COURGETTE, FETA AND OLIVE PASTA

This courgette and feta pasta recipe is wonderfully simple and absolutely delicious. It makes a great lunch or dinner, for yourself, family or friends – pretty much any time of year. However, I can especially recommend this on a late summers evening, sat in the garden with a nice cold glass of white wine. The feta slightly melts and clings around the pasta, the olives add satisfyingly salty bites and the courgettes bring a creamy smokiness. The tomatoes give wonderful freshness to this otherwise slightly salty recipe. I like to griddle thin ribbons of courgettes in a griddle pan for this recipe. They develop a smoky, slightly chargrilled flavour which goes wonderfully with the feta and tomatoes. Chilli adds a nice kick, but feel free to omit if you don’t like heat.However, if you don’t have a griddle pan or the time to griddle loads of courgette ribbons, you can just cut them into cubes and pan fry them until golden. Set aside and then proceed with the recipe.

Secrets to success: 

• Keep a bit of pasta water on the side just before draining to add to the pasta sauce- it will help bind the sauce to the pasta
• Don’t be tempted to cook the tomatoes for too long, they add a wonderful fresh element to the pasta. You want them just warmed through.
• Starting garlic in a cold pan will allow you to slow cook the garlic, releasing lots of flavour, without burning it. Burnt garlic – can ruin any dish.

Recipe originator:

My oldest friend Anna – we’ve been hanging out since birth! Well I suppose I hung out alone for the 6 months because I am half a year older, but hey who’s paying attention. She’s also been a vegetarian since the age of 3, which I think is quite impressive because I can’t recall making any culinary choices at that age. A version of recipe the first thing I recall her cooking for me, about 8 years ago or so. I’ve loved this recipe from the first time I tasted it. We were sitting in the kitchen in her Munich apartment catching up – I was studying in London and she was studying in Munich. Most of our friendship has been spent in different towns or countries, yet whenever we meet it feels like we just saw each other yesterday.

Print Recipe

COURGETTE, FETA AND OLIVE PASTA

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Servings

Ingredients

• 2 courgettes
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 250 g dried spaghetti or linguine
• 2 gloves garlic crushed
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes optional
• 300 g cherry tomatoes halved
• 100 g feta cheese crumbled
• 50 g olives roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Course Main Dish Cuisine Italian Servings Ingredients 2 courgettes 2 tbsp pine nuts 3 tbsp olive oil 250 g dried spaghetti or linguine 2 gloves garlic crushed 1/4 tsp chili flakes optional 300 g cherry tomatoes halved 100 g feta cheese crumbled 50 g olives roughly chopped 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a large pan of salted, boiling water
2. With a vegetable peeler, peel long thin slices from the courgettes. Heat a griddle pan and brush lightly with some of the olive oil and cook the courgette slices until you see dark griddle marks. Proceed until they are all cooked, then set aside.
3. Toast the pine nuts and set aside to cool.
4. Cook the pasta until all dente. Reserve a small ladleful of pasta water just before draining.
5. Add the remaining olive oil to a cold large frying pan and add the garlic and chill flakes. Turn on the heat on low and cook the garlic and chilli until fragrant
6. Add the courgette ribbons, cherry tomatoes, olives, lemon juice and feta cheese until warmed through.
7. Add the drained pasta and some of the pasta water and toss through on high heat so the sauce clings to the pasta. Finally, scatter with the parsley and pine nuts and serve immediately.
8. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

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