spaghetti alla nerano

Spaghetti alla Nerano is a classic Italian pasta dish originating from the Campania region. It&#39;s a creamy and comforting dish made with sautéed zucchini, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and spaghetti, perfect for a cozy dinner at home.

Spaghetti alla Nerano Recipe

spaghetti ((340 grams))

zucchini (approximate (1lb 5 oz or 600 grams))

Provolone cheese ((120 grams))

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese ((60 grams))

garlic

salt (plus extra for pasta water)

basil leaves (as desired)

black pepper

Wash, dry and slice the zucchini into thin rounds a little over 1/16 inch (2mm).

Pour olive oil into a large skillet or frying pan. It should be a depth of about ¼ inch (a little over ½ cm). Add more oil if necessary.

Fry thinly sliced zucchini in hot olive oil until lightly browned. It’s best to fry in batches, making one layer of zucchini slices. It will take about 5-7 minutes, turning each slice over halfway through the cooking. Remove and drain. Then place on a plate and salt lightly. Continue with the remaining zucchini slices. Set aside until needed. Drain the oil and reserve for later.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.

Add spaghetti and cook until 2 minutes before being completely done.

In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Then add reserved fried zucchini and a handful of torn basil leaves. Add a little of the pasta cooking water.

Cook, stirring to combine until the pasta is ready.

When the pasta is ready, remove the pasta using tongs or a spaghetti scoop and add it straight to the skillet of zucchini.

Stir well to combine, adding more pasta cooking water if necessary. Stirring will make it creamy. In Italian this is know as “mantecare” which means “to cream” and it’s just the action of stirring.

Take the skillet off the heat and add in the cheeses. Stir to melt the cheeses, adding more pasta cooking water to assist.

Stir in lots of torn basil leaves.

Serve with a grind of black pepper and extra cheese

Spaghetti alla Nerano is a delicious pasta recipe typical of the Campania cuisine, based on a few simple ingredients: pasta, fried zucchini, provolone cheese and basil.The pleasure of this dish lies in the contrast between the flavors and textures of the ingredients. The fried zucchini adds a hint of sweetness and a crunchy texture that contrasts with the creaminess of the provolone cheese. The fresh basil adds a pleasant aromatic and fresh note to the dish.

Authentic Spaghetti alla Nerano Recipe

360 g spaghetti (¾ pound)

700 g zucchini (1 ½ pound)

200 g provolone cheese (~½ pound of Provolone del Monaco)

650 ml olive oil (~3 cups, extra virgin)

basil

salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

Start by washing the zucchini. Remove the ends. Then, using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice them very thinly and as evenly as possible.

Then fry them in a pan with plenty of hot extra virgin oil. We recommend frying a few zucchini at a time to prevent the oil temperature from dropping. This will take 2 to 3 minutes. The zucchini should be golden brown and crispy.

season

Place the zucchini on paper towels to dry, season with a pinch of salt and add the basil. Set aside.

grate

Meanwhile, grate the provolone cheese with a small hole grater and set aside.

sauté

In a large frying pan, add 4 tablespoons of the oil you fried the zucchini in and the whole garlic clove. Saute the garlic for one minute.

Then add the fried zucchini. Saute for two or three minutes. Then remove the garlic.

boil

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and when it comes to the boil, add salt. Add the spaghetti and cook for about half the time indicated on the package

drain

Drain the uncooked spaghetti directly into the pan with the zucchini. Add a ladle of the cooking water and stir well. Finish cooking the spaghetti in the pan.

cook

This method is called "risottare," or cooking in the pan like risotto. It takes 3 to 4 minutes. If necessary, add another ladle of pasta cooking water.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the grated provolone cheese.

stir

If the spaghetti looks dry, add a little more pasta water. Stir until the pasta and cheese are perfectly blended. PLEASE NOTE: You must make the Provolone Mantecatura away from heat to avoid the cheese lumping while remaining creamy.

serve

Finish with a grind of black pepper and chopped fresh basil. Serve the spaghetti alla Nerano immediately, steaming and creamy.

don't you people proof read your writing??, 3 CUPS olive oil????

This sounds so interesting I will try this,

Spaghetti alla Nerano is a creamy and comforting pasta dish that combines Provolone del Monaco (substitute Caciocavallo) cheese, butter, and fried zucchini.

Spaghetti alla Nerano

(454 grams) spaghetti

zucchini

(60 grams) olive oil (for frying zucchini)

Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (divided)

(45 grams) extra virgin olive oil

(14 grams) unsalted butter

(115 grams) grated Caciocavallo cheese (see note below)

black pepper (to taste)

basil (chopped)

Fry the zucchini in olive oil until golden brown (about 3 minutes per side) then place in a large pan lined with paper towels. Salt the zucchini right after frying each batch.  Working in batches or use multiple pans to speed up the cooking process.

