Basil, Courgette and Pistachio Pasta
The perfect quick summer meal, this simple pasta dish uses only a few simple ingredients but is packed with bright, herby flavours.
Introduction
Fresh herbs are a wonderful way to jazz up any dish and make it special. In this dish, they come together to make a pesto-type sauce that’s bursting with flavour. The pistachios provide a delicious sweetness and crunch and the lemon elevates each bite.
Ingredients
| 200g | mafaldine (or use linguine, pappardelle, spaghetti) |
| 3 tbsp | olive oil |
| 1 large | courgette, sliced into ½cm rounds |
| Handful of | pistachios, shelled |
| 1 | garlic clove |
| Big handful of | fresh mint, chopped |
| Big handful of | fresh basil, chopped |
| Big handful of | fresh parsley, chopped |
| lemon juice, to taste | |
| salt and black pepper |
Essential kit
You will need: A large pestle and mortar
Method
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook your pasta according to the packet instructions.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan (big enough to hold the cooked pasta) and fry the courgette rounds until golden brown.
Bash up the pistachios in a large pestle and mortar and then remove them. Do the same with the garlic, along with a pinch of salt, until it turns into a paste and then add all the herbs and bash together with the garlic. If you have enough space, continue bashing and grinding and then add the pistachios back in with the rest of the olive oil. If you don’t have space in your pestle and mortar, tip the herbs, garlic paste and pistachios into a bowl and mix well.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan with the courgettes, followed by the herby paste and a splash of the pasta water.
Mix so that the paste coats the pasta and finish with a big squeeze of lemon juice!
TIP: Use gluten-free pasta to make this gluten free.
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