Spaghetti alla Nerano (Fried Zucchini Pasta)
Updated Jul 25, 2025, Published Apr 24, 2023
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Spaghetti alla Nerano (fried zucchini pasta) consists of lightly fried zucchini nestled in creamy provolone and parmigiano cheese-covered spaghetti. Enjoy this beautiful summertime pasta for a winning lunch or dinner. Buon appetito!
Elevate this simple meal by serving it with homemade ciabatta bread or no knead focaccia bread, and make one of my easy pasta side dishes!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Spaghetti alla Nerano is a pasta dish with flavors from Campania, This simple pasta alla nerano is popular in the Amalfi Coast, and the rest of southern and northern Italy. It is one of my favorite pasta dishes, and I know you will love it too!
The secret to this dish’s goodness lies in its incredible and appetizing creaminess and the incomparable taste of provolone cheese. While waiting to savor the typical spaghetti alla Nerano in one of the small restaurants on the Amalfi coast, I invite you to make this delicacy at home!
If you love zucchini, try other summer recipes like Easy Italian Zucchini Fritters, Shredded Zucchini Pasta, or Sauteed Italian Zucchini.
Made With Amore,
Ingredients for Spaghetti alla Nerano
This simple pasta dish reflects the simplicity of Italian cooking. It makes a beautiful and showstopping pasta dinner with only a few fresh ingredients. Grab these key ingredients, and you’ll be ready to start cooking!
- Pasta: I like to use spaghetti or linguine, as they’re the traditional choices, but you can use other shapes like penne or fusilli for a different texture. Get my tips for cooking the perfect spaghetti every time!
- Zucchini: Use thinly sliced fresh zucchini–preferably some from your garden if you grow it! Use up any extra zucchini in Roasted Zucchini with Squash and Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Bread.
- Cheese: I use a blend of Parmigiano reggiano cheese and Provolone cheese that I grate myself. There’s many reasons why you should grate your own cheese, but it mainly helps improve the flavor and texture.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Pancetta or Bacon: Add crispy, cooked pancetta or bacon for a smoky flavor.
- Different Vegetables: Try adding sautéed mushrooms, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, or roasted peppers to the pasta. If you love summer produce, you’ll definitely want to try my recipes for eggplant, zucchini, and tomato casserole and fregola sarda pasta with zucchini!
- Creamy Version: Add a splash of heavy cream or crème fraîche to the sauce for a creamier version. (Use up any leftover crème fraîche in my paccheri pasta with zucchini.)
- Vegetarian or Vegan Version: Omit the Provolone and Parmesan cheese or use a vegan alternative. However, you may not achieve the same creaminess in the sauce.
How to Make Spaghetti alla Nerano
Follow these step-by-step photos for the best results. Find the full steps and ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Use a sharp knife or mandoline to thinly slice the zucchini. This is crucial to getting perfectly crisp fried zucchini!
- Heat a generous amount of olive or sunflower oil in a deep pan until it’s very hot, then add the zucchini and fry on both sides until golden.
- Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the fried zucchini from the oil and let it drain on paper towels. Then, sauté the garlic in ¼ cup of oil for 1 minute, then add it to the zucchini.
- Cook the spaghetti (or pasta of choice) in salted water until al dente, then drain and reserve ¾ cup of the pasta water. Add the drained spaghetti to the hot, empty pot along with the zucchini and garlic.
- Add half of the reserved pasta water and half of the provolone. Stir well, then gradually add the remaining provolone and parmigiano cheese and pasta water. Mix until a creamy sauce forms.
- Serve immediately with a few slices of fried zucchini, extra grated cheese, and a touch of black pepper on top. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Pasta alla Nerano is a pasta dish from Campania (Sorrento peninsula). The original recipe was created by restaurant owner Maria Grazia in the town of Nerano in 1952. The creamy texture of the sauce comes from using provolone del monaco cheese; for this recipe, any provolone variety will work.
You may have heard of this dish from the actor Stanly Tucci, who made this dish a worldwide hit on his TV show “Searching for Italy”. Long before this dish was famous, my Italian family has loved eating it at our beach home in Sardegna using the bounty of in-season zucchini!
Spaghetti alla Nerano is a traditional Italian pasta dish that originates from the town of Nerano on the Amalfi coast in Southern Italy. This is the most authentic recipe you can find that resembles the original dish.
It’s traditional to use freshly grated provolone del monaco cheese, but any type of provolone will work beautifully in this recipe. I also add some freshly grated parmigiano cheese. Both of these cheeses add an amazing flavor and creamy texture to this easy pasta dish!
Transfer any leftover spaghetti alla Nerano to an airtight container with a lid. Make sure that the container is suitable for storing food in the refrigerator. Eat within 3-4 days.
