It is August 11 and I’m already mentally prepping for the fall? WHY THO?!?! There’s nothing I’d love more than to live in the moment, but the world we live in really makes it hard sometimes. I can’t just come to August 31 and think, “Oh, look at the calendar! Looks like you kids are heading back to school tomorrow!” No, I’m already mentally cataloguing which school supplies we can reuse from last year, and which shoes still fit the boys, and what my work calendar looks like with a change of schedule, etc etc etc. The change in season is pretty but jeez. There’s certainly a mental load that comes with it.

So the question at 5pm after a full day of mapping out the next few months is “What’s for dinner?”. Lucky for me, here in Alberta the local veggies are gorgeous and plentiful, and I’m happy to give my brain a break because I have all the fresh veggies to work with. Like I’m not sure what could go wrong when you are working with food picked fresh from the farm. On this week’s menu? Zucchini Meatballs with Lemon Linguini. Bright and fresh, this dish is a fave in our household (because what kid doesn’t love noodles?) and quite honestly it’s an easy throw-together weeknight meal. We’re using zucchini from our weekly veggie box from @greyarrowfarm which is the next best thing to growing a zucchini in my own garden. Head on over to Grey Arrow Farm’s website for more gorgeous food and farm inspiration, and get on their newsletter list so you can sign up for their Veggie Box next year (it always sells out!) I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Recipe

Zucchini Meatballs with Lemon Linguini

Ingredients

2 cups of finely chopped zucchini
750g ground pork
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup chopped herbs (basil, oregano and Italian parsley work well!)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 tbsp + 2/3 cup olive oil
1 lemon, washed, thinly sliced, and seeded, ends discarded
500g linguini
1 lemon zested and juiced
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup fresh, chopped basil

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add finely chopped zucchini, pork, panko crumbs, herbs, and salt and pepper. Mix well with hands. Add a bit of olive oil to your hands, and take 2 tbsp of the mixture at a time, rolling into meatballs.
Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet, and pop into the oven with lemon slices. Bake for 15 minutes, shuffling around the meatballs on the pan at the 10-minute mark.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of boiling, salted water to a boil. Add linguini and allow to cook, about 8 minutes until the pasta is tender but firm. Drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water.
In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk remaining oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add pasta and toss well, adding pasta water and lemon zest as you go. Continue tossing until pasta is coated in the lemon sauce. Add the goat cheese and toss again. Let it sit for about 2 minutes to allow it to thicken.
Sprinkle generously with basil and add a crack of fresh ground pepper. Top with the meatballs and serve immediately.