Lentil-stuffed courgettes

Ingredients

• 350 g courgettes
• 70 g green lentils
• 200 g tomatoes
• 15 g parsley
• 6 ml olive oil

Method

1. Rinse the green lentils, put them in a saucepan with three times their volume of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20–25 minutes until tender but still holding their shape, then drain.
2. Meanwhile, halve the courgettes lengthways and scoop out the centres with a teaspoon, leaving walls about 1 cm thick. Chop the scooped-out flesh. Finely chop the tomatoes and the parsley.
3. Heat half the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan with a lid over a medium heat. Cook the chopped courgette flesh for 3–4 minutes, then add half the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until saucy.
4. Stir in the drained lentils and most of the parsley, season with salt and black pepper, then tip the filling into a bowl.
5. Wipe out the frying pan and add the rest of the olive oil, the remaining tomatoes and a splash of water. Fill the courgette halves with the lentil mixture and sit them in the pan.
6. Cover and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes until the courgettes are tender when pierced with a knife.
7. Scatter over the remaining parsley and serve with the tomato sauce from the pan spooned over.