Quick Pasta

My own creation…all lying about in the fridge

Yours truly was looking in the fridge yesterday, trying to decide what to eat for dinner. I’m sure this routine is repeated everywhere in the world, no matter where you are. You open the fridge, you look, you think you have a solution and then you start all over again! Considering how many food blogs I read, cookbooks I consult and Cooking TV shows I watch I too can get stuck. Sometimes this can be a good thing because it can force you to be creative. All within reason of course.
When I glimpsed into my fridge yesterday I found a few zucchini, some left over pancetta, a third of a container of ricotta, some chillies and some leftover basil pesto. My mind went into overdrive and finally I thought of this little creation. Spaghetti with grated zucchini, pesto, ricotta and pancetta. Drawing inspiration from Jenn, our famous leftover queen, it turned out very nice thank you very much. The saltiness of the pancetta went well with the creaminess of the ricotta and the chillies provided that little bit of extra heat. And the basil pesto gave it just enough aroma with out it dominating the dish. This is what I had leftover in my fridge. Feel free to play around with the amounts.

SOUVLAKI FOR THE SOUL’S RECIPE FOR QUICK PASTA
3 grated zucchini
2 tbsps of basil pesto
3/4 cup of ricotta
1 chilli finely chopped
4 slices of pancetta all diced up
1/2 a packet of spaghetti

You know the drill. Boil the spaghetti and get it to the al dente stage. No soggy overcooked strands please!
Grate the zucchini and set aside in a bowl. In a large fry pan on a MEDIUM heat fry up the chillies in a little olive oil. Add the diced pancetta and give it a good stir. Add the grated zucchini and let all the ingredients fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the cooked spaghetti to the pan and shake it all about tossing everything through the strands. And finally add the ricotta and basil and stir one more time. Arrange on a plate and tuck in. So simple yet so delicious.

Spaghetti with pancetta, ricotta, chillies and zucchini