Description
Gluten free pasta tossed in a tzatziki sauce, topped with gluten free lamb meatballs and kalamata olives, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and tomatoes.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- TZATZIKI SAUCE:
- 1 seedless cucumber, peeled
- Salt
- 2 cups plain, fat free Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons dried dill (or sub 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- MEATBALLS:
- 1/2 cup gluten free rice Chex mix cereal (or sub gluten free bread crumbs)
- 1/2 red onion, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh mint, packed, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pound ground lamb (or sub ground beef)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- FOR THE BOWLS:
- Gluten free spaghetti
- Kalamata olives, pitted
- thinly sliced red onion (can use remainder of red onion leftover from meatballs)
- tomatoes, sliced (I like cherry or grape tomatoes the best, but any kind you prefer)
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (get the kind in a block and crumble it yourself, more flavor)
- 1 cucumber, sliced
Instructions
- TZATZIKI SAUCE:
- Grate the peeled seedless cucumber using the large holes on box grater. Place the grated cucumber in a strainer that is resting over a bowl. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. Allow the cucumber to hang out and release as much of it’s liquid while you prepare everything else.
- MEATBALLS:
- Moving on to the meatballs while the cucumber drains. Use a food processor to pulse the chex mix rice cereal into fine breadcrumbs. NOTE: make sure you measure the 1/2 cup after you grind the cereal, not before. Remove the chex mix bread crumbs from the food processor into a large mixing bowl, set aside.
- To the now empty food processor (no need to clean it out) add the red onion and the garlic cloves. Pulse until the onion and garlic are finely minced.
- To the large mixing bowl with the bread crumbs add the minced red onion and garlic, chopped mint, sea salt, black pepper, and cinnamon, and the ground lamb/beef.
- Using clean hands gently mix everything together until it’s well incorporated.
- Use a large ice cream/cookie scoop to scoop the meat into same sized balls and place them on a cookie sheet or a platter. Once they are all scooped use your hands to shape them into more uniform balls.
- Place the meatballs in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill. This helps them to hold their shape while cooking.
- At this point you should begin to bring your pot of water to a boil for your pasta. Make sure to salt the water well.
- TZATZIKI SAUCE:
- Returning to the tzatziki sauce use a spoon to press any remaining moister in the cucumber through the strainer. To a medium mixing bowl add the shredded cucumber, Greek yogurt, dill, garlic cloves, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until everything is well combined. Set aside.
- MEATBALLS:
- Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Just before you are ready to cook the meatballs heat the oil.
- Cook the meatballs for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until there is a nice char on the outside and the center is cooked (some pink in the center is how I preferred mine, but cook longer if you prefer yours well done). You may need to cook the meatballs in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Once cooked remove the meatballs and cover with foil to keep warm. Allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
- FOR THE BOWLS:
- While the meatballs are cooking work on chopping your veggies if you haven’t already done that. Also cook your pasta at this time, according to package instructions.
- ASSEMBLE:
- Heat tzatziki sauce gently in the microwave, doesn’t need to be hot, just a little warmed through. Place some of your cooked spaghetti in your serving dish. Toss it with a little of the warm tzatziki sauce.
- Top the pasta with 3 to 4 meatballs and the veggies and feta cheese as desired. Top with another dollop of warm tzatziki sauce.
- Serve immediately.
- Store leftovers in separate containers.
