6 Ingredient Pancetta and Courgette Bucatini

This might be my favourite way to eat courgettes. This pasta dish has just six ingredients but is packed with flavour. It’s super easy to pull together, you won’t believe how delicious it is. Slicing the courgettes thinly and frying them in the leftover fat from the crispy pancetta cubes ensures they become sweet and delicious. I love to use bucatini pasta as it seems to soak up the delicious sauce which is just made with pasta water, plenty of parmesan and seasoning and a squeeze of lemon.

(Serves 4 - £3.65 per portion)

1. Fry 200g pancetta cubes over a medium heat in a large sauce pan until the fat is released and they become lovely and crispy. Leave to drain on a plate lined with paper towel and save the leftover fat.
2. Fry 4 thinly sliced courgettes in batches in the pancetta oil until golden and crispy on both sides. Repeat in batches until all the courgettes are fried.
3. Cook 300g bucatini pasta in plenty of salted water according to the packet instructions.
4. When all the courgettes have been fried, return them to the large sauce pan with the pancetta cubes and the cooked pasta water. Add two ladlefuls of the pasta water and 75g grated parmesan.
5. Toss the pasta together so the cheese emulsifies into the sauce and becomes a lovely glossy coating on the pasta. Add the juice of a lemon and plenty of salt and pepper to taste, adding more parmesan to taste.
6. Serve in large bowls topped with extra parmesan and some chopped parsley if you wish.