Cook the spaghetti until very al dente in salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt per gallon of water).

Meanwhile, heat a large clean pan to medium-low and saute the garlic cloves in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until golden.  Once golden remove and discard the garlic cloves.

Add the butter, a ladle of pasta water, and half of the zucchini to the pan.  Bring to a simmer.  Mash the zucchini with a wooden spoon on the side of the pan to create a loose zucchini sauce.  Add the pasta wet (pull it right out of the pot with tongs) and continue cooking the al dente pasta for 1-2 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the Caciocavallo cheese.  Toss to emulsify and form a creamy sauce. If too dry add a couple of tablespoons of pasta water at a time, then toss once more, to get the consistency just right.

Taste test and make any final adjustments to salt and pepper.  Add in the basil or parsley,  then serve right away with the remaining zucchini rounds divided into each plate.  More grated Caciocavallo or Pecorino Romano can be served on the side.  Enjoy!

First time making this dish tonight and we both loved it! Yes, frying the zucchini was time-consuming and messy, but the end result was worth it!

Simple ingredients
Easy method
DELICIOUS results!

I gave it a 4 for taste but it was very messy in kitchen after batch frying all that zucchini .  Also after removing the garlic adding butter then pasta water I had an explosion of grease. That was not a good move to add water then

Always love your recipes. This one is no exception. Yum!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=322NxqspvPM

Today we're making Spaghetti alla Nerano.  Stanley Tucci introduced this dish to many Americans with his "Searching for Italy" show on CNN.  My Grandmother made this fresh zucchini dish so many times for us growing up.  Traditionally the hard-to-find Provolone del Monaco is used.  But we'll go over a couple of substitutes for this delicious fried zucchini pasta recipe.   The best time to make it is during the summer with fresh local zucchini.  I hope you enjoy this pasta al Nerano recipe!

WATCH MORE ITALIAN ZUCCHINI RECIPES!
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Ingredients
▢1 pound spaghetti
▢5 small/medium zucchini sliced into ~3/16" discs
▢1 ¼ cups Caciocavallo cheese grated - see note below
▢4 cloves garlic
▢¼ cup parsley minced
▢3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
▢¼ cup olive oil for frying zucchini 
▢1 tablespoon unsalted butter
▢2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
▢pepper to taste
▢2 cups pasta water reserved - will not need it all, but always save extra

Instructions
1. Fry the zucchini in olive oil until golden brown (about 3 minutes per side) then place in a large pan lined with paper towels. Salt the zucchini right after frying each batch.  Working in batches or use multiple pans to speed up the cooking process.
2. Cook the spaghetti until very al dente in salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt per gallon of water).
3. Meanwhile, heat a large clean pan to medium-low and saute the garlic cloves in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until golden.  Once golden remove and discard the garlic cloves.
4. Add the butter, a ladle of pasta water, and half of the zucchini to the pan.  Bring to a simmer.  Mash the zucchini with a wooden spoon on the side of the pan to create a loose zucchini sauce.  Add the pasta wet (pull it right out of the pot with tongs) and continue cooking the al dente pasta for 1-2 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and add the Caciocavallo cheese.  Toss to emulsify and form a creamy sauce. If too dry add a couple of tablespoons of pasta water at a time, then toss once more, to get the consistency just right.
6. Taste test and make any final adjustments to salt and pepper.  Add in the parsley,  then serve right away with the remaining zucchini rounds divided into each plate. More grated Caciocavallo or Pecorino Romano can be served on the side. Enjoy!

Notes
- When adding the cheese taking the pan off the heat and tossing will help avoid clumping cheese.  Adding some of the cooled down pasta water will help loosen the cheese up as well.
- The traditional cheese Provolone del Monaco is too hard to find so caciocavallo is a great substitute.  Unfortunately, Caciocavallo could prove difficult to find as well.  A more widely available cheese like Pecorino Romano can be used with great success too!
- Save leftovers for up to 3 days in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or gently in a pan on the stovetop.  
- The ingredient list indicates reserving 2 cups of pasta water.  You will not need to use it all.  You can discard the remaining unused pasta water.

SERVE WITH:
Garlic and Oil Broccoli https://youtu.be/KNTR0fnO-_Y
Sauteed Broccoli Rabe https://youtu.be/p0N81NNy5rQ
Garlic Green Beans https://youtu.be/i0JCKhUwp7U

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