Guest recipes with Yvoni Nicolaidou and Vasilia Kouppanou

Courgette and Lemon Pasta with Ricotta

If you are looking for a recipe, that reminds you of summer, this is the one! Courgette and Lemon Pasta with Ricotta and mint! The courgettes here are shaved into long ribbons using nothing more than a standard vegetable peeler. Barely cooked over moderate heat, they retain a gentle, pleasing bite that rounds of sautéed courgette could never quite achieve. Ricotta keeps the sauce creamy and luxurious without any of the heaviness that butter would inevitably bring, and a generous quantity of freshly grated lemon zest cuts right through the richness making every single forkful taste restorative and thoroughly alive. A splash of starchy pasta cooking water, added a little at a time, binds everything together into a silky sauce.
Torn fresh mint is the ingredient that elevates this dish from pleasant to genuinely memorable, and it should be treated firmly as a structural component of the recipe rather than an optional garnish. It is not replaceable with basil or parsley – its cool, aromatic freshness does something specific and entirely irreplaceable here, and no other herb will produce the same effect. A large, genuinely generous handful torn directly over the bowls immediately before serving costs nothing and makes an enormous and immediately perceptible difference to the finished dish. This pasta also travels surprisingly well, making it a practical and excellent choice for a packed lunch the following day – the flavours continue to develop and actually improve with a little resting time as everything melds together gently.

200g pasta (linguine or spaghetti)
2 medium courgettes
150g ricotta cheese
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A large handful of fresh mint leaves
30g Parmesan, finely grated
Salt and black pepper

Cook pasta in generously salted boiling water according to packet instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
While the pasta cooks, use a vegetable peeler to shave the courgettes into long ribbons, working around and discarding the seedy core.
Heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not coloured. Add the courgette ribbons and toss gently for 2-3 minutes until just tender.
Add the drained pasta to the pan along with the ricotta, lemon zest and juice, and a generous splash of pasta water. Toss until silky and well coated, adding more pasta water as needed.
Season generously, divide between bowls, and top with grated Parmesan and plenty of torn fresh mint.

Yvoni Nicolaidou is a pediatric and prenatal dietitian ([email protected]) and Vasilia Kouppanou is an oncology dietitian ([email protected]) urnutrisource.com