Pre-holiday vegetables and spinach and 'ricotta' zucchini fettuccine

I usually eat a reasonable amount of fresh produce, but over the past two weeks that amount has been ramped up. In the week before the wedding, I was mindful of eating well; in the week since, I have been mindful of the possible reduction in fresh fruit and vegetables as we travel over the next month.

There have been large salads, leftover sweet potato, chickpea and hemp seed veggie burgers (they were still good after 3 weeks in the freezer!), vegetable ratatouille, and a tofu and broccoli stir fry not dissimilar to the one in this post.

In the week before the wedding, I also threw together a dish that was inspired by a spinach and ricotta fettuccine my mother made when we were growing up. I have never been a huge pasta fan, and never a creamy pasta fan at all, but spinach and ricotta pasta was an exception.

This version uses tofu instead of ricotta, and zucchini noodles instead of pasta (for me at least...I didn't think Mr B would be pleased with that swap so he had regular fettuccine). Despite the changes, the dish was reminiscent of the one I remember. It managed to be filling as well as light, and the spinach tofu mix was the star of the plate in a way that might not be the case if regular pasta was used.

As a child, I always added sweet chili sauce to the spinach and ricotta mix, and as we didn't routinely have sweet chili sauce, I can only assume that it was a recommended pairing. It worked with this dish too. To make the flavours 'pop' a little more, I would probably add chili to the dish in future, but if you aren't a fan of spicy dishes (or live with someone who isn't) then the recipe without spice is still pleasing. It definitely gives a good hit of vegetables!

Spinach and 'ricotta' zucchini fettuccine

Adapted from a recipe I remember from my mother

Vegan

Serves 2

Print recipe

Ingredients

1 packed cup spinach and/or kale leaves (I used about half of each)

1 tbsp dried basil

1 block (350g) tofu (note: soft tofu would be better than firm for this recipe, but I used firm because it is what I had, and it did work fine)

1 onion, diced

Salt and pepper, to taste (I used a shake of salt and a few cracks of pepper)

Ground paprika or chili powder, to taste (I would recommend 1/2 - 1 tsp)

1 large zucchini

Sweet chili sauce, optional, to serve

Method

Wash your spinach / kale leaves and process in a food processor until roughly chopped. Add the dried basil and process until combined. Add the tofu and process briefly to mix. Set aside.

In a large non-stick pan, saute the onion over medium-high heat until golden. Reduce heat and add the spinach-tofu mix. Stir over low heat for approximately 5 minutes. Add water if needed to thin out the mixture (this should only be necessary if you used firm tofu).

Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler (or spiralizer if you have one) to create zucchini noodles. Angela at Oh She Glows and Sarah at Peas and Thank You have both done helpful posts on this recently if you need tips. I use a regular vegetable peeler to create thin, wide zucchini strips.

Add the salt, pepper and paprika or chili powder to the spinach-tofu mix and stir through. Leave over low heat for a further 5 minutes and then serve atop the zucchini (which can be lightly heated in the pan if desired).

This is a really easy dish, and a simple way to eat a filling vegetable-based dinner. Of course, it would also work on top of any pasta, or even as a filling for a baked potato.

Vegetables aside, I am pleased to say that we are now nearly off! The house is clean, I think we have remembered the crucial things, our bags are packed, and we fly out tonight (all going well, please all going well) to Madrid, where we spend 6 days before moving on to Portugal.

I am sure pictures will appear along the way!

Do you miss vegetables when travelling? And are you a fan of spinach-ricotta type pasta dishes?

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