Spaghetti alla Nerano – Easy Step-by-Step Zucchini Pasta

Step-by-Step Spaghetti alla Nerano

This recipe takes inspiration from Stanley Tucci’s zucchini pasta. We have cooked it many times and tested every detail before publishing it here. You can be sure the recipe works 100%. You get all the secrets to make it like Stanley Tucci, with more detail, step by step, so you get the most delicious pasta.

Of course, we didn’t stop after testing. We took the zucchini pasta Stanley Tucci loves and made it even better with the skills we’ve learned cooking pasta over the years. Our secret to spaghetti alla Nerano? Fry zucchini two ways. And always take the pan off the heat before you add the cheese. This way, it melts perfectly into the sauce. The texture is creamy and tender, with sweet zucchini pieces inside. So delicious. And there are a few more tips we’ve learned to make this dish truly top, so let’s dive into cooking.

How to make spaghetti alla Nerano?

First, cook the zucchini for the most delicious sauce. Then cook the pasta and save the pasta water. After that, make the creamy sauce and combine everything. That’s the zucchini pasta recipe in a nutshell. Now let’s go step by step. If you need exact measurements for the ingredients, check the recipe card.

Do the prep

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. Prepare a baking dish or a big plate and line it with a few layers of paper towels. That’s how you get rid of the extra oil from the zucchini after you fry them.

Cook zucchini two ways

Take young zucchini without seeds, or small seeds. Wash them, and dry them really well. If they stay wet, they splatter in hot oil.

Slice them into rings about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Doing it by hand only takes about 5 minutes, but if you have a mandoline, use that instead.

In the original Stanley Tucci’s spaghetti alla Nerano, he fries the zucchini and lets them cool. Then he keeps them in the fridge overnight so they soften a little. He probably got that version straight from the restaurant in Italy. Of course, in a restaurant kitchen, they prepare large amounts of zucchini ahead of time. And then store them in the fridge for when they need to cook more pasta. At home, that’s too long. So we changed a few things, and you don’t have to wait overnight to enjoy delicious pasta with zucchini.

We use two different cooking methods for the zucchini. Fry one part lightly, and the other part a little darker for extra flavor. This way, you get a creamy zucchini–Parmesan sauce with golden zucchini pieces mixed in. The texture is so good!

Split the zucchini slices into two portions. Cook about one-third until golden brown. Fry the larger portion until lightly golden. The darker zucchini gives you chewy bites. The lighter ones blend into an extra creamy zucchini pasta sauce. Now, let’s take a look at how to do it step by step!

Heat sunflower oil in a frying pan over high heat. Drop in one slice of zucchini — if it sizzles, the oil is ready.

Start with the larger portion of zucchini. They’re the secret to the creamy zucchini sauce for pasta. Add half of the larger portion of zucchini. Don’t overcrowd the pan, or the slices will steam instead of fry. That’s why we fry them in two batches. Lower the heat to medium-high. If your stove has numbers, set it to 7 out of 9. In his version of spaghetti alla Nerano, Tucci fries all the zucchini in one batch. But he uses a lot of oil. We fry in two batches to use less oil. Our recipe uses about one-third of the oil Stanley Tucci uses. That saves money and leaves you with less waste. So it’s up to you. Go with Stanley Tucci’s zucchini version or try ours. Either way, you’ll end up with delicious golden zucchini ready for the sauce.

Flip the slices once they start turning golden. Move them onto a few layers of paper towels to drain the extra oil. That’s how you make sure your pasta alla Nerano doesn’t turn greasy.

Fry the second half of the portion the same way.

Now fry the smaller portion of zucchini. Cook them a little longer until they turn a darker golden brown. These add chewy bites to the zucchini spaghetti sauce. Flip once, then place them on several layers of paper towels to drain the excess oil.

Look — now you have two kinds of zucchini. The lighter ones will turn into the creamy sauce. The darker ones go in at the end for extra flavor and texture. Pat the top with another paper towel to remove any oil left on the surface.

Set them aside, and let’s focus on the pasta. In the original Stanley Tucci’s pasta with zucchini, he adds salt to the zucchini here. We skip this step because it’s easy to oversalt. There’s already salt in the pasta water and in Parmesan. That’s why we leave it out completely in our version of Stanley Tucci’s favorite pasta.

Cook pasta

Put a big pot of water on the stove. You’ll use it to cook the pasta. After the pasta is ready, don’t drain the water. It’s the main ingredient in the zucchini pasta sauce recipe. For the amount of pasta in the recipe card below, use about 1.5 liters (6 cups) of water.

Add salt to the boiling water. Check the cooking time on the package, then cook the pasta about 2 minutes less. Don’t cook it fully al dente, because you’ll finish it in the sauce. That way your pasta in creamy Nerano sauce ends up just right — not too soft, and packed with flavor. In Stanley Tucci’s spaghetti alla Nerano recipe, he cooks the pasta until al dente. We undercook it, since those last 2 minutes happen later in the sauce.

The best way is to cook the pasta and the zucchini sauce at the same time. That’s how Italians do it. But the sauce needs a lot of attention, and that can be tricky. If you’re not confident yet, no worries. Cook the pasta first. Lift it out with tongs or a strainer and place it in a colander. Cover it with a lid. Don’t rinse the pasta. This way you can focus on the sauce without rushing.

Warm pasta water keeps the sauce creamy. If it cools down, the sauce can split. So keep it warm in the pot on low heat right next to you. We’ll use it in just a bit. 

Let’s make the sauce

Now it’s time for the pasta sauce with zucchini! 

Pour olive oil into a pan and heat it on medium-high. If your stove has numbers, set it to 6 out of 9. Add the garlic cloves cut in half. Flip them once, let them release their aroma, then take them out. Why take them out? You’ve made garlic oil with a subtle aroma, and you don’t need a strong garlic taste here.

Add the lighter-fried zucchini (the larger portion). Gradually add the pasta water in about 5 to 6 rounds. The exact measurements are in the recipe card below. Six rounds might sound complicated, but it’s not. Just check the consistency in our step-by-step photos. The rule is simple: add more pasta water as soon as the water you added before has evaporated.

Add the first round of pasta water to the zucchini and stir.

Add one more round and stir again. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add black pepper and give it a stir.

Take a fork and press the zucchini rings down. Add one more round of pasta water.

You’ll see the flesh blend with the pasta water, and that’s what gives you the silky sauce. In many zucchini pasta recipes, people use a blender to turn zucchini into a creamy sauce. That feels too complicated, and not everyone has a blender. We chose an easier way to make creamy spaghetti sauce with zucchini. Just press the zucchini with a fork into the pasta water and stir.

Add another round of pasta water and stir.

Add one more round and stir again.

Finish with the last round.

Look—pasta water bubbles and blends with the zucchini. That’s exactly what you want.

The whole process, adding pasta water and pressing the zucchini, takes about 5 to 7 minutes. Next, we’ll combine the spaghetti with zucchini sauce.

Combine with the pasta and add Parmesan

Add the spaghetti to the sauce. Pour more pasta water.

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.

Important tip: this step is key in our pasta with zucchini recipe. Move the pan off the hot burner and place it on a cold stove. Don’t just turn off the heat. If the pan stays hot, the sauce can curdle when you add the Parmesan.

Add the Parmesan in 2–3 rounds, not all at once. Start with the first portion of cheese and pasta water. Stir until it blends in smoothly. 

Add the second portion of Parmesan and stir until it melts. 

Then add the last portion. Keep stirring — the cheese will melt and make the sauce creamy. Pasta Nerano is almost ready, just one last step to go!

Finally, add the darker zucchini and tear in plenty of fresh basil leaves.

Combine everything well. Once the sauce looks ready, check the texture. If it feels too thick, add a bit more pasta water. Give it one last toss. Get ready to enjoy, because your spaghetti Nerano is ready.

It’s one of the most iconic Italian zucchini recipes. If you see fresh zucchini at the grocery store, that’s a good reason to buy extra. Then you can cook this dish again and again while zucchini is in season.

Ingredients, Tips, and Mistakes You’ll Want to Avoid

What we love about Stanley Tucci’s pasta is how simple it is: just a few ingredients that taste incredible. That’s also what we believe in and why we love pasta so much. It’s the same approach we take in our recipes. We keep the ingredient list short and use items you can easily find at any grocery store.

It’s the same with this spaghetti alla Nerano recipe. The ingredients are simple and easy to find. Check the list below, and don’t miss the tips and common mistakes. That way your pasta turns out perfect every time.

Equipment

• Pot to cook the pasta
• Pan or small saucepan to fry zucchini
• Pan for the sauce
• Grater to grate the Parmesan (use the finest grater you have)
• Cutting board and knife to cut the zucchini

Ingredients

For exact measurements, check the recipe card below.

Zucchini

Zucchini is where the pasta alla Nerano recipe starts. It’s the main ingredient. Which zucchini should you choose? Go for young ones, because older zucchini can taste bitter. Pick zucchini with no seeds or only small seeds. If you use zucchini with large seeds, the sauce won’t be smooth once you combine zucchini with pasta and Parmesan — you’ll taste the seeds.

Pasta & pasta water

The delicate zucchini and cheese sauce goes best with spaghetti. It’s so much fun to swirl spaghetti with zucchini bits inside! But if you have penne or another type of pasta in your pantry, that shouldn’t stop you. Zucchini pasta sauce also works with bowties, bucatini, penne, or any pasta you like.

Don’t forget to save the pasta water. Do this in the last minutes of cooking the pasta. You’ll need it for the sauce, and you need a lot, so it’s better not to drain the pasta water at all.

Use enough salt (we recommend 1 tablespoon for every 1.5 liters / 6 cups of water). That wa, the pasta water has enough salt, and you won’t need to add extra to the zucchini pasta dish.

Sunflower oil and olive oil

For zucchini spaghetti, we use two types of oil: sunflower oil to fry the zucchini and olive oil to make the sauce. Zucchini tastes best when you fry it in plenty of oil, so check the amount in the recipe card.

If you want to fry with olive oil, that works too. Just choose refined olive oil and keep the heat at medium. We usually go for sunflower oil because you can fry on high heat and it’s quicker. Canola oil is another good option for frying zucchini. Both sunflower and canola oil have a higher smoke point. That makes them perfect for frying, even deep-frying, vegetables.

For the pasta sauce, we use extra virgin olive oil. It’s great for sauces in general and adds a lot of aroma. You’ll find the same idea in many zucchini and pasta recipes. Fry the vegetables in one oil, then finish the sauce with extra virgin olive oil. The same goes for classics like pasta alla Norma with eggplant. Fry the eggplant in sunflower oil, then finish the sauce with extra virgin olive oil.

Cheese

Spaghetti alla Nerano recipes are often made with Provolone cheese. Sometimes they use Pecorino Romano cheese instead. In some versions, you’ll even see a mix of these Italian cheeses. We tried Stanley Tucci’s zucchini pasta recipe and he uses Parmesan instead. That’s an easy cheese to find, so we didn’t overcomplicate things and went with Parmigiano Reggiano.

Don’t use pre-grated cheese. Buy a block and grate it yourself with the finest grater you have. This way, the Parmesan melts perfectly into the sauce. That’s not only true for this pasta and zucchini recipe, but for all pasta sauces. Never add pre-grated cheese — it doesn’t melt well!

Garlic, Pepper, and Basil

The seasonings are simple: black pepper, garlic, and basil. Add salt to the pasta water, but don’t add any to the zucchini and spaghetti sauce. Parmesan brings plenty of salt on its own. If you have a choice, go for freshly ground black pepper. Use garlic cloves cut in half to make a light garlic-infused olive oil. Don’t use grated garlic in this recipe — it can overpower the dish.

And don’t skip the basil. It’s essential. For us, it’s almost like a zucchini basil pasta, because you use a lot of it! Tear the basil with your hands instead of cutting it. It takes a bit longer, but the aroma in your sauce will be worth it.

That’s it! The ingredients are simple, and you can find them in your nearest grocery store — just like all our recipes. Now that we’ve covered the main ingredients for spaghetti alla Nerano, it’s time to look at the most important tips and common mistakes. Knowing the ingredients is only half the story. Avoiding mistakes is what makes the dish perfect.

Tips and Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Want perfect pasta every time? Follow these tips and avoid the mistakes.

What is the secret to creamy Nerano pasta?

• For the creamiest sauce, fry zucchini in two different ways. Take the larger portion and fry it until golden. This soft zucchini blends into the sauce. Then fry the rest, about one third, longer until brown. Those pieces add flavor and texture when you mix the zucchini in spaghetti.

• Don’t fry all the zucchini until crisp or brown. If you do, you won’t get a creamy sauce.
• Slice the zucchini about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. With this size, the larger portion stays soft inside and is perfect for the creamy sauce. 

• To build the sauce, combine the lightly fried zucchini with pasta water. Press the zucchini with a fork. Add more pasta water gradually. 
• Take the pan off the heat before you add the Parmesan. Add a little pasta water first, then add the Parmesan in rounds. Stir after each addition so it blends into a smooth, creamy fried zucchini pasta.

How to avoid greasy or soggy zucchini?

• For Italian zucchini pasta, fry zucchini in small batches over medium-high heat. Zucchini absorbs oil quickly, so don’t overcrowd the pan or the slices will turn soggy.
• Don’t let the slices brown too much. That may sound odd for fried zucchini spaghetti, but you need the larger portion soft enough for the creamy sauce. And don’t slice them too thin.
• Place the slices on paper towels right after frying. Use a few layers, because there’s a lot of zucchini and you want to absorb the excess oil.

How to make sure the zucchini sauce is sweet and tastes good?

• Every good spaghetti with zucchini recipe depends on the zucchini you use. Choose sweet, flavorful zucchini — they make all the difference. The best ones are seasonal: small, young, and naturally sweet.
• Choose zucchini with no seeds or only small seeds. Look for ones that feel firm and have glossy skin.
• Avoid large or overripe zucchini, since they can make the sauce taste bitter or bland.

​​How to make sure your pasta is not too soft and the sauce clings to it?

• In Stanley Tucci’s pasta alla Nerano, he cooks the spaghetti al dente. We recommend undercooking the pasta slightly, then adding it straight to the sauce. Let it finish cooking there.
• Don’t skip this step. Cooking the pasta in the sauce is what makes the pasta and sauce come together. The sauce will cling to the pasta. If you cook the pasta fully al dente first and then add it to the sauce, it will end up too soft.
• And never rinse the pasta. That’s not only for this pasta Nerano recipe, but for all pasta dishes where you combine pasta with the sauce. The starch on the pasta helps the sauce stick.

Origin, How to Serve & More Pasta Recipes

Now that you know all about cooking spaghetti Nerano style, let’s look at how to serve and pair it. If you’re interested in the origin, we’ve also added some fun facts about where this dish comes from. And don’t forget to check out our collection of easy and quick pasta recipes!

How to Serve and Pair

Spaghetti alla Nerano goes well with fresh salads or mains. Our favorites are veggie steak, fried halloumi, or vegetable patties. We also love serving it with grilled corn. But this dish is also filling on its own. The most important part is to serve it hot, in bowls topped with fresh basil. Basil adds so much aroma — don’t skip it.

Need more ideas? Here you go:

Crispy

Creamy pasta dishes, like this pasta with fried zucchini, pair perfectly with breadcrumbs. You can use pangrattato, the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs made from old bread. Or make seasoned breadcrumbs from plain breadcrumbs.

Fresh Salad

This is a vegetable-based pasta, so you’re already getting plenty of veggies. But a fresh salad is always a great side. Try arugula with a drizzle of olive oil, or a cucumber salad with thin cucumber slices, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Both take just a few minutes to prepare and taste amazing with this dish.

Nuts

Zucchini pairs beautifully with pine nuts. If you love a nutty crunch, toast some pine nuts on the stove with a little oil and sprinkle them on top.

Origin, Fun Facts

Want to know all about pasta alla Nerano? Let’s take a look at where it comes from.

The story of spaghetti alla Nerano begins in the fishing village of Nerano in Campania. In the 1950s, it was created by local cook Maria Grazia. The dish is still on the menu at the Maria Grazia restaurant today, and the original recipe is kept a family secret.

This humble dish became famous after Stanley Tucci shared it. He traveled through Italy and shared classic Italian recipes. But this one became a true favorite. He cooked it in the Italy series Searching for Italy, and later included it in his book. The zucchini pasta recipe Tucci shared went viral on TikTok and Instagram because everyone wanted to try it at home.

More Recipes to Try

If you love this zucchini pasta recipe, chances are you also love creamy pasta recipes. We’ve got plenty of creamy Italian pasta you’ll definitely want to try!

• 6-Min Cream Sauce for Pasta – made with simple ingredients. If you pick a quick-cooking pasta, dinner will be on the table in just 10 minutes.
• 15-Min Gigi Hadid Pasta – creamy, tomato-based, and easy to make with vodka or without.
• Pasta alla Norma – perfect if you love vegetable pasta recipes. We’ll show you the best way to prep the eggplant for this classic dish.
• Creamy Pesto Pasta – extra quick, topped with crunchy lemon breadcrumbs. They’re optional, but they add a lot of flavor and texture.

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