This is such an easy courgette spaghetti recipe that’s perfectly in season. The courgettes just keep on coming! We literally can’t pick them quick enough, which has resulted in some pretty ridiculous marrows of late. Fortunately, courgette spaghetti exists and is the perfect way to use up these green WMD’s…
I was really keen to keep things simple for this one, so whilst there are many more ingredients that would go beautifully, I’ve resisted the temptation and kept things as easy but flavourful as possible. The creamy ricotta goes deliciously well when stirred through the silky courgette pasta and the chorizo adds a pleasing kick. Pine nuts are one of my all-time favourite ingredients and I feel that almost any dish can benefit from a few of those toasted bad boys sprinkled on top (like this one!). Finally, a few super-slow homemade sunblush cherry toms (that’s a mouthful!) add a juicy sweetness.
It’s a really tasty courgette spaghetti recipe and it’s always great to have a super healthy, low-carb recipe that you can whip up after work. If you fancy mixing things up, why not swap the ricotta for some buffalo mozzarella, the chorizo for some crispy pancetta, or give things a vegan twist by omitting the meat and cheese and opting for a vegan pesto instead. The options are literally endless.
Thanks to Donna Hay for the inspiration for this courgette pasta dish, her new book ‘Weeklight‘ is a winner so do check it out.
Serves 4
Ingredients 250g cherry tomatoes, halved Large handful pine nuts 2 1/2 tbsps olive oil 200g chorizo, chopped in 1cm pieces 4 cloves garlic, sliced 700g courgettes, spiralized or sliced using a mandolin with shredder 250g fresh ricotta Zest & juice of 1 lemon Large handful basil leaves Parmesan to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 100’C. On a greaseproof lined tray, arrange tomatoes face-up and season well. Bake for 90 minutes or until dehydrated and super sweet. Reserve.
In a dry pan over a medium heat, toast the pine nuts for a couple of minutes until golden (1), reserve. In the same pan, add 1/2 tbsp oil and increase heat to medium-high. Add chorizo and cook until golden. Remove chorizo and keep warm, reserve oil.
In large pan on medium-high heat add remaining oil, garlic and season generously. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden. Add courgette pasta and toss to coat then remove from heat (2). Season then divide between bowls along with the ricotta. Top each with lemon zest & juice, basil leaves, tomatoes and chorizo. Finish with a drizzle of the chorizo oil.
Useful tips
(1) Pine nuts are loaded with delicious oils and can therefore burn quite quickly, so do keep your eye on them.
(2) Once the courgette spaghetti is well coated, remove from the heat fairly quickly. You want them to retain some bite and prevent them from going mushy, so as soon as they’re warm they’re good to go.
