Spaghetti alla Nerano
Vegetarian
Thin slices of courgette fried until golden and sweet, then melted into spaghetti with provolone, Parmigiano and basil into a silky, creamy sauce.
Spaghetti alla Nerano is an Italian pasta dish from Italy, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with dried pasta, zucchini and provolone. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 15 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 638
Resting the fried courgettes with basil for 30 minutes (or overnight) deepens the flavour.
Method
Step 1
Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat to about 170 °C. Fry the courgette (opens in a new tab) slices in batches for 3–4 minutes until golden on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper, salt lightly and layer in a bowl with half the basil (opens in a new tab). Leave for 30 minutes.
- 20 min
- 170°C · oil
- medium-high heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
- Slotted spoon (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Hot oil spits when wet courgettes go in — pat the slices dry and lower them in away from you.
Step 2
Cook the spaghetti (opens in a new tab) in salted boiling water until 2 minutes short of al dente.
- 9 min
- high heat
- Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)
Salt the pasta water at about 10 g per litre — it should taste pleasantly seasoned, not like the sea.
How it looks · Photo: Gianpiero Ferraro on Pexels Step 3
Put two-thirds of the courgettes (opens in a new tab) in a wide pan with a ladle of pasta water and the butter and crush them roughly over low heat. Add the spaghetti (opens in a new tab) and another ladle of water and toss for 2 minutes until al dente.
- 3 min
- low heat
Step 4
Off the heat, add the provolone (opens in a new tab) and Parmesan (opens in a new tab) in handfuls, tossing hard with a little more pasta (opens in a new tab) water until the cheese melts into a creamy sauce. Top with the remaining courgettes (opens in a new tab), basil (opens in a new tab) and pepper (opens in a new tab).
- 2 min
About this dish
- Origin
- Nerano, Sorrento peninsula, Campania, Italy · Commonly attributedCredited to a trattoria in the fishing village of Nerano in the mid-20th century.More food from Italy
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Pasta · Main courses
- Cooking method
- Shallow-fried, Boiled
- Taste
- creamy, savoury, sweet, herby
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-proteinWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein - Cook more with
- Dried pasta · Zucchini · Provolone · Basil · Parmesan
- Techniques
- Shallow-frying · Boiling
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom provolone, parmesan, unsalted butter
- May contain: Eggsfrom dried pasta
- Contains: Wheatfrom dried pasta
- Contains: Glutenfrom dried pasta
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
638 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 352 g · recipe makes 4
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 17%
- Carbohydrate 51%
- Fat 32%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 638 kcal | 182 kcal |
| Protein | 26.8 g | 7.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 81.9 g | 23.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 76.7 g | 21.8 g |
| Sugars | 7.9 g | 2.2 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 5.2 g | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 22.6 g | 6.4 g |
| Saturated fat | 8.1 g | 2.3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 28 mg | 8 mg |
| Sodium | — | — |
| Salt equivalent | — | — |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 800 mg
- Calcium
- 401 mg
- Iron
- 4.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 103 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 115 µg
- Vitamin C
- 36 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.6 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 444 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: unsalted butter.
- Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): salt, black pepper — so sodium is shown as unknown.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Slice the courgettes evenly so they fry at the same speed.
Common mistakes
- Adding the cheese over high heat, which makes it stringy.
Storage
- Best eaten immediately; fried courgettes keep 1 day in the fridge.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Dried pasta400 g
- Zucchini800 g
- Provolone, finely grated120 g
- Parmesan, finely grated40 g
- Unsalted butter (optional)15 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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