Penne with zucchini, chilli flakes and feta cheese

I am always on the lookout for tasty zucchini recipes as I love it's crisp freshness.  When I saw this recipe in a magazine I thought it looked perfect for a healthy, weekday meal - I have lots of those actually.  Does anyone else have a heap of magazine recipe cutouts?  I'll often be sitting in the hairdresser, get all excited over a recipe thinking oh my god I have to make this and rip it out.  So next time you're at the hairdresser or dentist and your magazine is falling to bits, it's probably because of me, or someone like me at least.  Sorry about that.



I love the flavours in this recipe; a bit of heat from the chilli flakes, some freshness from the zucchini, the saltiness of the feta, all tossed through hearty pasta with a sprinkling of toasted nuts - it's a good combination. 







Recipe:



350g small pasta (I used penne - rigatoni is good also)

20ml olive oil

3 large zucchini, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 tspn dried chilli flakes

100g low fat feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 lemon, juiced (around 30-40ml)

1/2 cup chopped continental parsley

Around 30g toasted nuts of your choice - I recommend pine nuts or chopped walnuts



Cook pasta in a large saucepan of salted, boiling water until al dente.



Meanwhile, add garlic, zucchini and chilli flakes to oil and heat in a large non stick pan over medium high heat until zucchini is light golden but still firm, being careful not to burn the garlic.



Drain pasta, (reserving some of the pasta water) and add to pan with zucchini mixture.  Add feta, lemon juice, 1-2 tblspns of the reserved pasta water (or a splash of extra virgin olive oil if you prefer) and parsley, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.  Toss over low heat until well combined and heated through.



Spoon pasta into bowls, sprinkle with nuts, and serve.



Serves 4



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