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 pasta 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 courgettes 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. Finally, a few super-slow homemade sunblush cherry toms (that’s a mouthful!) add a juicy sweetness.
It’s a really tasty one 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, 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 courgettes 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 courgettes are 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.
