Courgette pasta or any other kind of spirilised vegetable is not a new thing anymore. In fact, if we look at the online search trend since 2004:

           

it seems like the spirafever started in 2013 and still hasn’t left us. The word ‘spiralizer’ (the z is on purpose, as when I searched with an s only UK and AU came up in the results), according to Google, hit its top fame in January 2016 (however, it seems like this could be slightly inaccurate as they mention ‘An improvement to our data collection system was applied from 1/1/2016’). Aaaanyhow, spiralising has been around for some time and this post doesn’t intend to bring anything groundbreaking new to the table, but we loved this recipe when we made it with my mom back in April and the photos came out beautiful (ah, the light) so it deserves a recipe even if this is as simple as cut-cook-eat.

I love love pasta, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes it’s too filling and it leaves you with a heavy sensation, especially at night. This is basically a vegan less-heavy alternative, and funnily enough after 2 minutes you forget that it’s not pasta. This, however, will depend on how well you’re able to cook it. It you are curious, here is a bit more info on courgettes.

Although most recipes call for a spiralizer, I have one and still prefer to use a regular potato peeler or julienne peeler. Courgettes, like many other vegetables, contains a high percentage of water (95%) which means when cut very thinly and cooked, it releases the water a lot quicker, acquiring a mushy texture and making it harder for us humans to get the al dente point right.

RECIPE

Serves: 2    //  Time: 15 minutes + 10 minutes pesto

Ingredients

• 1 courgette
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

To serve with

• Red pesto (or any kind!)
• Fresh basil
• Grated Parmesano
• Cherry tomatoes
• Toasted pinenuts, crushed

For this recipe you will need a julienne peeler.

Instructions

1. Place a pan on medium heat.
2. Wash the courgette, dry then use the peeler to create long “pappardelle”.
3. Add the “pappardelle” to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the pesto, cook for 3 more minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook until the “pappardelle” are al dente.

Serve immediately and top with some grated parmesan and/or toasted pinenuts.

Notes

Be careful with not overcooking the courgette as it can becoming mushy and very non pasta-like.

When using the peeler, I always aim to get the thickness and width right, see image below: