Soft Italian cheeses like ricotta make a great sauce base when mixed with lemon, greens, herbs and pine nuts
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 4 courgettes, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 300g pasta shapes
- small bunch basil, most chopped
- zest 1 lemon
- 50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated, plus extra to serve (optional)
- 50g pine nut, toasted
- 250g tub ricotta
Method
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Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the shallot and courgettes for 8 mins until softened. When they are just beginning to colour, add the garlic and cook for 2 mins more.
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Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a little of the water. Tip the pasta into the courgette pan with the basil, lemon zest, Parmesan and pine nuts. Season, dot over the ricotta and mix gently so that you don’t break it up too much. Serve sprinkled with extra Parmesan, if you like.