Roast Zucchini w/Nasturtium Leaf Pesto

Whether you’re looking for a light meal, an unusual side dish or something different to make from your own produce, these roast zucchini w/nasturtium leaf pesto fit the bill!

Tasty yet vitamin-rich, this neat little dish packs a serious punch of greens. Sure to be a crowd-pleaser for vegetarians, roast zucchini w/nasturtium leaf pesto showcases the unique peppery flavour of nasturtiums, highlighted by delightful roasted pine nuts. If you want to make it a side, simply add a meat of your choice. I can see lean roast beef, poached chicken or grilled fish marrying well here.

Here’s How to Make It

Preheat the oven then line a baking tray with baking paper. Top & tail the zucchini, then slice them in half vertically. Scoop out the flesh. Remove enough that the zucchini will hold some filling, but leave enough that allows the zucchini to hold its shape.

Place the zucchini on the baking tray. Spray with oil and bake for about 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the pesto. Place the nasturtium leaves, cheese, oil and garlic into a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.

Once the leaves have blended down, stop and taste the mixture. I like mine spicy, so I added 2 large pinches of dried chilli, ground black pepper and 3 big pinches of herb salt. Blend the mixture a little further, then decant to a bowl & set aside.

Cook the couscous as per instructions on the packaging. Once ready, mix it with the pesto.

Remove the zucchini from the oven. Fill them with the pesto mixture, then top with pine nuts. Add a little more salt if you like (I didn’t). Roast a further 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with nasturtium flowers.