Pasta For One - Courgette, Garlic & Chili

With two kids, it's not often that I get left home alone and despite cooking constantly for the family, it's rare for me to cook for myself. When I'm on my own, I have got into the bad habit of not cooking and just snacking or even not eating anything at all. 

When the situation arose a couple of weeks back however, I made the effort to cook for myself. Based on what I had on the fridge and cupboards, I came up with this quick, tasty and satisfying dish and felt very indulgent as I sat in peace, by myself, with a glass of red wine. Heaven!

Pasta For One

Ingredients

1 x courgette, sliced into thin strips

1/2 red chili, de-seeded and finely sliced

1 x clove of garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons of pine nuts - ground up in a  pestle & mortar

50g Parmesan, grated

Small bunch of basil, chopped

100g spaghetti

Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

Method

• Cook the spaghetti as per instructions.
• Meanwhile, quick-fry the courgette, garlic and chili pepper in a drop of olive oil - just enough to soften up - about 2 or 3 minutes. Set aside.
• When the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pan.
• Add 3/4 of the Parmesan, the basil (reserve a couple of leaves as garnish) some freshly ground pepper, the pine nuts and the courgette, garlic and chili.
• Pour in a generous splash of olive oil.
• Stir through, making sure the pasta is well coated.
• Tip onto a plate.
• Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and top with a basil leaf.
• Serve immediately.