Spaghetti alla Nerano.
Spaghetti alla Nerano was invented in the fifties by a woman called Maria Grazia in a restaurant bearing her name in Nerano a small town on the Sorrento peninsula. Apparently, the restaurant still exists and is being run by her grandchildren!
Pasta with vegetables.
Many Italian pasta recipes are very simple and easy to make, especially those made 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.
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 Italian eat a lot of meatless pasta dishes. Of course, there are also many pasta recipes which include meat. However, these are either eaten more in the winter or on special occasions or when preparing pasta as a main course.
Fresh, seasonal and locally grown.
Vegetable based pasta dishes may be simple to make and more easily digested. But, that doesn’t mean they aren’t flavourful. Italians have a talent for creating tasty food with only a few ingredients. 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 only don’t use cheese with seafood pasta.
This recipe for spaghetti with fried zucchini (spaghetti alla Nerano) is an excellent example of a simple but exquisite vegetable pasta recipe. It comes from Campania and includes ingredients typical of Neapolitan cuisine.
A little alla Nerano history.
Like many pasta recipes, there are various stories behind the origins of spaghetti alla Nerano. But, the most widely believed is that this recipe was invented in the fifties by a woman called Maria Grazia in a restaurant bearing her name in Nerano a small town on the Sorrento peninsula. Apparently, the restaurant still exists and is being run by her grandchildren!
The cheese.
The secret of the goodness of this spaghetti with fried zucchini recipe lies in its amazing and appetizing creamy texture and the unique taste of the provolone cheese. Provolone del Monaco is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese from the Monti Lattari area. It can be quite spicy depending on the maturation.
Although provolone del Monaco isn’t available everywhere, there are other spicy provolone cheeses produced in Northern Italy and even in America which can be used instead. Some Italians use caciocavallo.
The secret to a great spaghetti alla Nerano.
The other secret to this dish is that the fried zucchini slices have to be dipped in boiling water before creaming them. This is so that they reabsorb some of the liquid they lost during the frying. You only need to cream 1/3 of the zucchini slices. The rest are left whole.
As I said before, this is a very simple but tasty vegetable pasta recipe. I’m sure that once you have tried it you will come back to it time and again.
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!
Some other delicious pasta recipes with zucchini
- Pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham
- Farfalle pasta with smoked salmon and zucchini
- Orecchiette with zucchini and speck
- Pasta with saffron and zucchini
N.B. This recipe was originally published in 2017 but has been updated.
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Spaghetti with Fried Zucchini (alla Nerano)
Ingredients
- 400 g spaghetti (14oz)
- 700 g zucchini (24oz)
- olive oil extra virgin
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 200 g grated Provolone cheese (7oz) preferably Provolone del Monaco or caciocavallo
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves.
- salt for pasta and to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and cut the zucchini into thin slices, then fry them in extra virgin olive oil until browned.
- 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 glass 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.
- Dip the zucchini slices in boiling water for 4 or 5 seconds, then cream 1/3 of them either by mashing through a sieve or briefly liquidizing in a food blender.
- 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.
- Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the grated provolone until it starts to melt and become creamy. Season with a sprinkling of pepper and salt as required, Serve decorated with the basil leaves cut into pieces and some extra grated provolone to taste.
Notes
Although the original recipe 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. 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 and/or Parmigiano cheese as well.
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How much olive oil do you add to the pan for the final step where you add the creamed zucchini, zucchini, and pasta? Is this the step where some folks add a knob of butter? We made this last night and it was good. We definitely needed more zucchini and more garlic flavor.
Hi Suzanne, thanks for your comment! Re the amount of oil to use in the final step, I’d use 1-2 tbsp. (I’ll add that to the recipe). Yes, some people put butter at this point. Of course, more zucchini and garlic would load it with more flavour!
I just finished making this dish – exactly as you have presented it. It was delicious!! I was able to score some provolone del monaco and I can see how this really makes the dish. Thank you for this authentic recipe.
On another note, I find the comments regarding the recipe from the Stanley Tucci show inappropriate based on the fact that the recipe you’ve provided is the ORIGINAL version. The show presented a version from another restaurant, which obviously had their own take on Pasta alla Nerano (as do many other restaurants).
