Courgette pasta with parmesan
Serves 4
350g pasta shapes, such as penne or fusilli
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
150g lite sour cream
6 medium-sized courgettes, trimmed and coarsely grated
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Shaved fresh parmesan, to serve
1. Cook pasta in a saucepan filled with plenty of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes, or according to packet instructions, until al dente or just tender to the bite. Drain well.
2. At the same time, make the sauce. Heat a frying pan, add oil and onion and cook over a medium heat for 8 minutes until softened but not coloured. Stir in sour cream and grated courgettes and cook for 1 minute to heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add drained pasta to the sauce and toss well. Serve topped with shaved parmesan cheese.
Tip: Some recipes call for pasta to be cooked "al dente", which means "just tender to the bite". Over-cooked pasta can be limp and stodgy – al dente pasta has a firmer texture, better mouth-feel and holds sauces well.
How would you Freestyle this recipe? Tell us your tips and you could win some great prizes.
The young Christchurch promotions model determined to walk again after tragically losing her legs in the February earthquake is still coping with the ongoing complications ... More
You need to know
Sign up for our newsletters and get the latest in gossip, beauty and food sent direct to your inbox... Sign up now
Over the Teacups
My four-year-old grandson was at the supermarket with his mother when he exclaimed, “You’re buying something, Mummy, auntie is buying something – I want to buy something!” Mum replied, “You have to be big, have a wife, have a job, then you can buy things.” He replied, “I have a wife – Maia,” meaning his four-year-old friend. Mum said, “What about a job?” Master Four replied, “My job is having a wife!”
Robyn, Whangarei
Water you want?
I was in the car and asking Master Three what he wanted for Christmas. He said he was going to ask Santa for a water pistol. “And Nanny,” he added, “I’m going to ask for some water for our paddling pool.” Now that could be interesting!
Julie, by email
Bee gone
Master Three had his first bee sting recently. The incident broke his heart, but after many cuddles he came right. Later he said, “I never want to see another bee again. I don’t like bees any more, I only like flies.”
Gaileen, by email
Fraud with worry
My daughter warned me that “old people are being taken for a ride,” and that I shouldn’t engage in conversation with phone sales people. To this, Master Five piped up, “Nana can’t go on that ride, she’s old.”
Joseph’s Nana, Hamilton
... More