Healthy dinner recipes: Courgetti with black kale pesto and roasted peppers

The first in our new series of healthy recipes from Beverley Hicks
Beverley Hicks
Beverley Hicks1 February 2016

If you're trying to avoid refined and processed food then courgette noodles are a tasty alternative to traditional spaghetti and significantly lower in calories.

Ingredients (makes enough for 4 servings)

2 large red peppers

5 large organic courgettes, washed

½ tablespoon coconut oil

For the pesto

5 large cavolo nero leaves, stalks removed and finely chopped

50g fresh spinach leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

60g pecorino cheese, finely grated

30g almonds, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Zest of a lemon

4-5 tablespoons water

¼ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Roast the peppers in a pre-heated oven, 230C/450F/Gas Mark 8, for 20-30 minutes, turning once, until they begin to char. Remove from the oven and put in a polythene bag, seal and leave for ten minutes to steam. When they are cool enough to handle, take the peppers out of the bag and peel off the skin. Pull open, remove the stalks and seeds and discard. Roughly chop the flesh and put to one side.

Spiralise the courgettes into thin noodles, if you don’t have a spiraliser thinly shave the courgettes with a peeler and cut into very fine strips. Put the courgette noodles between two sheets of kitchen paper and press gently to soak up any excess moisture from the cut surfaces. Leave to one side.

Put all the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor and blend to a rough paste, adding more water if necessary.

On a medium heat, melt the oil in a large saucepan, add the courgette noodles and gently stir-fry for a minute, they don't need to be cooked, just softened. Spoon in the pesto, and stir to coat all the courgettes. Stir in the chopped roasted peppers and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

To serve, pile onto plates, sprinkle over some freshly ground black pepper and some extra grated pecorino cheese if desired.

Notes

If you can’t find cavolo nero in your local shops, any variety of kale or spring greens can be substituted.

Food facts

Courgettes contain no saturated fats or cholesterol. They are a great source of potassium, a heart-friendly electrolyte which helps to lower blood pressure by balancing out the negative effects of salt. Their peel is a good source of dietary fibre.

Nutritional info

Per serving: Calories 226 | Protein 11.5g | Carbohydrates 15.4g | Fat 14.9g | Fibre 5.8g

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