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A little something for you to enjoy over the long weekend and to help you cope with your courgette glut if you happen to grown your own right now: I just know you’re going to love this delicious, simple recipe for Courgette, Garlic & Yogurt Dip. Served with flatbreads or pitta chips it’s perfect for make-ahead entertaining.
We’ve been terrible on the having people over front this summer, but we did manage one outdoor lunch party where for everyone to enjoy with drinks before lunch was served, I made the Courgette Dip with Yogurt and Mint from the Dips, Spreads & Puree’s section from the original Honey & Co. Cookbook (#ad, oh and it’s only 99p on Kindle right now! – I was gifted it by their publishers when it came out in 2014 and it remains one of my favourite books to discover something new and delicious from every year) and it was an absolute hit.
Whilst I kept the ingredient list the same, I was trying to make too many other dishes at once so I accidentally changed up the slow cooking method to steaming then slow frying, rather than just frying the courgettes, and rather than mixing the yogurt into the whole mixture I swirled it just before serving, so I figured I’d share exactly what I did here because it was so popular!
You can slow cook the courgettes up to the day before: simply keep them in the fridge and bring them up to room temperature before swirling in the yogurt, mint and drizzling over the oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use other herbs in this dip?
Mint is my favourite, but basil would also be good if you’re serving the dip and room temperature and right away. I’ve tried adding dill to this too, but honestly I was not a fan.
Does it matter what sort of courgettes I use?
I’d recommend the smaller the better as the skin is good for colour and texture, and you don’t want too much wet flesh from larger ones. Though, whilst green give a better colour yellow courgettes, or a mixture are also delicious in this!
This make-ahead friendly Courgette Dip is slow cooked with plenty of garlic before being flavoured with fresh mint, tangy yogurt and rich extra virgin olive oil for the perfect starter or mezze dish.
Ingredients
Scale
750g courgettes
6 large garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra for serving
small handful fresh mint, roughly chopped
2 tbsp natural yogurt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Roughly chop the courgettes into 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks. Peel the garlic cloves and bash them with the flat edge of your knife.
Heat the oil in a large, lidded non-stick frying pan or shallow casserole over a medium high heat. Stir the courgette, garlic and salt, and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on. Keep an eye on it, but only stir it if it looks like the garlic cloves are about to burn.
Stir, and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for another 10 minutes, again not stirring. The courgette pieces should be mostly soft, and it should be very watery.
Remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes until the courgette has collapsed and the water has all evaporated. You’ll know it’s ready because rather than the courgette cooking in water, the pan will start to sizzle as it starts to fry in the oil you started with.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Stir in the mint and check the seasoning to see if it needs a little more salt before swirling in the yogurt and transferring to a shallow bowl. Drizzle with the oil and finish with a little more flaky sea salt.
Notes
To get ahead, slow cook the courgettes up to the day before: simply keep them in the fridge and bring them up to room temperature before swirling in the yogurt, mint and drizzling over the oil. Any leftovers will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I'm a food writer living in the English Countryside. Welcome to my online diary where I share easy, weeknight recipes, foodie travel diaries and some of the best places I've eaten out recently.
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