{"id":9102,"date":"2026-09-09T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/?p=9102"},"modified":"2026-09-13T01:11:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T00:11:18","slug":"best-ever-caramelised-courgettes-with-almonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/dinner\/best-ever-caramelised-courgettes-with-almonds\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Ever Caramelised Courgettes with Almonds"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Best Ever Caramelised Courgettes with Almonds<\/h1>\n<p>This recipe for caramelised courgettes offers a simple yet impactful side dish, perfect for enhancing any weeknight meal. It maximises efficiency by cooking the courgettes and red onion together, allowing their natural sugars to develop a rich, sweet flavour profile while the almonds toast to a golden crisp. The entire process, from initial preparation to serving, is designed to be completed well within 30 minutes, making it a reliable option for busy schedules. The combination of tender, sweet vegetables, crunchy almonds, aromatic garlic, and a bright citrus finish creates a sophisticated accompaniment without requiring extensive culinary effort or complex techniques. This approach ensures a satisfying result with minimal active cooking time, fitting seamlessly into a mindful home kitchen routine.<\/p>\n<h2>Quick Overview<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Prep time: 10 minutes<\/li>\n<li>Cook time: 15 minutes<\/li>\n<li>Total time: 25 minutes<\/li>\n<li>Serves: 2-3<\/li>\n<li>Dietary: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ingredients<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>2 medium courgettes (approx. 400g), trimmed and thinly sliced into rounds or half-moons<\/li>\n<li>1 medium red onion, thinly sliced<\/li>\n<li>2 cloves garlic, minced<\/li>\n<li>50g sliced almonds<\/li>\n<li>2 tbsp olive oil<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 lemon, juiced<\/li>\n<li>Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Make It<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sliced courgettes and red onion, spreading them in a single layer if possible.<\/li>\n<li>Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the courgettes are tender and both the courgettes and onion begin to caramelise and turn golden brown.<\/li>\n<li>While the courgettes cook, in a separate small dry frying pan, toast the sliced almonds over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Remove immediately from the pan to prevent burning.<\/li>\n<li>Once the courgettes and onion are caramelised, add the minced garlic to the pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.<\/li>\n<li>Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the toasted sliced almonds and squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the vegetables.<\/li>\n<li>Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then toss everything gently to combine before serving.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Serving &amp; Storage<\/h2>\n<p>Serve these caramelised courgettes immediately as a vibrant side dish alongside grilled chicken, fish, or a simple grain. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a frying pan or microwave, though the almonds may lose some of their crispness.<\/p>\n<h2>Nutrition<\/h2>\n<p>Nutritional information is an estimate. This dish provides a good source of vitamins, fibre, and healthy fats.<\/p>\n<h2>One last thing<\/h2>\n<p>Developing a repertoire of reliable recipes, particularly those that come together quickly, helps establish a consistent and calm approach to weekday cooking. Knowing you can produce a flavourful meal without stress allows for a more enjoyable experience in the kitchen, fostering a sense of accomplishment.<\/p>\n<p>This method of caramelising vegetables and adding a fresh, bright finish is a technique that can be applied to various other ingredients, creating new possibilities for simple, effective dishes.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover the best ever caramelised courgettes, a vibrant side dish ready in under 30 minutes. Sweet red onion, fresh garlic, toasted almonds, and lemon create a flavourful, easy weeknight meal.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"ingredients_html_en_gb":"<div style=\"background:#f9f7f2;padding:25px;border-radius:10px;border:1px solid #e8e4db;font-family:sans-serif\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align:center;margin-bottom:20px\">Shop ingredients<\/h3>\n<div style=\"background:#fff;padding:15px;border-radius:5px;border:1px solid #eee\">\n<div style=\"text-align:center;margin-bottom:15px;border-bottom:1px dashed #ccc;padding-bottom:10px\"><strong style=\"color:#ee1c2e\">TESCO<\/strong><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=Courgettes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add Courgettes \u2192<\/a><\/div><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=red%20onion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add red onion \u2192<\/a><\/div><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=garlic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add garlic \u2192<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:center\"><strong style=\"color:#53334e\">OCADO<\/strong><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocado.com\/search?q=Courgettes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add Courgettes \u2192<\/a><\/div><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocado.com\/search?q=red%20onion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add red onion \u2192<\/a><\/div><div style=\"margin-bottom:8px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocado.com\/search?q=garlic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" style=\"color:#1a1a1a;text-decoration:underline\">Add garlic \u2192<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top:15px;border-top:1px solid #eee;padding-top:10px\"><details><summary style=\"font-size:13px;cursor:pointer\">See all ingredients<\/summary><div style=\"margin-top:10px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=sliced%20almonds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">sliced almonds<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=olive%20oil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">olive oil<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tesco.com\/groceries\/en-GB\/search?query=lemon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" style=\"color:#888;text-decoration:none;font-size:13px\">lemon<\/a><\/div><\/details><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[8,211,9,13,18,27,10],"class_list":["post-9102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dinner","tag-30-minute","tag-public-recipe","tag-quick-prep","tag-repeatable","tag-short-ingredient-list","tag-stovetop","tag-weeknight","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9102"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9132,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9102\/revisions\/9132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartkitchen30.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}