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Vegetarian
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Vegetarian Option
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Ve
Vegan
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Vegan Option
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Gluten-Free
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Gluten-Free Option
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Dairy-Free
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Dairy-Free Option
Pesto, Courgette + Ricotta Butter Beans
Fresh, bright and silky, this is everything you love about a classic basil pesto pasta - but lighter, greener and even more satisfying thanks to the jammy courgettes and glossy Queen Butter Beans. The homemade pesto is worth every whizz - but a shop-bought pesto will do just fine too! Finished with cool dollops of ricotta and lemon zest, it’s the kind of 20-minute dinner you’ll mop up with crusty bread and wonder how something this simple tastes that good.
Ingredients
A large bunch of fresh basil (roughly 30g)
50g pine nuts
1 garlic clove, crushed
25g parmesan cheese, grated (or veggie alternative)
4–5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
For the beans1 jar of Queen Butter Beans – with their bean stock
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium courgettes, sliced into 0.3cm thick rounds (larger courgettes sliced into half moons)
1 fat garlic clove, thinly sliced
250g ricotta cheese, or vegan alternative (refrigerated)
Zest of 2 lemons, plus juice to taste
Serving suggestionsCrusty bread
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Directions
Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until just golden, shaking the pan often to stop the nuts from burning. Remove and set aside.
To the same pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the courgettes with a pinch of salt and cook for 8-10 minutes until they turn just golden on the outside, but a little jammy in the centre - stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile make the pesto. Reserve a small handful of the pine nuts for garnish. Add the remaining nuts, basil, garlic, grated parmesan, pinch of salt and black pepper and the olive oil to a blender or food processor and blitz until you reach an oozy, pesto-like consistency; you may need to add more oil to bind the mixture together. (Equally, if you prefer a shortcut, ready-made pesto works great too!).
Add the garlic to the courgettes and cook for one minute until fragrant.
Tip in the beans with their bean stock, stir to combine in with the courgettes and gently heat for about 2 minutes. Add the pesto to the beans and stir to combine. Continue to warm through until everything is glossy, saucy and well coated.
Spoon the beans into bowls and dollop over the ricotta. Scatter over the pine nuts, grate over the zest of 2 lemons and finish with a few cracks of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Mop up with crusty bread.
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