Courgette, Pea And Ricotta Conchiglioni

Greens with pasta make for a delightfully fresh tasting summer supper. We made this a few times last year and I am sure that with the coming warmer months ahead, it will make a return to our dinner table.

This is a recipe from a Waitrose magazine, but by the looks of the photo below, I had been shopping at Marks & Spencers. It’s not the first time I have found that lemon zest and chilli flakes bring an exciting edge to a pasta dish. I am so glad to think of months of simple summer cooking ahead.

INGREDIENTS

300g conchiglioni pasta
250g frozen peas
2 courgettes
125g ricotta
20g parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
1 lemon, zest and juice
¼ tsp chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
¼ x 25g pack basil, plus extra to serve

METHOD

Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, adding the frozen peas to the saucepan for the final four minutes of cooking time.

Meanwhile, use a peeler to shave the courgettes into ribbons down to the cores. (I did not use the first couple of ribbons as the green skin was unpleasantly leathery.) Thinly slice the cores. Set aside until needed.

Mix the ricotta, parmigiano reggiano, lemon zest and juice, chilli flakes and most of the basil in a high-speed blender of food processor. Season to taste.

Drain the pasta and peas and return to the pan. Add the ricotta mixture and courgette ribbons and stir to combine. I found a teaspoon of light olive oil helpful so that the courgette ribbons did not stick together.

Divide the pasta between four bowls. Serve with the torn leaves of the remaining basil and for an extra kick, scatter with extra chilli flakes.

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