ZAC ’N’ CHEESE WITH BASIL COURGETTE

This is a great meal to make from scratch — thanks to the red split lentils, it comes together without advance prep. It’s comforting, filling and just rich enough.

SERVES: 3

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 40 minutes

200g brown-rice penne or other type of pasta

2 tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

100g red split lentils, rinsed 3 medium carrots, grated

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

200g full-fat cottage cheese or home-made whole milk ricotta 2 pinches of ground white pepper 2 pinches of ground nutmeg (optional)

65g sunflower seeds

40g Pecorino (or Parmesan), grated Black sesame seeds, to garnish (optional)

To serve:

2 large courgettes, sliced into rounds Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling Handful of fresh basil, torn

1 In a medium pan, cook the pasta until just al dente (follow the packet instructions and reduce by a minute or so). Drain and set aside.

2 Preheat the grill to medium. In the same pan, melt the butter and sauté the garlic for a few minutes. Add the lentils, 500ml of water, carrots and paprika and simmer, lid on, for 20 minutes until very soft. If the mixture is very runny, allow to simmer for a further few minutes with the lid off.

3 Add the Dijon mustard, one teaspoon of salt, apple cider vinegar, cottage cheese, a few pinches of black pepper, the white pepper and nutmeg, if using. Blend until smooth then taste and adjust the seasoning. The sauce should be really smooth and creamy – if it is dry, add a splash of water.

4 Fold in the cooked pasta and then transfer to an ovenproof dish (about 20 x 16cm in size), smoothing it out with the back of a spoon.

5 Sprinkle over the sunflower seeds and cheese evenly. Top with black sesame seeds, if using, and grill for five minutes until lightly browned.

6 Meanwhile, dry-cook the courgette slices in a frying pan until hot, then transfer to a dish, drizzle with oil, season lightly and cover with torn basil. »