Italian Pesto-Style Chickpea & Courgette Quick Stir-Fry with Parmesan Rice
A hearty Italian-style quick stir-fry of chickpeas and courgettes tossed with a basil-parmesan pesto blitz and served over garlicky Parmesan rice.
- 150 g basmati rice
- 240 g chickpeas (canned, drained)
- 450 g courgette
- 120 g red onion
- 2 clove garlic
- 20 g basil
- 35 g parmesan
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pc lemon
- 1 pc vegetable stock cube
- 15 g pine nuts
- 60 g baby spinach
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Mello puts these ingredients on one shopping list with the rest of your week, and anything two recipes share is added together. The list then goes to Sainsbury's in the UK or Careem Quik in the UAE.
Add to a shopping listHow the shopping list works →- Step 1
Cook the rice: rinse basmati, then simmer with 300 ml water and the vegetable stock cube for 12–15 minutes until tender (or follow pack timing). Keep warm.
- Step 2
Toast pine nuts: dry-fry in a small pan for 2–3 minutes until lightly golden; set aside.
- Step 3
Make quick pesto: in a small blender/food processor, blitz basil, half the parmesan, toasted pine nuts, 1 tbsp olive oil, and the zest and juice of half the lemon with 2–3 tbsp water to a thick sauce.
- Step 4
Stir-fry base: heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced red onion and cook 4–5 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Step 5
Stir-fry courgette: add courgette ribbons/chunks and cook 5–6 minutes, stirring, until glossy and lightly charred at the edges.
- Step 6
Add chickpeas: tip in drained chickpeas, season with black pepper, and cook 2–3 minutes to heat through and lightly crisp the edges.
- Step 7
Fold in spinach: add baby spinach and stir until just wilted (30–60 seconds).
- Step 8
Finish with pesto: stir in the pesto and a splash of water to loosen, then squeeze in the rest of the lemon to taste.
- Step 9
Serve: fluff rice with a fork and stir through the remaining parmesan. Spoon the chickpea-courgette stir-fry over the Parmesan rice and drizzle any extra pesto from the pan.
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