Kevin's Asiago Fennel Cream Zoodles with Lamb Meatballs

Zoodles get the fancy treatment: thin-sliced fennel and onion sweated in butter, built into a heavy cream and asiago sauce, tossed with zucchini noodles, and topped with gluten-free mint-and-thyme lamb meatballs left just a touch pink in the middle.

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Ingredients

• •1 lb ground lamb (makes 24 meatballs)
• •2 zucchini, spiralized into zoodles
• •½ yellow onion
• •1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced
• •2 ¼ cup heavy cream
• •½ stick butter, for the sauce base
• •¼ stick butter, for the zoodles
• •2 cloves garlic
• •1 tbsp better-than-bouillon (chicken)
• •1 cup spinach
• •½ cup asiago cheese, grated
• •1 tbsp fresh mint, minced
• •1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
• •1 tsp smoked paprika
• •1 tsp onion powder
• •1 tsp finishing salt (for meatballs)
• •black pepper (for sauce) (to taste)

Steps

1. Sweat the onion & fennel: Dice half the onion and sweat it down with the garlic in ½ stick (4 pads) of butter. Halve the fennel bulb and slice it very thin, then add it in with the onion and garlic.
2. Make the zoodles: Spiralize the 2 zucchini into fettuccine-style zoodles and set aside.
3. Season & form the meatballs: Mince the mint and thyme together, then mix into the ground lamb along with the smoked paprika, onion powder, and finishing salt. Roll into 24 meatballs (about 1 lb total).
4. Add spinach: Once the onion and fennel have sweated down nicely, stir in the spinach.
5. Sear the meatballs: Add the meatballs to a hot pan, cover with a lid, and keep on high heat. Once they start to steam, roll them around to caramelize and build a nice fond in the pan.
6. Build the sauce: Stir the better-than-bouillon chicken base and a little pepper into the onion-fennel mixture (no added salt — the meatballs bring plenty). Add the heavy cream.
7. Finish the meatballs in the sauce: Once the meatballs are about halfway cooked, transfer them into the cream sauce to finish, leaving them just a touch pink in the center.
8. Toss in the zoodles: Add the ¼ stick of butter to the sauce along with the zoodles and toss to coat.
9. Finish with asiago: Stir in the asiago cheese until melted and combined.
10. Plate & serve: Plate the zoodles, top with the fennel-asiago sauce and the lamb meatballs, and serve.