It's August, your neighbour has brought you three courgettes the size of baseball bats, and you've spent three days wondering what to do with them. Yet courgette is the most rewarding healthy ingredient of the summer: almost no calories, a neutral flavour, and it works in both sweet and savoury dishes. Here are 7 recipes from our meal plans where it plays the lead role, with macros and timings for each.
Courgette recipes with macros
| Recipe | kcal | Protein | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creamy courgette pasta | 586 | 36 g P | 20 min |
| Frittata with young courgette and cheese | 424 | 30 g P | 25 min |
| Courgette pancakes with skyr, fruit and plum coulis | 456 | 28 g P | 25 min |
| Poppy seed and courgette pancakes with roasted apricots | 696 | 40 g P | 25 min |
| Courgette and potato fritters with a herb dip | 354 | 29 g P | 25 min |
| Courgette pizza | 427 | 37 g P | 30 min |
| Creamy courgette stew with turkey meatballs | 556 | 45 g P | 40 min |
Why courgette works in healthy cooking
A hundred grams of courgette has around 17 kcal. That means it bulks up a meal without bulking up the calories: fritters get bigger, pasta gets creamier, pancakes get fluffier, and the macros stay under control. That's why it turns up so often in our summer meal plans.
A practical kitchen tip that courgette fritters won't work without: squeeze the grated courgette really well. Wet courgette means wet fritters that break and fall apart.
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Sweet courgette? Believe it
Courgette pancakes with skyr sound like a joke until you taste them. You can't taste the courgette in sweet dishes at all; it keeps them moist and bulks up the portion. If you know courgette bread, the principle is the same, just with better macros.
What to do with a harvest you can't keep up with
Grate it, squeeze it, freeze it in portions. Frozen courgette is ready for fritters and quick dinners any time until winter.
Frequently asked questions
Is courgette good for weight loss?
Excellent: lots of volume, minimal calories. Meals with courgette fill you up both visually and physically. To see what a whole day looks like, check out the weight-loss meal plan.
Do you need to peel courgette?
Not young ones; the skin is soft and holds its shape. Only peel overgrown ones with tough skin and big seeds.
How long does courgette keep?
Whole, in the fridge, 1 to 2 weeks. Grated and frozen, easily six months.
Can you eat courgette raw?
Yes, grated into salads it works. Most people prefer it cooked, though; the flavour is fuller.
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