Name: Spaghetti alla Nerano
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Italian, Nerano / Campania
Ingredients: 320 g spaghetti; 750 g small firm zucchini, sliced into 2–3 mm rounds; 180 ml extra-virgin olive oil, for frying; only a fraction remains in the finished dish; 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed; 20 g fresh basil leaves, divided; 7 g fine sea salt, plus pasta-water seasoning; 2 g freshly ground black pepper; 150 g Provolone del Monaco DOP, finely grated; 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, optional supporting cheese for a slightly milder home emulsion

Spaghetti alla Nerano: wide hero view of spaghetti coated in a creamy cheese emulsion with golden fried zucchini rounds and fresh basil

Prep15 minutes

Cook25 minutes

Total40 minutes

Yield4 servings

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The dish

About Spaghetti alla Nerano

La Cucina Italiana’s 2026 recipe identifies spaghetti alla Nerano as a Campanian dish built from spaghetti, fried zucchini, Provolone del Monaco, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper.

The dish is associated with the Maria Grazia trattoria in Nerano and 1952, while the restaurant’s exact original formula remains secret. This page therefore presents a well-documented modern method rather than claiming access to a proprietary recipe.

The zucchini are sliced thinly and fried until they just begin to turn golden. Their browned surfaces supply sweetness and depth, while the soft centres later break slightly into the pasta-water emulsion.

Provolone del Monaco is grated finely and added progressively with pasta water over low heat. High heat after the cheese enters can make it seize into strings or release oil instead of forming the characteristic creamy coating.

Fresh basil is more than garnish: some is placed with the hot fried zucchini to perfume them, then fresh leaves finish the plate. The verified photographs show visible zucchini rounds and basil within a pale glossy sauce.

Technique

Three things that matter

Fry zucchini until golden, not dark brown. The rounds need sweetness and soft centres; bitter chips produce a harsh sauce.
Reserve enough pasta water. Starch and controlled additions of water are what turn cheese and zucchini into a cream without actual cream.
Lower the heat for the cheese. Provolone added over aggressive heat can clump or split into oil.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Pasta and zucchini

320 gspaghetti
750 gsmall firm zucchinisliced into 2–3 mm rounds
180 mlextra-virgin olive oilfor frying; only a fraction remains in the finished dish
1garlic clovelightly crushed
20 gfresh basil leavesdivided
7 gfine sea saltplus pasta-water seasoning
2 gfreshly ground black pepper

Cheese emulsion

150 gProvolone del Monaco DOPfinely grated
40 gParmigiano Reggianofinely grated, optional supporting cheese for a slightly milder home emulsion

Step by step

Method

Fry and perfume the zucchini

Slice evenly. Cut zucchini into 2–3 mm rounds and pat dry.
Even thin slices should bend slightly but not be wet on the surface.
Fry in batches. Heat olive oil to about 175–180 °C and fry zucchini in small batches until light golden, 2–3 minutes. Drain well.
The edges should be golden while centres remain soft rather than crisp and brown throughout.
Season with basil. While warm, layer the zucchini with torn basil leaves and a light pinch of salt. Let stand while the pasta water comes to the boil.
The zucchini should smell strongly of basil without becoming soggy in excess oil.

Cook pasta and build the zucchini base

Boil spaghetti just short of al dente. Cook spaghetti in salted water and reserve at least 400 ml very starchy cooking water before draining about 2 minutes early.
The pasta should be flexible but distinctly firm at the core.
Warm garlic and zucchini. In a wide pan, warm 1 tablespoon of the zucchini frying oil with garlic, then discard the garlic. Add about two thirds of the zucchini and a ladle of pasta water.
Some zucchini should soften into the water while visible rounds remain.
Finish the spaghetti in the pan. Add spaghetti and toss over medium-low heat, adding small splashes of pasta water until fully al dente.
The liquid should become slightly creamy from starch and zucchini before cheese enters.

Emulsify with cheese off high heat

Lower the heat and add cheese gradually. Take the pan off direct high heat. Add Provolone del Monaco in several additions, tossing continuously and loosening with hot pasta water as needed. Add optional Parmigiano only if using.
The cheese should disappear into a glossy sauce rather than form strings or oily clumps.
Return the remaining zucchini. Fold in the remaining fried rounds so the final plate retains distinct golden pieces.
Visible slices should stay intact within the creamy coating.
Finish with basil and pepper. Add fresh basil and black pepper and serve immediately on warm plates.
The sauce should be pale and glossy, with no pool of oil around the pasta.

Practical guidance

The “original” recipe

The dish is linked with Maria Grazia in Nerano, but the exact proprietary recipe is not publicly fixed. This is a documented modern Campanian method, not a claim to reproduce a secret formula.

Provolone del Monaco

Its mature, slightly piquant character is central to the modern identity. Grate finely and keep the pan below a hard simmer when adding it.

Frying oil

Do not pour all frying oil into the pasta. Drain the zucchini well and use only enough oil to carry flavour into the final emulsion.

No cream

The creamy appearance comes from zucchini, cheese and starchy pasta water. Cream is unnecessary and changes the texture.

Troubleshooting

The cheese forms rubbery strings. The pan was too hot when Provolone was added; move off direct heat and use smaller additions with pasta water.
The sauce is oily. Too much frying oil was carried into the finishing pan or the cheese emulsion split from excessive heat.
The zucchini taste bitter. They were fried too dark; stop when light golden and soft.
The pasta is dry before serving. Nerano tightens quickly. Add a final splash of hot pasta water and serve immediately on warm plates.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 pasta course
Calories: approximately 760 kcal
Carbohydrates: 75 g
Protein: 27 g
Fat: 39 g
Fibre: 5 g
Sodium: approximately 860 mg

The estimate assumes roughly 60 ml of the frying oil is retained across four servings; actual absorption can vary substantially.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten and milk.

Keep grated cheese refrigerated until shortly before use and avoid leaving cooked pasta at room temperature for extended periods.

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours; the emulsion is best fresh, but leftovers should be reheated to 74 °C with a little water.

FAQ

Does spaghetti alla Nerano contain cream?

No. The characteristic creaminess is created by fried zucchini, grated cheese and starchy pasta water.

Which cheese is used?

Provolone del Monaco is the defining modern Campanian reference and gives the sauce its characteristic savoury, slightly piquant profile.

Why are the zucchini fried first?

Frying concentrates their flavour, browns their surfaces and softens their centres so part of the zucchini can emulsify into the pasta water.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Creamy, glossy spaghetti with golden fried zucchini rounds, basil and a savoury Provolone del Monaco emulsion, without added cream.
Key: Fry zucchini only to light gold, keep ample starchy water and lower the heat before adding finely grated cheese.