Tortellini with Courgette and Lemon

I can't believe I haven't posted about this recipe before considering how many times I've made it over the past few years. It's wonderfully simple and really quick to throw together, I mean really quick. The tortellini I used was cooked in 2 minutes, the same time as it takes to cook the courgette, garlic and lemon.

It sounds like a fairly healthy dish however the amount of butter used bumps up the calorie count a fair bit. 50 grams is a lot of butter (for me anyway) so I tend to use about half of that with no adverse effects on the dish.

Tortellini with Lemon and Courgette

(adapted from a recipe found in Delicious Magazine)

25g pine nuts

250g tortellini (I used Sainsbury's Goats Cheese and Pesto)

50g butter

1 large courgette, roughly grated

1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Small handful of basil leaves

1) Put a large pan of water on to boil. Gently toast the pine nuts in a hot, dry frying pan until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2) Tip the tortellini into the boiling water and cook according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and set aside.

3) Melt the butter in a large frying pan and add the grated courgette and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes then stir in the lemon juice and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.

4) Add the cooked tortellini and mix well. Season to taste. Divide between two plates and scatter with the toasted pine nuts and basil leaves to serve.

Serves 2