Cherry tomato sauce, basil and Mozzarella sauce on courgette ribbon pasta
March 2021
We love ribbons of buttery vegetables instead of pasta to cut back on the carbs; if you flash cook them in a hot oven they are delicious and they won’t shed water as they can do in a pan.
Dress them with butter, olive oil, chilli, parsley or cheese for a wonderful side dish or as a base for pasta sauces or try our recipe with cherry tomatoes and Mozzarella below.
Ingredients - Serves 6
For the ribbons
300 to 400g courgettes, (2 to 3 courgettes)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red chilli, finely sliced
500g cherry tomatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped finely
Small handful basil, torn roughly
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 x 125g balls of Mozzarella, roughly torn
Preheat the oven to 220˚C/fan 200˚C/gas mark 7. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.
Use a spiraliser with the thinnest slicer attachment to make ribbons. Alternatively use a knife, potato peeler, mandolin or cheese slicer to make thin ribbons of vegetables. With a little practice you will find the best gadget and method of preparing them. You can hold the vegetable down with a fork when your fingers get too close to the cutter and chop any remaining awkward-to-cut parts by hand into dice.
Toss the ribbons in a bowl with the oil and season. Spread the ribbons out onto the baking trays in curls rather than flat so the heat can circulate easily. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in frying pan, when hot add chilli and after a few seconds add the cherry tomatoes and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes on a high heat. Do not overcook the tomatoes.
Remove the courgettes from the oven and use tongs to gently add them to the tomatoes in the pan. Then add the basil and toss again. Serve on warm plates topped with Mozzarella.
Learn more great recipes by joining us on one of our low carb cookery courses. See HERE for a list of upcoming dates.
