FoodPoint

6.04 Zucchini Pasta w/ Fetta & Walnuts - Rice & Pasta - Low-Fuss

Okay, so this is a cheat - it's not actually pasta. This recipe uses shredded zucchini as a substitute which cuts out a large amount of calories and fat, but I've thrown in enough different flavours to make up for the deception.

An important thing to note is that to make this dish you will preferably have a spiralizer. If you're not familiar which this particular tool, I suggest you Google it and get one as soon as possible because they're fairly useful (and strangely fun to use).

Recipe makes 2 serves
441 calories (1845 kilojoules) per serve
31.1 grams of fat per serve

I did consider listing this recipe as making 3 serves, but let's face it; no matter how much you dress it up, this dish is essentially a glorified warm salad, and dividing it into 3 may just leave everyone hungry.

Ingredients:
3 large zucchini
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
100g reduced fat fetta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt & pepper

When I say "large zucchini", I mean around 25cm long and 5cm diameter at the thickest point. If you can only get smaller ones, then adjust as necessary.

Don't be turned off by the mint, it's not really a huge amount and it really helps to balance the flavours. If you absolutely can't stand it, just replace it with oregano, parsley or basil.

Method:

1. Shred your zucchini into long threads using a spiralizer. (If you don't have one, as a backup you could use a vegetable peeler or mandolin to slice the zucchini into thin ribbons - although this will take longer and you may not get the ideal result.)

2. Place the oil and garlic into a cold frypan and stir to distribute around the pan evenly, then place the pan over medium-high heat. (This will allow the garlic to infuse the oil more.)

3. Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add in the zucchini threads along with a generous pinch of salt and stirfry for approx. 5 minutes or until it softens to the texture of cooked pasta.

4. Add in the walnuts and fry for a further minute or so before stirring in the lemon (zest and juice) and mint.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the fetta along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

6. Serve!

Serves 2-3, or can also be used as a side dish if preferred.

A video of this recipe is also available at https://youtu.be/Ub-umbLkT-E.