Creamy Wild Mushroom Courgetti

My two favourite vegetables are courgettes and mushrooms, so when I saw Tom Kerridge’s Creamy Wild Mushroom Courgetti recipe I was excited to try it. This is a wonderful vegetarian dish with a luxurious feel to it, owing to the single cream alternative, porcini and truffle paste and the dried porcini mushrooms. Divine.

Spiralizing courgettes is a genius way to save calories instead of having plain old spaghetti – you can pick up a spiralizer online for less than £20. You might also need to buy the porcini and truffle paste online too as not many supermarkets stock it – it isn’t cheap, but it’s worth it. The courgetti with all the other flavours in this dish tastes way better compared to traditional pasta, in my opinion.

I’ve got to hand it to Tom, he really knows how flavours work together. Even the pickiest of meat eaters should enjoy this!

Recipe: Creamy Wild Mushroom Courgetti

Calories: 320 calories per serving

Serves: 4

Book: Tom Kerridge – Lose Weight for Good

Prep time: Approx 35 mins

Cooking time: Approx  15 mins

Ingredients:

• 1kg courgettes (spiralized) 
• 50g dried porcini mushrooms 
• 250ml just-boiled water 
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 onion (finely diced) 
• 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped) 
• 250g chestnut mushrooms (thickly sliced )
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 300ml light single cream alternative 
• 100g porcini and truffle paste (or umami paste) 
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves (finely chopped) 
• Flaky sea salt
• Ground black pepper 
• 20g grated Parmesan, to finish 

Cost per portion: Approx £2.75

Method:

Put the spiralised courgettes into a bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Mix well with your hands, then leave to stand and wilt for 20 minutes. Drain in a colander, patting the courgette firmly with kitchen paper to remove all excess water and salt. 

Meanwhile, put the dried porcini into a  small bowl and pour on the just-boiled water. Cover with cling film and leave to soak for 15 minutes. 

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 4– 5 minutes until softened, adding a splash of water if it starts to stick. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the chestnut mushrooms, then strain the porcini soaking liquid into the pan. Chop the rehydrated porcini and add them to the pan with the thyme leaves, ‘cream’ and porcini and truffle paste. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.

Stir through the parsley, then add the courgetti and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes.  Transfer to warmed bowls and sprinkle with the Parmesan.