These are four basic recipes that can all be prepared quickly and easily, and should feed two.
with Avocado Pesto
(inspired by Ella but again changed to my tastes and according to what was in the kitchen!)
80g brazil nutshandful fresh basil leaves
2 avocados
juice 2 limes
salt and pepper
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for frying
200g mushrooms, sliced thinly
100g sugarsnap peas
1 handful frozen peas
2 large courgettes
1. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan then add the mushrooms.
2. While they cook, blitz the brazil nuts in a food processor until very finely chopped.
3. Add the olive oil, avocado, lime juice and basil then blend until it forms a smooth sauce.
4. Taste and season and necessary, adjusting the oil/citrus balance according to taste.
5. When the mushrooms start to crisp, add the sugarsnaps and frozen peas and stir together.
6. Spiralize your courgettes.
7. When the vegetables are ready (the green ones only really need heating through) add the courgette spaghetti and the pesto to the pan, then stir well to mix and heat it through for 2-3 minutes.
8. Serve and enjoy!
I loved the fresh limey-ness of this sauce - you could use whatever green vegetables you like. I am generally led by whatever is in the fridge and needs using. Any leftover pesto is great on salads or as a dip.
with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried tarragon
good slug of marsala
250ml soya single cream (for a non-vegan alternative my preference is half-fat creme fraiche)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (non-vegan alternative 30g parmesan or pecorino)
salt and pepper
2 large courgettes
1. Heat some oil in a frying pan then add the onion - salt it so that it doesn't colour too much and cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften.
2. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
3. Add the mushrooms, leeks and tarragon (absolutely substitute fresh herbs if you have them) and cook for five minutes or so. Keep stirring - you don't want them to colour too much or it will make the sauce very brown.
4. When the mushrooms are cooked (to how you like - I like very soft in a sauce) slosh in some marsala and stir. I never measure so I can't be more specific - but wines are wonder ingredients in cooking and I love them. And mushrooms love marsala (if you don't have any then a dry sherry like amontillado is also good. But get some it's invaluable).
5. Pour in the soya cream and stir well. Season generously - it has a slightly sweet taste so I like a lot of salt and pepper; a squeeze of lemon is also good if you like.
6. Add the nutritional yeast (or cheese) and stir again, then add the courgette noodles and stir well to combine.
7. Cook for a few minutes until hot then serve with some chopped parsley or tarragon.
Although soya cream is light, as is the courgetti, this is still a surprisingly rich dish. I am greedy but was defeated. If using cheese grate some over the top before serving, but do not be tempted to do this with nutritional yeast. It gives a slightly cheesy flavour but it is NOT cheese!
with Puttanesca Sauce
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
4 anchovies (omit for vegetarian/vegan)
1/2tsp chilli flakes
50g black olives roughly chopped
1 tbsp capers, chopped if large
150ml passata
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
few springs of flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
1. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and cook the garlic gently for 30 seconds.
2. Add the anchovies and stir to help them break up and kind of dissolve.
3. Add all the other ingredients except the parsley and cook for five minutes to let all the flavours come together. Season to taste.
4. Spiralize your courgettes and add to the pan. Stir thoroughly through the sauce.
5. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the courgetti is cooked but still retaining some bite.
6. Stir through the parsley and serve.
There are millions of versions of puttanesca sauce so really you should adjust to whatever pleases you most. For a vegetarian/vegan version omit the anchovies and increase the amount of capers and olives. This article from The Guardian is a really interesting starting point for developing your own signature puttanesca.
with Walnut and Sundried Tomato 'Pesto'200g sundried tomatoes in oil
100g shelled walnuts
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 red chilli
2 sprigs basil
1/2 jar artichoke hearts
1. Toast the walnuts in a frying pan for a few minutes then shake in a colander to get rid of any excess skin.
2. Place all ingredients in a food processor (about 4 tbsp of the oil and keep the rest) and blend to your desired consistency - I like it still with some texture.
3. Heat some of the tomato oil in a frying pan and spiralize your courgettes. Add to the pan with about half the pesto mixture.
4. Stir thoroughly to combine - you may need to add a bit of water to loosen the mixture.
5. Slice the artichoke hearts into wedges and add to the pan.
6. Cook for 5-10 minutes then serve topped with some torn basil leaves.
This makes at least twice the quantity of pesto you need but it's worth doing extra. It keeps for about a week in the fridge and is great as a dip, with roasted vegetables, instead of mayo in a sandwich - anything you would use a regular pesto for really! I adapted this from a recipe by Sophie Grigson - you could add whatever vegetable you like here in place of the artichokes.
It's surprising how filling all these dishes are. I can't eat more courgette spaghetti than the normal kind which makes no sense given that it is vegetable with a high water content. You can serve all of these without cooking the courgette or cook to soften according to preference. Equally a spiralizer usually has three blades that roughly equate to spaghetti, tagliatelle and pappardelle - so use whichever you prefer and adjust cooking time accordingly.
During these experiments I've found that raw courgetti gives me very painful indigestion so I now cook it thoroughly. I googled and apparently some of us find it harder than others to digest raw vegetables - and courgette is a common culprit!
Happy zoodling and would love to see other peoples ideas!
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