Courgette / Zucchini Pasta With Chili, Garlic & Parmesan

Wendy-Bob's Note:

My Mum took my sister and I out to lunch in London the other day and we had Italian for lunch. I don't recall the name of the restaurant but the dish I had was fantastic! It was called Giardiniera I think and contained all the below but also had deep fried spinach and paremsan balls with it. I've been unable to replicate the spinach balls (I tried a baked version as well but that didn't work either) so I'm just listing the pasta and topping for now and maybe eventually I'll be able to get the rest right.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 2 medium courgettes (zucchini)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 red chilies (1 if you prefer it less hot)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 150 g penne pasta
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pan of salted water, put the pasta on to boil.
2. Grate the courgettes/zucchini, chop or mince the garlic, finely chop the chilli and grate the parmesan.
3. Melt the teaspoon of butter in a large frying pan and add the garlic.
4. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the chilli and courgette/zucchini.
5. Leave to cook for 10-15mins stirring occasionally. NB. You want to cook everything but not really brown any of it off.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan.
7. When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain well and stir through a tablespoon of olive oil if desired.
8. Plate up the pasta and serve with the courgette/zucchini mixture on top.

Reviews

[Chef #1351128]

Brilliant thank you i love this dish in carluccios and have been given some home grown courgettes so wanted to recreat it at home!

[Chef #1340719]

Hi...I've also been to Carluccio's and adore this recipe. Just wanted to let you know that I found a link to the actual recipe. It is http://www.highcrossleicester.com/Manager.Documents/Carluccios%20Penne%20Pasta%20with%20Spinach%20Balls.pdf I tried it out and it was gorgeous, even if i say so myself. Happy cooking.

[Samantha M.]

Great recipe! Very quick & easy. Next time I will use a little less parmesan. I used wholewheat pasta - it was a little dry without the olive oil. Will make it again, thanks!