Stuffed Courgettes with Cashews, Lemon & Basil
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Total: 40-45 mins
Roasted courgette halves stuffed with a mix of toasted cashews, bulgar wheat and onion in a rich basil and tomato sauce flavoured with Italian herbs. Served topped with the first of this year’s UK basil and salad leaves on the side.
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416 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 35g cashews
  • 1 onion
  • 2 courgettes
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp Italian herb blend
  • 75g bulgar wheat
  • 400g chopped tomatoes with basil
  • 60g summer salad leaves
  • A handful of basil, leaves only
From your kitchen
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
You'll need
  • Medium pan with lid
  • Baking tray
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Tip the cashews into a medium pan and set it over a medium heat. Toast for 2 mins, shaking the pan occasionally, till the cashews start to brown. Tip them out onto a plate or board and set aside. Take the pan off the heat.

  • 2.

    Peel and finely chop the onion. Set the pan back on a medium heat. Add ½ tbsp olive oil and the onion. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and fry, stirring, for 8 mins to start to soften the onion.

  • 3.

    While the onion fries, halve the courgettes and use a teaspoon to scoop out the middles (keep the middles for later), being careful not to poke through the sides. Line a baking tray with foil. Arrange the courgette shells on the baking tray and slide them into the oven for 15 mins.

  • 4.

    While the courgettes bake, roughly chop the courgette middles. Finely grate the zest from the lemon. Add the chopped courgette middles and the lemon zest to the onion with 1 tsp Italian herb blend. Cook and stir for 1 min, then tip in the bulgar wheat and the tin of chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then take off the heat and leave for 10 mins. The bulgar wheat will soak up the tomatoes and start to become tender.

  • 5.

    Roughly chop the cashews and stir them into the bulgar mix. Taste and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Remove the courgette shells from the oven and fill them with the bulgar mixture. Spread any extra bulgar stuffing onto the tray in a thin layer. Bake the courgettes and stuffing for 20-25 mins till lightly browned.

  • 6.

    While the courgettes bake, toss the salad leaves with ½ tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces.

  • 7.

    When the stuffed courgettes are baked, place them on a couple of plates with the dressed salad. Garnish with torn basil leaves and serve with wedges of the lemon for squeezing.

  • Tip

    Great Stuff
    Bulgar originates from Middle Eastern cuisine and is also popularly used in the Mediterranean. Made from cracked parboiled groats, most often from duram wheat, it doesn’t need pre-cooking and soaks up moisture brilliantly, so you can get cooking (and eating!) sooner.

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