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Spaghetti alla Nerano - #1 Dish from Stanley Tucci's "Searching for Italy"
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Spaghetti alla Nerano – #1 Dish from Stanley Tucci’s “Searching for Italy”

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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!

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Ingredients
โ–ข1 pound spaghetti
โ–ข5 small/medium zucchini sliced into ~3/16″ discs
โ–ข1 ยผ cups Caciocavallo cheese grated – see note below
โ–ข4 cloves garlic
โ–ขยผ cup parsley minced
โ–ข3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
โ–ขยผ cup olive oil for frying zucchini
โ–ข1 tablespoon unsalted butter
โ–ข2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
โ–ขpepper to taste
โ–ข2 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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36 Comments

  2. Jay Sasso

    I usually make macaroni and cheese on the stove top ( but not the box prepared kind…) and use a few of the canned stewed tomatoes without seasoning…so it's more cheese than a red sauce …then I add the fried Zucchini without draining…it is delicious … need patience to fry the zucchini but worth it

  4. Wendy White

    Here's kind of a dumb question. I love it that you're using an open flame with a single burner thing that frees you from the stove. How do you get an open flame with a plug-in device or is there a gas somewhere? I would really love to be able to cook with an open flame conveniently like that.

  6. Mickey

    When I cook zucchini like that I have a problem being able to put it in my recipe. We eat them like chipsโ€ฆ.sooooo good!

  9. Thelma Connolly

    I too love cooking pasta. I did more so when my husband was alive, itโ€™s awesome to see a man who loves and cooks his pasta. You brought back some very fond memories!! Bellรญsimo!!!

  12. C Yall

    All i can hear is my husband fussing about using metal utensils in a non stick pan.

  14. Kara Amundson

    Thank you! Just got a large, tender, mostly seedless (tender seedlings) zucchini from the garden…I ate half but this looks like a great dish. No parsley but basil & oregano from the garden too–
    p.s. the lobster story killed me

  15. SuperBluesify

    For people watching this video – and the author may disagree – cheese clumping never has to do with not enough pasta water for me. I've struggled with clumping often with cacio e pepe and what I always hear is 'just add butter to help it emulsify' or 'you're not moving it fast enough' and so on but none of that fixed it. What fixed it was taking the pan off the heat and not adding the cheese until it cooled off for a few minutes. My theory is why the author saw them using cold water is because the cold water brought down the heat of the pan. The heat of the pan will cause the cheese to clump and get stringy. The temperature is supposed to be just warm enough to make a sauce, you're not cooking the cheese in the pan. This is something I see wrong in a lot of americans who make italian sauces.

  19. Matt Sterling

    Thanks for this easy to follow video…I've now made this 3 times (a minimum according to my friend who has been cooking for years) and finally nailed it. I subscribed to your channel and look forward to cooking along with you and your family.

  20. noah YVR

    i did this and it tasted like aglio e olio with slightly fried soft zucchini. my friend and I thought it tasted really good, but is that how it's supposed to taste? opinions/tips appreciated!

  23. Jens Schreiner

    The interesting part is you put the brown stuff away. My grandmother always fried the garlic gently and deglazed the pan with the wet Pasta and then added a bit of pasta water to catch more zucchini flavor

  26. LH Hanwong

    Whatโ€™s the name of the second pasta he mentionedโ€ฆafter the โ€˜Sunday sauceโ€? Thanks!

  29. Cรฉsar Galdino

    I'm from Brazil and I love your videos. But only today I realized that, in addition to being a very good cook, you have beautiful arms. Hahaha

  30. Patrick Mundy

    Last night for dinner I made this for my wife. She said that it was so good I could make it anytime. She appriciates a meatless meal every now and again and she was very happy I followed your directions. Thanks for being such a good coach. My next step is the white spagehetti and the sausage stuffed zucchini boats.

  33. Maria Labosco

    My son and I made this recipe today. It was Wonderful! Thank you. I love your website and how you explain each step. We're Italians originally from Brooklyn now living in Maryland. ๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ˜Š

  34. biggianthead17

    I've been eating this all my life and I didn't know it had a name. We however, do not use garlic. BTW… please try not using a fork to remove the zucchini from the pan… you puncture them and they release precious moisture… use a pair of tongs. I love your channel and your tasters. You have a very nice family.

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