor or immersion blender for this next step, a regular upright blender won’t even come close. This is largely because you don’t want to add any liquid to the mixture at all, so it’ll be rough going at first. But just keep at it, and as the zucchini compacts, it will release its own liquid and things will start to flow in there. Slowly add more of your chopped pieces to the cup as you get the space, until you ultimately end up with about 2 cups of smooth puree.
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Check out those colors. It’s truly beautiful. Pour your puree (three whole zucchinis’ worth!) into a large bowl with 2 pounds of ground lamb.
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Now squeesh. And squoosh. And squarsh. And so on.
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Look! Where did all the bright green zucchini go? It’s magic, boys and girls. Do not look behind the curtain. Oh yeah, also mix in 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of oregano. Almost forgot that bit.
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Sculpt your mixture into meatballs about one and a half inches in diameter. It will be fairly gooey, but just sort of cup and scoop it between your hands until it’s roundish.
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Lay them out in baking dishes brushed with a little olive oil. I don’t know what it is, but I always end up with exactly 19 of them. The OCD person inside me really, really wants it to be an even 20, but it never is.
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Bake them at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove them to a paper towel to drain. These things freeze really well, by the way, so it’s worth it to make a big batch like this. Of course the logical way to serve them would be with GF pasta and marinara sauce, but I haven’t done that here because my kids strangely prefer them plain. Go figure.
Speaking of figures, let’s pause for a moment to do a little math (I know, you all love it when I talk nerdy to you.) If your kid eats just three of these meatballs, he will have unwittingly consumed nearly half of an entire zucchini as well. Seriously? Seriously. And you know what they taste like? Meat. Go on, embrace your inner veggie ninja.
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Happy Eating!
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The GFCF Lady’s Lamb and Zucchini Meatballs
3 zucchinis
2 lbs. ground lamb
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
You are one sneaky mother. What a marvelous was to infused the kids with goodness, while ridding the planet of the dreaded annual Zucchini infestation.
I LOVE the concept of hiding the zucchini in the mix!! My question is, Lamb is QUITE pricey – in fact I know my sons nor I have ever had Lamb (not sure about hubbs) – can you substitute a good quality ground beef for the Lamb? If so, is Lamb lean or fatty – do you need 70/30, 80/20 or 90/10 ground beef? Thanks for your help!!
One other question, how BIG are the zucchinis you use for this recipe? At the store they are 7 to 9 inches long, early garden picks about a foot or the ones you usually see in a box as you exit church can be a 18 inches and 5 inches across!! I know your recipe gives a final volume of 2 cups processed zucchini, but a starting size would be helpful!! =0) Thanks!!
Hi ChelleBeth – I use the standard size we get in our grocery store, about 7-9 inches. But the puree also freezes really well, so if you make too much you can always save the excess for next time. You can definitely substitute beef for the ground lamb if you want. Lamb tends to be leaner than beef in general, so I’d go with the leanest ground beef you can find. Thanks for coming by!