It’s not recommended to freeze Spaghetti alla Nerano, as the texture may become mushy when reheated. Spaghetti alla Nerano is so easy to make that you can whip it up whenever you crave this easy pasta dish!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this easy Italian pasta dish with crusty bread, like this tomato focaccia with herbs, authentic Italian bread, or my crusty no knead bread with Italian bread dipping oil. Round out your meal with side dishes like my classic Italian chopped salad and creamy Italian dressing or these crispy salami antipasto cups. Don’t forget dessert! This spagehetti alla Nerano pairs perfectly with summery treats like 4-ingredient lemon posset and creamy pistachio tiramisu.
My Pro tips
Expert Tips
- Use high-quality ingredients, like freshly grated Parmesan cheese, ripe zucchini, and fresh basil. It’s the key to making a great Spaghetti alla Nerano!
- Use spaghetti or linguine pasta for this dish, as they are the traditional choices, and use good quality pasta. Cook the pasta al dente with a slight bite, then finish cooking in the pan with the zucchini and cheese.
- Coat the pasta in the sauce for the best flavor and texture.
- To get perfect crispy zucchini, cut it into thin slices and fry it until golden brown. I highly recommend using a mandoline! To prevent it from becoming soggy, avoid overcrowding the pan when frying.
- Garnish with fresh basil for the final touch to add a fresh and aromatic flavor to the dish.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes to Try
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Spaghetti alla Nerano (Fried Zucchini Pasta)
Ingredients
- 5 small fresh zucchini, thinly sliced (or 3 large zucchini)
- 1 cup provolone cheese, freshly grated
- ¼ cup parmigiano cheese, freshly grated
- ¼ cup olive oil or sunflower oil, plus extra for frying
- ¼ cup fresh basil, torn by hand
- salt, for pasta water and seasoning zucchini
- 2 garlic cloves, whole
- 14 ounces spaghetti, or pasta of choice
- ¾ cup reserved pasta water
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Thinly slice the zucchini with a mandoline or sharp knife. Set out a plate lined with paper towels and set it aside.
- Finely grate the provolone and parmigiano cheese. Set the grated cheese aside.
- Pour a generous amount of olive or sunflower oil into a deep pan or skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, turn the heat to medium-low and fry the zucchini in batches until it's golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a paper towel, and sprinkle the zucchini with torn basil leaves and salt.
- Add the ¼ cup of olive or sunflower oil to a pan and heat over medium heat, then add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat, remove the garlic, and add it to the fried zucchini. Reserve a few sliced zucchini for garnish.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the pasta and cook it according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the past and set aside ¾ cup of pasta cooking water.
- Add the drained spaghetti, the zucchini-garlic mixture, half of the reserved pasta cooking water, and half the provolone to the hot, empty pot you used to cook the pasta and stir to combine.
- Gradually add the rest of the pasta cooking water, the remaining provolone, and the parmigiano cheese, stirring constantly until it forms a creamy sauce. This may take a couple of minutes of stirring; if needed, turn the heat to low to warm up the cheese a bit.
- Serve immediately with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, extra cheese, and a few fried zucchini slices on top.
Notes
- Use high-quality ingredients, like freshly grated cheese, ripe zucchini, and fresh basil. It’s the key to making a great Spaghetti alla Nerano!
- Use spaghetti or linguine pasta for this dish, as they are the traditional choices, and use good quality pasta. Cook the pasta al dente with a slight bite, then finish cooking in the pan with the zucchini and cheese.
- Coat the pasta in the sauce for the best flavor and texture.
- To get perfect crispy zucchini, cut it into thin slices and fry it until golden brown. I highly recommend using a mandoline! To prevent it from becoming soggy, avoid overcrowding the pan when frying.
- Garnish with fresh basil for the final touch to add a fresh and aromatic flavor to the dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This pasta was sooooo delicious! I have a TON of zucchini, wanted to try something new, and this was it! The fried zucchini really made the dish. The dish was so perfectly seasoned. The whole family loved it! Thank you!
Yay! It is a delicious recipe with depth of flavor and texture, yet so simple in nature. I’m happy you could use some of your zucchini for it.
I love pasta with zucchini – frying the zucchini takes it up a notch! I added in cooked, chopped bacon at the end so that it stayed crispy! Yum!
Wow, love the addition of the bacon. Delicious!
Family loved this!
Thrilled to hear that!
Fantastic! I saw the Tucci episode where this was featured and thought it fantastic. I fried zucchini in shallow oil in skillet as I do not care to deep fry anything. Caterpillars ate my basil overnight, so used pesto. new stand of basil coming on. Will be making this often.
Glad to find this recipe.
Happy you loved it! Yes, a light frying of the zucchini works great.