Fall is upon us but the summer squash keeps coming - at least here in central Texas. In an effort to use our abundance of zucchini in a lighter, healthier way (zucchini muffins are delicious: zucchini muffin-top? not so much), I've swapped whole wheat pasta for noodles made from zucchini and other varieties of summer squash. My favorite kitchen gadget as of late is the Paderno Vegetable Spiralizer, which can turn pretty much any vegetable into pasta in about 5 seconds. If you don't have a spiralizer you can use a vegetable peeler and the "pasta" will taste just as good. But if you want noodles that resemble spaghetti and that will trick your mind into thinking you're eating the real deal, the spiralizer is the way to go. If you top the zucchini pasta with homemade sauce and meatballs, you won't miss the pasta one bit.

This lamb meatball recipe from Smitten Kitchen is the perfect companion to zucchini pasta. The recipe does look a bit involved but I promise you it's not, plus it's incredibly forgiving: I usually halve the meatball recipe but sometimes I forget halfway through and don't halve some of the ingredients, and the meatballs turn out perfectly every time.

I adapted the recipe a tiny bit, but you can see the full recipe here. I use Rocco & Lola Toasted Almond Breading in place of the breadcrumbs, which is not only delicious and made in Austin, but also makes this recipe entirely gluten free.

Meatballs

1/2 cup water

2 pounds ground lamb

1 large egg

1 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, fresh or plain, such as Panko

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

3/4 teaspoon table salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 small garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons olive oil

Zest of half a lemon

Sauce

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

A couple splashes of red wine (optional)

1 28-ounce can of crushed or pureed tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Zest of half a lemon

3/4 to 1 teaspoon table salt

Pinches of red pepper flakes (to taste)

2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish (dried parsley works just as well)

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup crumbled feta, for garnish

Zucchini Pasta

Zucchini (one per person is my general rule)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Make meatballs:

In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except oil; I like to do this with a fork. Using wet hands, form mixture into small (1 1/2 to 2-inch diameter) meatballs; I have taken to using a large (just shy of 3 tablespoon) cookie scoop for easy sizing.

Brown meatballs:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat it through. Evenly space meatballs in pan and very carefully turn and roll them so that all sides become brown. Don’t worry if they don’t remain perfectly round; mine never do. Don’t worry if some pieces become stuck to the pan; they will deliciously infuse the sauce in a minute. Drain meatballs on a paper towel-lined plate.

Make sauce and finish cooking meatballs:

Pour out all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and return to medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the pan. Cook until the liquid almost disappears. Add tomatoes, oregano, lemon zest, salt, pepper flakes, olives (if you’re using them now), mint and parsley. Bring mixture to a simmer and return meatballs to the pan. Cover with a lid and cook at the lowest simmer for 20 to 24 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. Squeeze lemon juice over meatballs and sauce.

Make Zucchini Pasta:

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Make noodles either by using veggie spiralizer or by peeling strips off lengthwise with peeler. Add noodles to pan and cook for a few minutes, just until heated through (be sure not to cook too long or else the squash will get too soft). Season with salt and pepper and toss with some of the tomato sauce.

Serve:

Top zucchini pasta (or pasta of choice) with more sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with feta and parsley.