Spaghetti alla Nerano is a simple Italian pasta from the Amalfi Coast. You only need a handful of ingredients—fried zucchini, Parmesan, basil, and a few pantry staples. From start to finish, it takes about 35 minutes.
Ingredients (2 servings):
160 g spaghetti
500–600 g pasta water
800 g zucchini
150 g sunflower oil for frying zucchini
15 g olive oil
2 garlic cloves (10 g)
60 g Parmesan (grate it on the finest grater you have; avoid pre-grated cheese, it doesn’t melt well)
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
15 medium basil leaves
Method:
00:00 – Intro
00:17 – First, grate the Parmesan. Use the finest side of your grater, and please don’t grab the pre-grated stuff from the store—it never melts right. Cut your garlic cloves in half and set them aside.
Now for the zucchini. Pick young ones without seeds or small seeds. Wash them well and dry them completely—if they’re wet, they’ll spit and pop in the oil. Slice them into ¼ inch (6 mm) rings. A knife works fine, but if you’ve got a mandoline, this is the time to use it.
Split the zucchini into two bowls. We’ll fry the larger portion (about two-thirds of all the zucchini) until light golden for the creamy sauce. And we’ll fry the smaller portion (about one-third) a little darker for extra flavor at the end.
01:02 – Heat sunflower oil in a pan on high.
Drop in one slice—if it sizzles, you’re ready. Add the larger portion first (about two-thirds of all the zucchini). Turn the heat down to medium-high, about 7 out of 9 if your stove has numbers. Don’t pile them in—if you overcrowd the pan, they’ll steam. Fry them in two batches. Flip when they start turning golden. Once done, lift them out and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the second batch.
Now fry the smaller portion (about one-third) until they’re a golden brown. Flip once, then drain them on paper towels too. See? You’ve got two kinds now—the light ones will melt into your sauce, and the dark ones will give you bites of flavor at the end.
02:11 – Next, cook your pasta. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook it about 2 minutes less than the package says. Don’t throw out the water—you’ll need a lot of it for the sauce. The Italian way is to cook the pasta and sauce together. But if that feels tricky, no stress. You’ll need to stir the sauce a lot, so it can be easier to cook the pasta first. Lift it into a colander, cover it, and keep the pasta water warm on low heat.
02:45 – Now onto the sauce. Add olive oil to a pan and heat it to medium-high. Toss in the garlic halves, flip once, let them release their flavor, then take them out.
Add the lighter-fried zucchini and a bit of black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Add pasta water little by little—about 6 times total, 50–60 g each round, for around 300–400 g overall. As soon as one round of water cooks down, add the next. Take a fork and press the zucchini down as you go. The flesh blends with the water, and that’s what makes your sauce creamy. The whole process takes 5–7 minutes until you’ve got a silky base.
04:08 – Now add the spaghetti straight into the sauce. Pour in about 100 g more pasta water and mix well. The sauce will look really liquid, but don’t worry—it thickens once you add the cheese. You need this consistency so the Parmesan doesn’t split in the sauce.
04:25 – Take the pan off the heat before you add the Parmesan. This part is key. Add the cheese in 2–3 rounds. First, add some Parmesan with about 50 g pasta water. Stir until it melts. Then add more Parmesan, stir until it melts again, and repeat with the last bit. Keep stirring—you’ll see the sauce turn creamy and smooth.
05:00 – Finish by adding the darker zucchini and tearing in plenty of fresh basil. If the sauce feels thick, loosen it with a splash of pasta water. Give it one final toss, and there it is—your spaghetti alla Nerano.
If you want more tips on making an extra creamy sauce and more pasta recipes, check the recipes on our website: https://vegtasty.com/spaghetti-alla-nerano/
The secret to spaghetti alanerano. Fried zucchini
two ways. Creamy sauce, crispy bites. The texture is next level. Follow along step by step.
You’ll find all exact ingredient measurements, including pasta water in the description
below. Let’s dive in. Grate Parmesan on the finest grater you have. Don’t use pre-grated
cheese from the store. Always grate it fresh. It melts much better in the sauce. Cut the garlic
cloves in half. Take young zucchini without seeds. Wash them and dry them really well
if they stay wet. They will splatter in the hot oil. Slice them into rings about quarter
of an inch or 6 mm thick. Split the zucchini into portions. We’ll fry one part lightly and the
other part a little darker for the extra flavor. This way you’ll get a creamy zucchini parmesan
sauce with golden zucchini pieces mixed in. The texture turns out so good. Heat sunflower oil in a
pan over high heat. Drop in one slice of zucchini. See how it sizzles? That means the oil is ready.
Add a larger portion of zucchini and lower the heat to medium high. Don’t overcrowd the pan or
they’ll steam instead of frying. To avoid that, we fry into batches. Flip the slices once they
start turning golden. [Applause] Take them out onto a few layers of paper towels to drain
the extra oil. Then fry the second batch. Now it’s time for a smaller portion. Fry the zucchini a little longer
until they turn golden brown. Pat the tops of zucchini with paper towels to
remove excess oil. Look, we’ve got two kinds of zucchini now. The lighter ones will turn into
our creamy sauce and the darker ones we’ll add at the end for the flavor and texture. Put
a big pot of water on the stove. Add salt. Then cook the pasta about 2 minutes less
than what the package says. The best way is to cook the pasta and sauce at the same
time, just like Italians do. But if you’re not super confident yet, no worries. Just
cook the pasta first. Put it into colander, cover with a lid. That way you can focus on the
sauce without rushing. Keep the cooking water in a pot on low heat right next to you. We’ll
be using it in just a bit. Now, let’s make the sauce. In a pan, pour a little olive oil and heat
it on medium high. Add garlic cloves cut in half. Flip them once. Let them release their aroma. Then
take them out. Add the lighter fried zucchini, the larger portion. Cook for 2 minutes.
Gradually add pasta water in six rounds. It sounds complicated, but it’s simple. Add more pasta water
as soon as the previous one evaporates. Add black pepper. Take a fork and press the zucchini rings down.
See how the flesh blends with the pasta water? That’s what gives you that silky sauce. Add more pasta water as soon as
the pasta water evaporates. Look, it bubbles and blends with the zucchini.
That’s exactly what you want. Don’t worry about the amount. The exact measurements are
in the description below. The whole process, adding the pasta water and pressing the
zucchini, takes about 5 to 7 minutes. Look, this is the sauce you want. Add the
spaghetti to the sauce. Pour in some pasta water and combine everything well. The sauce will
look really liquid, but don’t worry, it thickens once you add the cheese. You need this consistency
so the Parmesan doesn’t split in the sauce. Take the pan off the heat before you add the Parmesan.
That’s really important, so the sauce doesn’t curdle. Add the parmesan in two or three rounds,
not all at once. Add the first round of cheese with pasta water. Stir until it combines. Then add
one or two more rounds of parmesan. Keep stirring. Look, the cheese is melting
and turning the sauce creamy. Finally, add the darker zucchini and
tear in lots of fresh basil leaves. Once the sauce looks ready, check
the texture. If it feels too thick, just add a little more pasta water. Give it one
last toss and your spaghetti alano is ready.
Dining and Cooking