Name: Zac ‘n’ cheese with basil courgettes
Yield: Serves 3
Ingredients: 40 g (scant ¼ cup) Pecorino (or Parmesan), grated; 200 g (scant 1 cup) full-fat cottage cheese or homemade whole-milk ricotta; 200 g (2 cups) brown rice penne or other type of pasta; 1 tsp apple cider vinegar; 4 pinches of freshly ground black pepper; 100 g (½ cup) red split lentils, rinsed; 500 ml (2 cups) water; handful of fresh basil, torn; 2 pinches of ground white pepper; 1 tsp smoked paprika; extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling; 3 medium carrots (about 300g), grated; 2 pinches of ground nutmeg (optional); 2 large courgettes, sliced into rounds; 2 tbsp butter; 1 tsp sea salt; 65 g (½ cup) sunflower seeds; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; black sesame seeds, to decorate (optional); 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Preparation info

Serves
3

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

East by West

By Jasmine Hemsley

Published 2017

About

This is a really great meal to make from scratch – thanks to the red split lentils, it all comes together quickly without any advance prep. It’s comforting, filling and just rich enough. Don’t be put off by the long list of spices – it’s worth it! The cottage cheese gives this a protein boost, along with the lentils, and makes a thick mellow sauce with the addition of carrots and smoked paprika. Eat this on a cool day in summer with the basil courgettes here or the