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Home » Specific Diets » Vegetarian

Published: Mar 9, 2025 by Jacqui

Spaghetti alla Nerano (fried zucchini pasta recipe).


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Experience the flavors of the Amalfi Coast with this authentic Spaghetti alla Nerano recipe. This creamy, cheesy pasta dish features fried zucchini, Provolone cheese, garlic, and fresh basil. It's so simple, yet unforgettable!

spaghetti alla Nerano

A little spaghetti alla Nerano history.

Spaghetti alla Nerano was invented in the fifties by restaurant owner Maria Grazia in a restaurant bearing her name in Nerano a small seaside town on the Sorrento Peninsula near the Amalfi coast. The restaurant still exists and is being run by her grandchildren! My husband and I went to Nerano to taste this wonderful dish where it originated!

Restaurant Maria Grazia where spaghetti alla Nerano originated.
Restaurant Maria Grazia where spaghetti alla Nerano originated.

Spaghetti alla Nerano and Stanley Tucci.

This simple but delicious Italian fried zucchini pasta recipe has become very popular in the last years because of the American-Italian actor Stanley Tucci. Spaghetti alla Nerano featured in the first episode of his hit CNN series, Searching for Italy. However, there are some slight differences between the recipe from that series and the one you'll taste in Nerano.

spaghetti alla Nerano

Italians love pasta with vegetables.

Many Italian pasta recipes are very simple and easy to make, especially those with vegetables like this spaghetti alla Nerano. Italians love pasta with vegetables. I think there are two reasons for this. Firstly, pasta is traditionally, and often, served as a first course (Italians say primo). This means it comes between the antipasti and the main course (secondo). Consequently, it needs to be kept light.

ingredients for spaghetti alla Nerano on white plate
Step 1 Gather your ingredients

Secondly, Italy has a warm climate with long hot summers throughout the peninsula, but especially in the south. Heavy meals are difficult to digest in the heat, so Italians eat a lot of meatless pasta dishes.

sliced zucchini and peeled garlic cloves in white bowl and grated provolone in white bowl
Step 2 prepare the ingredients.

Fresh, seasonal and locally grown.

Vegetable based pasta dishes may be simple to make and more digestible, but, that doesn’t mean they aren’t flavourful. Italians have a talent for creating tasty food with only a few simple ingredients.

zucchini slices frying in olive oil in white pan
Step 3a Fry the zucchini slices in olive oil

The vegetables they use are almost always fresh, seasonal and locally grown. They make good use of herbs, garlic and, on occasion, peperoncino (chili pepper). Cheese is nearly always present in vegetable based recipes. Italians mostly don’t use cheese with seafood pasta.

Ready fried zucchini slices in olive oil in white pan
Step 3b Cook the zucchini slices on both sides until slightly browned.

This recipe for spaghetti with fried zucchini (spaghetti alla Nerano) is an excellent example of a simple but exquisite summer vegetable pasta recipe. It comes from Campania and includes ingredients typical of Neapolitan cuisine.

Step 4 When the zucchini are ready remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper-towel lined plate.

Different versions of Spaghetti alla Nerano.

Although, the exact original recipe for this fried zucchini pasta has been kept a secret by Maria Grazia's family, there are some Italian recipe sites claiming the original. The problem is they aren't all exactly the same.

For example, most Italian recipes call for the zucchini rounds to be fried in olive oil, but some say peanut oil. In the Stanley Tucci version, the chef used sunflower oil! I used extra virgin olive oil. It's the most traditional oil in Southern Italy and in my opinion adds both flavour and nutrients to this dish.

fried zucchini slices in water in white bowl.
Step 5 When ready to finish the sauce, put the zucchini slices in hot water for a few seconds, then drain.

Another difference is in the cheese. An Italian article I came across about this recipe said that originally 3 cheeses were used; caciocavallo, pecorino and caciotta. Nowadays, most Italian recipes include provolone del Monaco cheese or caciocavallo and maybe some pecorino or Parmigiano.

