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Feta cheese
Spaghetti with watercress and feta pesto

Spaghetti with watercress and feta pesto

Name: Spaghetti with watercress and feta pesto
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Ingredients: 1 large garlic clove; 30g pine nuts or hazelnuts, toasted; 100g watercress, picked; 15g parmesan, plus extra for serving; 80ml extra-virgin olive oil; 70ml olive oil; 1 lemon, ½ juiced, ½ halved and thinly sliced; 130g feta, crumbled; 400g spaghetti; Small handful of fresh basil, leaves picked

Easy
April 2012

Easy
April 2012

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Ready in 20 minutes

This fabulous pasta recipe takes only 20 minutes to make and with a few added ingredients you will have a fantastic lunch for the next day too (see tip).

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 511kcals
Fat: 29.2g (7.1g saturated)
Protein: 15g
Carbohydrates: 46.7g (2.8g sugars)
Fibre: 3.1g
Salt: 0.9g

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 511kcals
Fat: 29.2g (7.1g saturated)
Protein: 15g
Carbohydrates: 46.7g (2.8g sugars)
Fibre: 3.1g
Salt: 0.9g

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Ingredients

1 large garlic clove
30g pine nuts or hazelnuts, toasted
100g watercress, picked
15g parmesan, plus extra for serving
80ml extra-virgin olive oil
70ml olive oil
1 lemon, ½ juiced, ½ halved and thinly sliced
130g feta, crumbled
400g spaghetti
Small handful of fresh basil, leaves picked

Method

Pulse the garlic and nuts in a food processor until roughly chopped, add the watercress and pulse again until you have a coarse paste. Spoon into a bowl, stir through the parmesan, then drizzle in the oils until you have a juicy paste. Season with lemon juice, a pinch of salt and lots of black pepper. Stir through the feta, then set aside.
Heat a pan over a high heat. Add the lemon slices and quickly fry on each side until starting to caramelise. Remove and set aside.
Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes until al dente. Drain, return to the pan and mix through the pesto and lemon slices. Spoon two-thirds of the pasta evenly among warmed bowls (reserve 250g for lunch the next day), then sprinkle with cracked black pepper and basil leaves to serve.

delicious. tips

You next-day lunchbox: Whisk 5 medium free-range eggs with a little milk and a pinch of chilli flakes, then season. Heat a knob of butter in a pan, add half the leftover spaghetti and 50g smoked salmon trimmings. Spread over the base of the pan. Pour in half the eggs, swirling to coat. Cook for 5 minutes until beginning to set. Slide onto a plate. Repeat. Cool, then store in the fridge for the next day.

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