Lamb and Gnocchi with Secret Hidden Veg

This lamb and gnocchi dish recipe is a great tasty family dish which serves 4 and if you are feeding people that do not like veg and refuse to eat it, (like my children) then hide it. Let's face it, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend five portions of veg a day, so I do try, but don't always succeed. I'm human and can't be bothered at times.

What ya need!

1 tbsp macadamia oil (you can use whatever oil you want if you have an alternative preference)

500g slow cooked lamb shoulder. You can either cook this yourself and make your own sauce or if you can't be bothered, like me, use Coles slow cooked lamb shoulder with Garlic and Herb or similar in other stores

1 brown onion, chopped

1 eggplant, blitzed in a whizzer if you need to hide this veg from anyone. If not, well done and just chop

1 zucchini, as above - hide it if you need to, blitz away

2 tins (400g) of cherry tomatoes

1 pkt (500g) gnocchi (you can make your own if you want).

2 tsp dried oregano

A few shakes of pepper for seasoning

200g Australian Fetta, chopped for topping

What ya do!

• Get your lamb out of the bag and chuck it in an oven proof cooking dish.

• Put tin foil over the cooking dish to cover it and shove it in the oven for the time and temperature the packet tells you to and kick that leg back.

• Put your oil in a deep pan and heat the oil slightly on the stove top on medium heat and kick that leg back.

• Place your prepared onion, eggplant and zucchini in the heated pan along with the oregano and give it a right good stir.

• Cook on the stove top on low to medium heat for 5 minutes or till tender and make sure you stir occasionally. Oh and kick that leg back.

• In the meantime, prepare your gnocchi as per packet instructions.

• Shred the lamb once cooked and chuck it in your pan with the veg and add your cans of cherry tomatoes to it and then give it a right good stir.

• Add some pepper for seasoning.

• Heat through the meat mixture for five minutes on medium heat.

• Drain the gnocchi and add to the meat mixture and stir right good.

• Serve and don't forget to chuck that fetta on top.

Mrs Shelley's antics

I did not like the look of the lamb when I pulled it out of the packet. I thought it looked like vomit in a bag. When I cut the bag and poured it in the oven dish, it did smell right nice. If you head to my social media links at the top of the website, you will see my facial expressions of shock.

I have a habit of giving a back leg kick whenever I put anything in the oven or put anything on the stove top and I love it. I'm sure it makes meals more tastier.

I love guestimating my amounts for example when I write 1 tablespoon, I don't measure so it might be three, but who cares? Not me.

If my children knew there was eggplant or zucchini in this dish they would not eat it so I blitzed them veg in my Kmart chopper till they were unidentifiable. The kids never come out of their rooms while I'm making dinner and on this occasion they did and I had to keep stopping what I was doing. I got away with it. You know what? They loved this meal and have no idea there was eggplant or zucchini in this and nor will I be telling them what I did neither. I love veg and I will not ever cook separate meals, so I try and do meals that we all will eat, otherwise I'll be more exhausted than I already look.

I love to hold my food up to my ears and pretend they are earrings. I don't know why at 50 years of age but I think a pair of zucchini earrings look fab. Maybe I should bring out my own earring line!

I love gnocchi and I can easy make my own but oh how time consuming. I can't be bothered. I just buy it in a packet now. Being a working nurse I have not got time for that stuff. It still tastes good but I do admit freshly made by me would be better, but it's still a big fat no.

When I got the lamb out of the oven and started pulling it apart it just pulled apart so easily and when I poured the meat into the vegetables it still looked like a pile of vomit still, but honestly it smelt so gorgeous. Once the meat mixed with the vegetables it looked so much better.

This meal was excellent and the whole family enjoyed it and it was absolutely so tasty and as a family of four we devoured it. I will definitely be making this again. There was leftovers too! Win, win.

I hope you enjoy!

Love from Mrs Shelley.