A delicate and creamy vegetarian pasta dish very simple to make in less than half an hour without creating lots of dishwashing chaos.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

1  clove of garlic, minced

2 courgettes, sliced

650 ml of water

150 g of medium sized pasta

4-5 basil leaves, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

Zest of an unwaxed lemon, finely grated

Black pepper, freshly ground

Salt

METHOD

Place a saucepan over  a gentle  heat, add  the  extra-virgin olive oil, the chopped onion and the minced garlic. Cover and sweat for a couple of minutes, until soft and translucent.

Add the sliced courgettes and cook them for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the water into the same saucepan and leave it to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Bring to a boil, add the pasta and season with some salt.  Leave it to cook according to the package instructions on a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the pasta is ready.

Turn off the heat, gently stir in two tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano, the lemon zest, the basil and some freshly ground black pepper.

Sprinkle with some extra Parmigiano Reggiano to serve.

TEMPTING TIPS

If you run out of medium sized pasta, break any long one, like spaghetti, into several lengths; place it in a bag, and break it up with the back of a pot for a quicker job.