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Spaghetti alla Nerano (pasta with fried zucchini)
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.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 491 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
Mediterranean , Italian
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.
Cup of Yum
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 Information
Calories
491kcal
(25%)
Carbohydrates
81g
(27%)
Protein
22g
(44%)
Fat
9g
(14%)
Saturated Fat
5g
(25%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
2g
Cholesterol
17mg
(6%)
Sodium
202mg
(8%)
Potassium
722mg
(21%)
Fiber
5g
(20%)
Sugar
7g
(14%)
Vitamin A
597IU
(12%)
Vitamin C
32mg
(36%)
Calcium
242mg
(24%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 491
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 491kcal | 25% |
| Carbohydrates | 81g | 27% |
| Protein | 22g | 44% |
| Fat | 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 17mg | 6% |
| Sodium | 202mg | 8% |
| Potassium | 722mg | 15% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 597IU | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 32mg | 36% |
| Calcium | 242mg | 24% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.