During the summer, my main priority when cooking dinner was speed. I was not prepared to spend long periods of time in the kitchen when the evening sun was shining and when the kitchen was like a sauna.

To me, this dish is a celebration of summer. It’s light, quick to make and courgettes are seasonal from June through to October. I detailed a few of my favourite seasonal summer veggies in a blog post with Drop Chef. You can read it here.

In this recipe I have used regular pasta because I have no reason to use a gluten-free alternative. If you have Coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance, a gluten-free pasta from the supermarket works exceptionally well in this recipe too! If you don’t have courgettes in the house, red peppers are a tasty alternative.

Hope you enjoy!

Amy x

Ingredients
1/3 courgette, cut into strips
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp sundried tomato pesto
1/2 tin chickpeas
Handful of spinach
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan

Method
Cook the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions.

Cook the courgette and garlic in a non-stick pan for 10 minutes until beginning to soften. Mix in the pesto, chickpeas and approx. 2 tbsp pasta water.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and fold into the veggie/pesto mix along with the spinach.

Serve with a sprinkle of pepper and parmesan.