Courgette classic

This is a light, delicate pasta that is ridiculously simple to make. It’s a perfect summer dish, but I make it whenever I don’t feel like cooking – it’s that easy. There are many variations, but this is my personal favourite. If you want to make it more substantial, you can add shredded chicken, fried prosciutto, bacon bits or Parma ham. You could also substitute the feta with Parmesan.

Simple courgette pasta
Serves 4

500g spaghetti
20 medium courgettes, grated
olive oil
1 tbsp chili flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
Juice and zest of ½ lemons
2 handfuls chopped fresh herbs (any combination of basil, parsley or origano)
200g feta, crumbled, plus extra for sprinkling
4 tsp butter

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. When it’s cooked, add the grated courgettes to the pasta, give it a stir and drain, reserving a little of the cooking water (about 200ml). Add the pasta back to the pot (but do not return it to the stove), add a good glug of olive oil and the cooking water, as well as the chilli flakes, garlic, lemon juice and zest. Give it a good stir, then add the feta and the herbs, season to taste and stir to combine once again.
Divide the pasta between four bowls, place a nob of butter on top of each (trust me), along with an extra sprinking of feta and a squeeze of lemon juice, if desired.