In the recipe from 'Searching for Italy', the cheese is only Italian Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese). NB None of these Italian cheeses are vegetarian, although vegetarian provolone exists and, of course, you can use vegetarian parmesan.

creamed zucchini, and zucchini slices in white frying pan.
Step 6 Cream about ⅓ of the zucchini with some pasta cooking water. Then add it with the remaining slices to a pan where you have sautéed some garlic.

Ingredients for spaghetti alla Nerano

Zucchini

Although there are different types of zucchini here in Italy, this recipe calls for the most common dark green ones known as 'zucchino nero di Milano'. These zucchinis are easily available outside of Italy too. Choose young, smaller fresh zucchini that have smooth and shiny skin. They will be sweeter. Older, large zucchini aren’t good because they can be bitter.

The cheese

This recipe calls for Provolone del Monaco or a spicy provolone. The former is hard to find out side of Italy. Alternatively you can use a regular provolone, caciocavallo or pecorino. Provolone del Monaco. This is a semi-hard cow’s milk DOP cheese from the Monti Lattari area near Naples. It can be quite spicy depending on the maturation.

Step 7 Cook the spaghetti al dente, save some pasta water, drain the pasta and add it to the zucchini sauce.

Fresh basil

When we had spaghetti alla Nerano in Nerano, they were very generous with the fresh basil. Certainly the flavor really compliments the zucchini and cheese. Feel free to use as many basil leaves as you like. Dried basil isn't recommended. As an alternative, you could use fresh mint.

Olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil is the best for this simple recipe. It's also the most commonly used oil in Neapolitan cuisine. It also has a lot of health benefits other oils don’t have such as antioxidants, healthy fats, and anti-inflammatory properties, among others.

Spaghetti.

Spaghetti is the traditional pasta for alla Nerano but other long pasta such as linguine work well too. Look for a good quality pasta that has the words 'bronze die' on the packet. This means that the pasta dough was extruded through traditional bronze plates, which creates a slightly rough texture. This texture prevents the sauce from sliding off the pasta.

Garlic

The amount of garlic you use really depends on taste. You can also leave it out. The garlic cloves need to be peeled and sautéed whole in olive oil over a medium heat. You then remove them from the pan before finishing the sauce.

Ready spaghetti alla Nerano still in pan.
Step 8 Mix the sauce and the pasta together over a low heat. Then add the cheese and a little pasta water stir until creamy. Finally add the basil.

The secret to a great spaghetti alla Nerano.

In my opinion, the secret to this dish is that the fried zucchini slices have to be immersed in boiling water. This is so that they reabsorb some of the liquid they lost during the frying. Then some of the zucchini slices are creamed with some pasta cooking water to make a creamy sauce.

You only need to cream ⅓ of the zucchini slices. The rest are left whole. Not all Italian recipes for spaghetti alla Nerano call for these steps, nor does the Stanley Tucci version. But, I think it makes this dish creamier and richer.

Pasta alla Nerano is a very simple but tasty vegetable pasta recipe particularly good in summer when basil and zucchini are in season. I’m sure that once you have tried it you will come back to it time and again, as I do.

If you do try this spaghetti alla Nerano recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback means a lot to me!

Buon Appetito!

Here are my best spaghetti recipes, and other delicious pasta recipes with zucchini:

  1. Pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham
  2. Farfalle pasta with smoked salmon and zucchini
  3. Orecchiette with zucchini and speck
  4. Pasta with saffron and zucchini

N.B. This recipe was originally published in 2017 but has been updated and tweaked since my visit to Nerano.

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Spaghetti with fried zucchini alla Nerano.

Spaghetti alla Nerano (pasta with fried zucchini)

