A few years ago, I needed something to watch during a long trip so I downloaded the first season of Stanley Tucci’s, “Searching for Italy.” It’s now on MAX, have you seen it? Anyway, I didn’t even finish episode 1! I had to turn it off because all the food looked incredible and my appetite was going bananas! But… near the end of that episode, a featured dish served on the Amalfi coast named spaghetti alla Nerano took up permanent residence in my brain. I loved the simplicity of the ingredient list, and wanted to see if it was also easy to make. Let’s be honest, easy recipes are the best recipes!
My birthday was yesterday, so using that to my advantage, I kindly asked my dad if he’d like to make another cooking video with me… for my birthday! I told him about the spaghetti alla Nerano with my added tweak idea, and he actually agreed! My tweak? I wanted to add a bit of protein the best way I know how… cheese! Ricotta cheese gives the dish a creamy texture without the added fat. Also – did you know zucchinis are quite popular in the summer? Lately, I can’t go anywhere without seeing or hearing about a zucchini. Which is what took my mind back to that dish I saw on “Searching for Italy” and why I wanted to share it with you here!
Guilt free & simple Italian food, mangia!
All items purchased from Trader Joe’s!
Notes:
*I know the zucchini is deep fried in sunflower oil, but it’s a healthy oil.
**If you’re wondering why the recipe calls for sunflower oil, I found a great explanation here. Basically, sunflower oil is a more neutral flavored oil, compared to olive oil which has a distinct flavor. Using the neutral oil helps bring out the natural flavoring of the zucchini, which is the star of the dish!
***If you’re on a gluten free/lower carb diet – I recommend substituting the spaghetti for the harts of palm pasta from Trader Joe’s. We tried it out, and it was still just as delicious as the spaghetti dish!
Pasta with Zucchini in Ricotta Sauce
Ingredients
- Sunflower oil for deep-frying
- 6 medium zucchini thinly sliced
- 14 ounces spaghetti or pasta of choice option to substitute Harts of Palm Pasta, from Trader Joe's (low carb, gluten free)
- 1 spoonful butter Optional: use for added decadence
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
Ricotta Sauce
- 1 cup 8 ounces ricotta
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano parmesan cheese grated
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest & juice use generously
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a generous amount of sunflower oil in a deep saucepan or wok.Sunflower oil for deep-frying
- Slice the zucchini into super super thin rounds and then deep fry in the hot oil until they begin to turn golden. Drain the zucchini with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl and leave in the fridge to rest and soften for at least 2 hours.6 medium zucchini
- When you are ready to prepare the dish, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve some of the cooking water for the next step.14 ounces spaghetti or pasta of choice
- Heat the rested zucchini in a large frying pan along with 2 ladles of the spaghetti cooking water and season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired.Salt, Freshly ground black pepper
- Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan with the zucchini. Remove the pan from the heat, add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (add optional butter if desired) and toss everything together well.Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 spoonful butter
- RICOTTA SAUCE - Combine all ingredients for Ricotta Sauce in a separate bowl, then add to pasta dish.1 cup 8 ounces ricotta, 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest & juice, salt and pepper to taste
- Divide into 4 portions, sprinkle each bowl with more Parmigiano-Reggiano and top with a few fresh basil leaves before serving.1 bunch fresh basil leaves
Please let me know if you end up making this dish, or any variation. It’s a great reason to put all those summer zucchinis to use. Wishing you the best week, I hope you love this dish as much as we did! Mangia!!