Watching the Tucci show along with your recipe have changed my view of pasta with tomato sauce. Our regret is that we have to Nerano twice and did not know this dish. We have had it three times since watching show. Thanks for all your recipes that I have already tried.
Thanks for your comment Richard! Although I love tomatoes with pasta there are some great recipes without them, like this one! Happy to hear you like the recipes! I usually publish at least one new one a week so, there’s always something new to try!
I’m all set to try it tonight and tomorrow
I did not here provolone cheese on CNN and I watched it twice
Buon appetito!
Chef Frank
Thanks for your comment Frank, I haven’t seen the Tucci episode on CNN but most Italian recipes for alla Nerano, including the original, call for provolone or caciocavallo plus maybe parmigiano or pecorino. Some just use the latter two if they don’t have the former. Like many Italian recipes there are different versions of alla Nerano. But it’s delicious whichever cheese you use!
I just cooked my zucchini in the sunflower oil as seen on the special. I just do not understand the reasoning behind the overnight refrigeration of the cooked zucchini. Can someone shed light on that aspect? I have set it in the fridge for now but plan on using it tonight for dinner. I’ve been salivating every time I think about this dish. Keeping it simple seems the best way to go.
Hi Sabrina, in answer to your question about frying the zucchini the day before, I have to say I haven’t come across this in any other recipe for alla Nerano, not even from the restaurant where this dish originated in Nerano! This seems to be unique to the chef who made this dish for Stanley Tucci. The other thing that is unique is using sunflower oil because in Naples everything is fried in olive oil!! However, that’s not to say these steps won’t contribute to a great plate of zucchini pasta, they are just not traditional! Like many Italian recipes there are different versions of alla Nerano. Some Italians add butter, others don’t. Some cream part of the zucchini (as I do) others don’t!
I believe it marinates over night in the olive oil and basil
I bet it soaks up the aromatics of the fresh ingredients in the fridge over night (thus the belief of it tasting like garlic and onion). The sunflower oil is cheap, gets the job done and isn’t soy. Chef will use a nice olive oil when putting it all together. Maybe dressing the cooling(cloth covered?) tray of fried zucchini with basil and whole garlic cloves would be enough. There is no need to marinate it in olive oil like the FNN guy and his wife were doing;) Every little thing matters!
Making this dish on Tuesday; fried the zucchini tonight…yum
Love the creativity behind this! I’ve never had zucchini sauce pasta! Can’t wait to give this recipe a try tomorrow night!
I made it with gluten free pasta , didn’t have provolone cheese, used mozzarella and Parmesan cheese…..it was very tasty
I love the stories you share with your recipes. This is another beautiful dish…I love fried zucchini tossed with pasta. Simple but hearty meal.
Loved seeing Stanley and Felicity Tucci watching Spaghetti alla nerano being created by the Chef Tommaso at Lo Scoglio. Going to try to do it exactly the same. From frying the zucchini in Saflower oil and letting it sit overnight. Can’t wait to try this dish!!
I’m going to try their recipe as well. Do you recall what kind of cheese was grated to finish the dish?
I saw that Stanley Tucci episode, too. We look forward to making the dish when our zucchini start producing.
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What a delightful pasta recipe and I loved learning the history behind it. I really enjoy your regional pasta dishes and we had this zucchini one on Thursday. Hubby enjoyed it so much we have it scheduled again this week.
It was neat that you mentioned where this recipe comes from! I love the fried zucchini in it. Simple and delicious.
Wait, what??? Pasta AND fried zucchini together??? OMG I’m in LOVE! This is such an ingenious recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
This is going to be great during the hotter summer months, but the zucchini I found in my grocery store worked well.
Found this recipe after watching Stanley Tucci eat it on his new CNN show. I’m going to prepare the zucchini using sunflower oil as the Italian chef used, and will add knob of butter. I’ll post results after I’ve made it. One of my favorite things to do is search for authentic international recipes such as this. Look forward to preparing!
Same reason I found this, too! Can’t wait to hear about your results.
Made it last night exactly how it was made on Stanley Tucci’s show. It was amazing!
Do you have the exact recipe they used on the show?
A more detailed recipe would be very helpful
Thanks
Hi Lee, thanks for your comment. I’m not quite sure what you feel is missing from this recipe post. At the end of the page is a detailed recipe card (which you can print) with ingredient quantities and step by step instructions. Please do let me know what other info you’d like to have. I’m more than happy to add anything you think is missing.
I just saw Stanley Tucci’s show yesterday and maybe I missed something… was the cheese parmesan or not ? I have been thinking of this recipe all day and here everyone talks about it.
I thought it was pecorino
Both parmigiano and pecorino
Zucchini is something I’ll eat everyday! This recipe, bridges together my favorites, spaghetti and zucchini! Can’t wait to try this awesome recipe!
I’ve never had this before, but what a great way to get some more veggies into your daily diet. I can’t wait to give this a try!
I love seeing interesting back stories to recipes. This Spaghetti Alla Nerano back story sounds so sweet. It’s so cool that the restaurant is still around.
The history of this dish is really interesting. I absolutely love the zucchini and pasta together; It is such a delicious pairing and this recipe comes together so effortlessly.
I wonder how many people will be cooking this recipe following Stanley Tucci’s show last night. The chef in the show added a knob of butter, and insisted that the zucchini should be fried the day before. I am trying it that way…zucchini is fried, and tomorrow we’ll taste the results. I’m using Belgioso Aged Provolone because I can’t find caciocavallo.
Hah! I also fried zucchini for tomorrow. Wish i had more zucchini . This could be a favorite. I’m getting cheese tomorrow.
I didn’t see Stanley Tucci’s show as its not available here in Italy. But I’d like too. As with many Italian recipes there are different versions of alla Nerano. Some Italians do add butter but not every recipe calls for it. However, I’ve never found a recipe that says the zucchini should be fried the day before. I don’t think they do that in the restaurant where the dish originated. Interesting! It’s probably a method used by the chef in the restaurant where Tucci was. I’ll have to try it!
You don’t have to fry it the day before. I made it on the go. It was delicious.
The zucchini should have a chance to cool before making the dish. If this is being made for a restaurant, you have to plan of making 30-50 servings. There isn’t enough prep time to fry all that zucchini the day it it being served. So, the restaurant has to prep some things the day before. Restaurant cooking and home cooking are two different things.
watched Sidney Tucci this eve, he raved about the pasta/zucchini dish, am going to try, will follow with my result,
ciao,
joan
Me, too! After watching “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” on Sunday, I searched for the zucchini pasta recipe. This is close, but not exactly. Look forward to trying.
Thanks for this might have to give this a whirl as the lady has gone a kick about Zucchini
Looks like a great dish for pasta lovers!
I loved your little history lesson too!
I would love this pasta recipe with the fried zucchini, what a great idea, along with that creamy provolone cheese. Another great dish you have.
This recipe is quick and easy to make on the weekdays.
Pasta with vegetables is always a great hit with the kids. It is one of the ways to have my picky eaters eat more veggies. Always love your recipes.
OMG a few simple ingredients and so delicious. Zucchinis growing in the yard and this will be enjoyed all summer.
This looks like a delicious, healthier pasta dish. Personally I love zucchini so much that it’s just perfect in this dish! Yummy!
This sounds so tasty yet simple as well. Very summery flavors.
That sounds delicious, I love fresh and simple pasta dishes like this… I don’t think I have ever tried provolone cheese, I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled next time I am in the big city.
I love how fresh and easy is this recipe, zucchini and pasta pair so well, can’t wait to make it!
pasta with fried zucchini sounds so simple and delish!! Alla nerona history is interesting.
I love fried zucchini so this sounds like a wonderful dish especially combined with that cheese!.
This sounds amazing! I love pasta and especially dishes like this that are so flavorful and not loaded with sauce.
What a great history of this pasta. Can’t wait to try it.
Love that the zucchini is a part of the sauce as well as left whole. Yum!
Going to save this recipe for summer. So simple and surely delicious!
What a delicious and simple pasta dish! Pasta and fresh vegetables is the best combo. I really enjoyed reading the origins of spaghetti alla Nerano. Thank you for sharing.
Love the zucchini in the pasta looks so yummy!
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