Jacqui
Spaghetti alla Nerano made famous by Stanley Tucci in his Searching for Italy series is an excellent and delicious example of a simple but exquisite vegetable pasta recipe from Southern Italy. It includes ingredients typical of Neapolitan cuisine such as zucchini, garlic, basil and provolone cheese and is easy to make.
5 from 76 votes
Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Campania, Mediterranean, Neapolitan, Southern Italian
Servings 4
Calories 491 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 14 ounces spaghetti or linguine
  • 1.5 pounds zucchini
  • ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled
  • 4.25 ounces grated Provolone cheese preferably Provolone del Monaco, spicy provolone or caciocavallo (see notes)
  • 1 handful fresh basil leaves. washed and torn into pieces
  • salt for pasta and to taste
  • pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash and cut the zucchini into thin slices, pat them dry with kitchen paper and then fry them in extra virgin olive oil until browned on both sides
  • Once fried, put the slices on paper towels to remove the excess oil.
  • Meanwhile boil the pasta in plenty of lightly salted water until al dente and drain, keeping aside a large cup of the cooking water.
  • Heat some more olive oil in a frying pan with the 2 garlic cloves and cook taking care not to burn the garlic. 
  • Immerse the zucchini slices in boiling water for 4 or 5 seconds, then cream ⅓ of them either by mashing through a sieve or briefly liquidizing in a food blender with some of the pasta cooking water.
  • Remove the garlic and add the cream of zucchini and the zucchini slices to the pan and then stir in the cooked spaghetti. If the dish appears too dry add some of the saved pasta cooking water. Continue to stir over a low heat for a minute.
  • Stir in the grated provolone until it starts to melt and become creamy. Add more pasta water if necessary. You want a really creamy and cheesy sauce.
  • Season with a sprinkling of pepper and salt as required, Serve with the basil leaves torn into pieces and some extra grated provolone to taste.
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Notes

Spaghetti is the traditional pasta for this recipe but other long pasta such as linguine work well too.
Although the original recipe I followed calls for Provolone del Monaco, this cheese isn’t available everywhere, However there are other spicy provolone cheeses produced in Northern Italy and even in America which can be used instead. You can also use caciocavallo, pecorino or parmigiano.
Vegetarians should use a vegetarian parmesan or provolone.
Like many Italian pasta recipes there are slightly different versions of alla Nerano. Not all include creaming part of the fried zucchini and some add butter to the dish before serving. Instead of creaming some of the zucchini, you can just mash it with a fork.

Nutrition

Calories: 491kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 22gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 202mgPotassium: 722mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 597IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 242mgIron: 2mg
Keyword alla Nerano, zucchini pasta
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Pin for Later
Authentic spaghetti alla Nerano from Nerano.

If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some traditional pasta making tools? All great prezzies for pasta lovers!

The author enjoying spaghetti alla Nerano in Nerano, Italy.
The author enjoying spaghetti alla Nerano in Nerano, Italy.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 76 votes (32 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Ora E says

    August 15, 2023 at 12:45 am

    Husband and I loved this! Just found your blog today. Will definitely be back!

    Reply
  2. Chenée says

    July 04, 2022 at 11:15 pm

    You had me at fried zucchini! I can't wait to try this. It looks like such a perfect summertime pasta dish.

    Reply
  3. Sharon says

    July 01, 2022 at 11:43 pm

    I adore fried zucchini and this dish takes it to the next level with pasta to make it a filling meal.

    Reply
  4. Heather says

    June 30, 2022 at 11:56 pm

    I always love your creative and delicious pasta dishes. Always inspiring. I can't wait to grab some zucchini right now and make this for a light summer meal!

    Reply
  5. Leslie says

    June 30, 2022 at 2:37 pm

    This is the perfect recipe for a meatless meal during the week. I'm loving the combination of zucchini and basil with pasta. Perfection!

    Reply
  6. Amanda says

    June 29, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    This is my new favorite summer pasta! The basil added such a fresh flavor that paired perfectly with the zucchini. We will definitely make this again over the summer.

    Reply
  7. Mikayla says

    June 29, 2022 at 3:38 am

    A perfect dish for meatless Monday. It was so simple to toss together and was delightful. We will have this again very soon.

    Reply
  8. Anna says

    June 28, 2022 at 6:59 pm

    I made it last night and it was utterly delicious! Your tip about submerging the fried zucchini in boiling water made all the difference! Thank you, will definitely be making this dish again!

    Reply
  9. Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli says

    June 28, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    Zucchini and pasta are meant to be together 😉 . We love it, and of course, love this dish. Nice touch to puree some of the fried zucchini!

    Reply
  10. Dennis Littley says

    June 28, 2022 at 3:45 pm

    Your pasta dishes are always delicious and we loved your spaghetti alla nerano! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
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Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! My name is Jacqui. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where…

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