Chimichurri Lamb Chops and Veggies

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Summer is upon us and it’s time to warm up the grill! Which is a good thing in our household. Since Baby Z has arrived, the hubby has been doing a lot more cooking. And while he’s not half bad (and getting better all the time!), the stuff he does on the grill is the best.

Enter this lamb chop recipe. It seems super fancy, but it’s really easy and super delicious. I found the original recipe on Garlic and Zest, but decided to omit a few ingredients, mainly because after experimenting with it I personally couldn’t tell much difference and the ingredient list is already long.

However, that being said- the ingredient list is long, but the work isn’t. It’s mostly throwing all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender and pushing a button. And let’s be honest, the part of us that loves fancy delicious food but doesn’t want to spend hours preparing it loves that.

And because it’s so easy, if you’ve got the extra herbs, I highly recommend you double the marinade and make extra veggies. However, unless you are using a large food processor or blender, you’ll want to do it in two separate batches. After all, unless you are lucky and/or have a green thumb, fresh herbs can be pricy (but totally worth it), and we want no herbs left behind. So made a second batch and either freeze, or use right away (we make extra veggies, because there’s no such thing as too many grilled veggies. Yum!).

But enough chat. Let’s do this.

Easy, delicious Mint Chimichurri Lamb Chops with Grilled Veggies

MARINADE

1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup parsley leaves
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lemon zested and juiced
1/2 cup olive oil


MINT CHIMICHURRI

1/4 cup mint leaves finely minced
1/4 cup parsley leaves finely minced
1 medium shallot finely minced
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
3 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper


TO GRILL

8 lamb chops about 1 1/2-2" thick
1-2 large zucchini sliced diagonally approx. 1/2" thick
1-2 large squash sliced diagonally approx. 1/2" thick
1-2 large sweet peppers stem, seeds and ribs removed, cut into quarters
(These are the veggies that Garlic and Zest recommended, and I whole heatedly approve their choice. However, choose veggies that you like. You could do all zucchini, or skip the zucchini all together. You do you.)

 

MARINADE & CHIMICHURRI

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

  2. Pat the lamb chops dry with a paper towel. Pour half of the marinade over the lamb and coat all sides evenly. Cover for at least an hour. (If it’s going to be longer than an hour, refrigerate while you marinade. However, you’ll want to pull the lamb out of the fridge 10-20 minutes before cooking to let it warm before putting on the grill)

  3. Coat the vegetables with the remaining marinade and let sit at room temperature for an hour.

  4. Make the mint chimichurri by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

GRILLING

  1. If the lamb is in the fridge, remove from fridge and let it warm for about 10-20 minutes.

  2. Preheat the grill to a medium high heat, about 425-450°.

  3. Place the lamb on the grill, followed by the vegetables and cook for 5-8 minutes until a nice char has developed on one side and the lamb releases easily.

  4. Turn the lamb and veggies and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes depending on the doneness you desire and the thickness of your chops. (130° for medium rare)

  5. Serve lamp and veggies with mint chimichurri. Enjoy!

Put everything in a blender or food process and blend until smooth. It doesn’t get much easier than that. BONUS! This recipe is delicious and super fancy. No one will know how easy it was!