Dinners on two burners
Courgette & Lemon Pasta
Soft, golden courgette, garlic, lemon and cheese tossed through short pasta.
Ingredients
- 180 g (6½ oz) short pasta
- 700 ml (1¼ pints) water
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 courgettes, diced or cut into half-moons
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- a pinch of chilli flakes
- juice of ½ lemon
- 40 g (1½ oz) hard cheese, grated or shaved
- black pepper
- 2 tbsp mixed nuts and seeds
Steps
- Bring the water to the boil in the pot with the salt. Add the pasta and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then, until tender.
- Meanwhile, toast the nuts and seeds in the dry pan for 2–3 minutes, then tip them onto a plate.
- Add the oil and courgettes to the pan and cook over medium-high heat for 7–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and golden in places. Add the garlic and chilli flakes for the last minute.
- Keep 4 tbsp of the pasta water, then drain the pasta (keep the hot water for washing up) and add it to the pan with the reserved water.
- Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and most of the cheese until glossy. Season with pepper and top with the rest of the cheese and the toasted nuts and seeds.
Swaps & variations
- Add two handfuls of spinach with the pasta and let it wilt.
- Half a tin of drained white beans makes it go further.
- Crumbled feta works instead of hard cheese.