Spaghetti Alla Nerano - Most Authentic Recipe!

Spaghetti alla nerano in a dish with fried zucchini and fresh basil on top

Spaghetti Alla Nerano - Most Authentic Recipe!

Spaghetti alla Nerano is a classic dish that skyrocketed in popularity thanks to Stanley Tucci’s Searching For Italy TV show. With the perfect blend of fried zucchini and the rich taste of provolone del Monaco cheese, this pasta dish will transport you straight to the heart of Naples!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Servings people

Calories 978kcal

Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

200 grams spaghetti
4 zucchini medium size
Olive oil for frying plus 2 tablespoon olive oil for cooking see notes
2 garlic cloves whole
1 cup (75 grams) provolone del monaco grated, scant cup
12 basil leaves
salt to taste

Instructions

Slice the zucchini into rounds - about 5 mm thick. You can use a knife to do this, or a mandolin. You shhould have about 7 cups of zucchini once they're cut.
In a large frying pan, add about 2 inches of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, throw in the zucchini. You may have to work in batches depending on how big your pan is.
Fry the zucchini until they are golden brown - about 8-10 minutes per batch. The time to fry also depends on how big your pan is, and how much zucchini is added to the pan. It can take up to 15 minutes to fry the zucchini per batchh.
Place the fried zucchini to the side on a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet. Salt them lightly, and add a few pieces of basil and toss all together. You can place a few pieces of fried zucchini aside to use to top the final dish.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it and add the pasta in. Let it cook until just before al dente (it will finish cooking in the sauce).
While the pasta is cooking, in a pan over heat, heat olive oil and add the two garlic cloves whole. When the garlic cloves are sizzling, add in the fried zucchini.
Heat the zucchini through (not long, maybe 1 minute), then add a splash of pasta water. Remove the garlic cloves.
Add the pasta to the pan, along with more pasta water.
Mix everything together in the pan with a pair of tongs. Add the shredded provolone, basil and more pasta water if needed.
Mix again with the tongs until the provolone melts and there’s a creamy consistency to the sauce. Top with fried zuccini pieces and more fresh basil. Plate and enjoy!

Video

Notes

For frying the zucchini, I used about 750mL of olive oil. I made sure there was about 1.5-2 inches of oil in the pan
Due to the fried zucchini and the provolone used, this finished dish is naturally quite oily - just something to keep in mind!
One of the keys to taking this dish over the top is to add a lot of basil - every bite should have basil in it - so don't be afraid to add a lot of basil to this dish!
Provolone del Monaco is hard to find in North America - you can opt for a good quality aged provolone (make sure it's the one you have to grate yourself - no pre-sliced cheese), mixed with some pecorino romano for a slightly different but still delightful tang.

Nutrition