Courgette ‘spaghetti’ with nut-free spinach pesto

Fancy a healthier alternative to traditional wheat spaghetti? Why not give this vegetarian courgette ‘spaghetti’ with nut-free spinach pesto a go?

A quick and easy alternative to your lunchtime salad, simply create raw ‘courgetti’ to mix with this tasty nut-free pesto of breadcrumbs and cheese.

Suitable for Vegetarian | Nut-free Serves 1 (pesto serves 4, and will keep for 3 days) Prep time 15 minutes

Nutrients per serving:

Energy	Total fat	Saturates	Protein	Fibre	Carbs	Sugar	Salt
223 kcal	16 g	3.1 g	7.3 g	3.8 g	8.8 g	4.9 g	0.21 g

Ingredients

Per person:

1 large courgette
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp sunflower * or pumpkin seeds *

* Available at Holland & Barrett

For the pesto:

25g stale breadcrumbs (we used day-old ciabatta)
100g washed baby spinach
Zest of 1 lemon
10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
50g vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese

Method

Step 1 Make the pesto. Toast the breadcrumbs in a dry frying pan for about 3 minutes until lightly crisp and golden, then tip into a small food processor. Add the spinach, lemon zest and oil and whizz to form a smooth paste. Pulse in the cheese. Step 2 Use a spiraliser or julienne peeler to make courgette ‘spaghetti’. In a mixing bowl, add a generous spoon of pesto to the courgette, plus the halved cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and then pile into your serving bowl and top with the sunflower seeds. Leftover pesto ideas: