Courgettes and ricotta on toast

Name: Courgettes and ricotta on toast
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp fennel seeds; ¼-½ tsp chilli flakes; 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced; 2 large or 3 medium courgettes, sliced into 1cm-thick coins; 250g ricotta; Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon; 2 thick slices ciabatta

Portion size: Serves 2
Hands-on time 10 min. Simmering time 30 min
Difficulty: easy

Freezable

Vegetarian

Emily Gussin

Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

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June heralds the start of courgette season – a vegetable which needs very little doing to it when it’s at its peak. Cooking them slowly like this draws out their natural sweetness and leaves them tender and juicy.

Got a courgette glut? Make the most of this seasonal veg with 50+ more courgette recipes.

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Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
¼-½ tsp chilli flakes
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 large or 3 medium courgettes, sliced into 1cm-thick coins
250g ricotta
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
2 thick slices ciabatta

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Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and chilli flakes and cook for a minute or so until sizzling and fragrant. Add the garlic and courgettes and cook over a medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the courgettes have collapsed, become jammy and browned in patches.
When the courgettes are almost ready, toast the ciabatta. Stir the lemon zest into the ricotta and spread it over the toasts. Stir the lemon juice into the courgettes, season and spoon on top of the ricotta. Serve straight away.

Nutrition

774kcals Calories
48g (23g saturated) Fat
49g Protein
32g (6g sugars) Carbs
6.1g Fibre
4.5g Salt

Quick wins & tips

Easy swaps: Use any bread you like; focaccia or sourdough also work well. Play around with the spices too.

Scale it up: If you have a glut of courgettes you can make a bigger batch of the jammy mix and keep the rest to stir through pasta or to enjoy as a side. Cooked like this, they freeze well.