🇮🇹 Italian · Pasta
🍝 Spaghetti alla Nerano
Spaghetti alla Nerano
Born on the Amalfi Coast in the tiny bay of Nerano, this pasta layers fried zucchini into a creamy sauce built from their own cooking oil, butter, and a generous amount of melting provolone.
Legend places the dish's invention at a single restaurant in Nerano in the 1950s, where thinly fried zucchini rounds are worked into a sauce so silky it seems to contain cream, though the richness comes entirely from cheese, butter, and the zucchini's own oil.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large pot, Deep frying pan, Large sauté pan, Slotted spoon
- 400 g (14 oz) spaghetti
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) firm zucchini, thinly sliced
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 200 g (2 cups) provolone del Monaco or a mild provolone, grated
- 40 g (½ cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- A few fresh basil leaves
- Salt, to taste
Method
- Fry the zucchini slices in batches in hot vegetable oil until golden, then drain on paper towels, reserving a little of the frying oil.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until very al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, warm a little of the reserved zucchini oil with the butter in a wide pan and add most of the fried zucchini, mashing some of it lightly to help it melt into a sauce base.
- Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of cooking water, and add it to the pan with a splash of the water.
- Remove from the heat and toss vigorously while adding the provolone and Parmigiano gradually, allowing the residual heat to melt the cheese into a creamy sauce without becoming stringy or clumping.
- Fold in the reserved whole zucchini slices and torn basil, plate, and serve immediately.
Chef Tips
- Working the cheese in off the direct heat, gradually, is essential to avoid a greasy, separated sauce.
- Keep some zucchini slices whole for texture, mashing only a portion into the sauce.
- A good melting provolone is non-negotiable here — the cheese carries the whole dish.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding all the cheese at once over high heat, which can cause it to seize and clump instead of melting smoothly.
- Under-seasoning the zucchini, which needs a good amount of salt while frying to develop real flavor.
- Using watery, out-of-season zucchini, which won't fry as well or contribute enough flavor to the sauce.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Zucchini provides fiber, potassium, and vitamin C.
- A good source of calcium from the generous cheese content.
Cultural Note
The dish takes its name from Nerano, a small bay near Massa Lubrense on the Sorrentine Peninsula, and remains most closely tied to the restaurant Maria Grazia, where it is said to have first been served.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Best eaten fresh; the sauce does not hold or reheat particularly well.
Reheating: Gently in a pan with a splash of water, stirring constantly to keep the sauce from breaking.
Serve with: A crisp white wine from the Amalfi Coast, such as Falanghina