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Spaghetti alla Nerano (pasta with fried zucchini)

Spaghetti alla Nerano (pasta with fried zucchini)

Spaghetti alla Nerano is a delightful Southern Italian dish featuring fried zucchini, garlic, basil, and provolone cheese.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Campania, Mediterranean, Neapolitan, Southern Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 491 kcal

Equipment

  • frying pan
  • Pot
  • sieve
  • blender

Ingredients
  

Pasta

  • 14 ounces spaghetti or linguine

Vegetables

  • 1.5 pounds zucchini
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 handful fresh basil leaves washed and torn into pieces

Oils

  • 0.5 cup extra virgin olive oil

Cheese

  • 4.25 ounces grated Provolone cheese preferably Provolone del Monaco, spicy provolone or caciocavallo

Seasoning

  • salt for pasta and to taste
  • pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Cooking Steps

  • 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.

Notes

Spaghetti is the traditional pasta for this recipe but other long pasta such as linguine work well too. Although the original recipe calls for Provolone del Monaco, other spicy provolone or caciocavallo can be used instead. Vegetarians should use a vegetarian parmesan or provolone.

Nutrition

Serving: 1plateCalories: 491kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 22gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 202mgPotassium: 722mg
Keyword alla Nerano, zucchini pasta
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