Ilaria’s Spaghetti alle Zucchine

Light, fresh and bursting in flavor, this easy authentic Italian spaghetti with zucchini recipe is the perfect meal for busy weekday lunches or dinners.

This dish brings fond memories of when my wife and I were on a trip to Italy, and my dear friend Ilaria invited us to an authentic homemade dinner at her house in the fabulous city of Rome.

It was May’s (my wife) birthday, and we wanted to have a little celebration with Ilaria and her friends. She cooked the most amazing meal for us—this spaghetti was on the menu that night along with other unforgettable, colorful and delicious Italian dishes.

This recipe is very popular in the city of Salerno in Southern Italy, which Ilaria is proud to be from. While she does not like to take credit for it since it is a very old and popular recipe in the South of Italy, I think a lot of credit goes to Ilaria for preserving her heritage and sharing it with us.

The original recipe is called Spaghetti alla Nerano. Nerano is an amazing place on the coast between Positano and Sorrento—google it. It’s Heaven!

Ingredients Needed:

This is a very simple recipe with a few ingredients: spaghetti, zucchini, olive oil, garlic cloves, fresh basil, grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

While the original recipe calls for Provolone del Monaco cheese—very local to the Nerano area—we will use Pecorino or Parmesan instead.

How to Cook Spaghetti alle Zucchine

Start by slicing the zucchini into thin rounds. Use a sharp knife or a mandolin slicer. Fry in a pan with olive oil in batches to get them nicely fried and well cooked (almost like chips). Remove from oil and place the zucchini on a kitchen paper towel and sprinkle with some salt.

In a deep pot, start cooking the spaghetti in boiling water; cook it “al dente” by following the instructions on the package.

In a large pan add some olive oil and fry the garlic for a minute. As soon as it starts changing color, add the zucchini and cook for another minute.

Add your pasta to the pan with zucchini and mix gently to combine. Season with some more salt and a pinch of pepper; add grated Pecorino or Parmesan and gently mix. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water from the cooked pasta to bring everything in the pan together.

Serve in a plate with freshly chopped basil and more cheese. I added a tablespoon of lemon zest and some dried chili flakes, but that is completely optional.

What to Have with Spaghetti alle Zucchine

Any salad works well with this recipe, and if you are in the mood for a full Italian themed dinner, I highly recommend these colorful salads
Tomato Burrata Salad
Beet Arugula Salad

Variations

This recipe is a great base for several variations. You can add:

• shrimp, salmon, mussels or even tuna, fresh or from a can (do not add cheese with these variations).
• vegetable medley of eggplant and sweet red peppers with the zucchini—fry all the vegetables separately and follow the same recipe as above (with Parmesan). In this version you can potentially add cherry tomatoes.