Spaghetti with Zucchini (Spaghetti alla Nerano) • Keeping It Simple Blog

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Spaghetti alla Nerano is a simple and delicious fried zucchini with spaghetti recipe that needs only a few ingredients and it is so full of flavor. This is a great meal to make when zucchini is abundant in the summer but I love making it any time of year.

I love all of these recipes with zucchini but the one I do turn to most often in the Summer is this spaghetti and zucchini recipe. I love the simplicity of this pasta dish and the fact that it uses only a few ingredients: spaghetti, Parmesan, basil, garlic, and olive oil. Those few ingredients produce the most wonderful flavorful sauce.

This simplicity is the epitome of Italian cooking and why this is one of my favorite pasta recipes!

What is Spaghetti alla Nerano

This spaghetti and zucchini recipe originates in a small Italian town called Nerano in Italy. I first tried it outside this area in Florence and I fell in love with it immediately.

After trying it on my trip, I researched its origins to find that the recipe came from a restaurant owner back in the 1950s by the name of Maria Grazia invented the dish Spaghetto alla Nerano.

The Italians have been eating and loving this fried zucchini pasta for a while and it is now one of my favorites too.

Ingredients Needed

There are only a few ingredients you need for this simple fried zucchini pasta recipe. Try to make sure you buy the best quality ingredients you can find.

Italians try to use what is local and in season as much as possible. This helps ensure simple recipes like this one are full of flavor.

Zucchini. I grow Italian zucchini in my garden so that is what I used. Make sure to try and find smaller zucchini since it will have the sweetest flavor.
Parmigiano Reggiano. Using fresh parmigiano reggiano that you grate yourself is always the best option. The other parmigiano reggiano that is already grated is dried out and anything that says Parmesan on it is not from Italy.
Fresh Basil.
Fresh Garlic.
Extra virgin olive oil.
Kosher salt.

spaghetti Nerano — Spaghetti alla Nerano (Spaghetti with Zucchini from Nerano)

How to make spaghetti alla Nerano

The steps to making this spaghetti and zucchini recipe are so simple. Here is what you do:

Prep the ingredients: The first thing you want to do when making this fried zucchini pasta is prepare the zucchini by cutting them into small thin rings. You do not want them to be paper thin but thin. Because of how thin the zucchini is sliced, much of the cooked zucchini will fall apart into the pasta later when tossed. This helps add to the creamy texture of the pasta.

Fry it up: When making this spaghetti with zucchini recipe, the bulk of the time is going to be shallow frying the zucchini slices. You will need to do this in batches since not all of the zucchini will fit in the pan at once. If you would prefer to not shallow fry the zucchini, you can follow the recipe for my brown butter sautéed zucchini for cooking the zucchini slices. When the zucchini are done cooking, you add them to paper towels to absorb some of the excess olive oil.

making sauce for zucchini pasta — 1. Olive oil and a little butter being heated.

Frying zucchini — 1. Olive oil and a little butter being heated.

Cook the pasta: After you have finished frying up the zucchini rings until lightly browned the rest is just cooking the spaghetti and making a quick sauce.

Make the sauce: The sauce is not so much a sauce but a garlic-flavored olive oil that will add to the flavor of the pasta later on when everything is tossed together.

You want to make sure you reserve about 1 cup of pasta water to add to the pasta and zucchini when they are being tossed together. The pasta water is starchy and it is going to add to the creaminess of the sauce.

Tips for making this spaghetti with zucchini

Make sure to reserve about 1 cup of pasta water to add to the pasta when tossing. Adding some of the pasta water ensures your pasta will be creamy and not dry.
Use the best ingredients you can find. This recipe uses very few ingredients so you want them to be high quality for the best flavor.
If you cannot find spaghetti for this recipe, penne or rigatoni will work great. I would avoid linguine as it is too slippery for this type of olive oil sauce.

More Zucchini Recipes

If you have been following me for a while then you know I love all zucchini recipes! From my Italian baked zucchini, my Mexican zucchini pudding, zucchini pancakes, and even a zucchini galette.

All of them are delicious.

Faqs

How do you prevent zucchini from getting soggy?

To prevent zucchini from getting soggy, you can either fry it up nice and crisp like in this recipe or cut it thicker and cook it for a shorter time.

Where does spaghetti all Nerano come from?

Spaghetti alla Nerano originates from a small restaurant in a town called Nerano in Italy off of the Amalfi coast.

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Spaghetti alla Nerano (Spaghetti with Zucchini)

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Servings: people

Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

1 lb Spaghetti
2 small to medium zucchini sliced into thin rings about ⅛ inches thick
1 cup Fresh basil
1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper A few swirls

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the spaghetti.
While you are waiting for the water to boil, prep the zucchini.
2 small to medium zucchini
In a large saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil.
¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
Once pan is heated, add the zucchini slices in batches to the olive oil and cook until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes per batch.
Remove zucchini with a slotted spatula (making sure to leave the olive oil in the pan) and place on to paper towels when they are done cooking. set aside.
When done cooking the zucchini, reduce heat to low.
In the same pan you cooked the zucchini, add the butter and garlic to the olive oil.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 cloves of garlic
Cook for a few minutes to perfume the olive with garlic then remove the garlic from the oil.
Now cook the spaghetti until al dente.
1 lb Spaghetti
When spaghetti is ready, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain.
Add spaghetti to the pan with olive oil and toss well.
Now add the zucchini, parmesan and fresh basil along with salt and pepper and toss together.
1 cup Fresh basil, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, Freshly ground black pepper
Add in half of the pasta water and toss again.
If pasta looks too dry add remaining pasta water.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition