Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini Pasta with basil is a must-make recipe with excess zucchini. Inspired by the now-famous spaghetti al Nerano of Ristorante Lo Scoglio on the Almalfi coast (and made famous by Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy).Excerpted from Italian Coastal, by Amber Guinness© Thames & Hudson Australia 2024Text © Amber GuinnessReprinted by permission of Thames & Hudson Inc
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) zucchini
- Olive oil, for pan-frying and to serve
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 large bunch of basil, leaves picked and roughly torn
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb spaghetti or linguine
- 5 oz parmesan, ~2/3 cup, finely grated, plus extra to serve
Instructions
- Chop the tops and bottoms off the zucchini and separate into two equal piles. Cut one pile into rounds about 2 mm (1⁄16 inch) thick. Grate the rest of the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater (if you don’t have one, cut into fine matchsticks).
- Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat and gently fry the garlic and chili for a couple of minutes. Once the garlic starts sizzling, add the zucchini discs and toss with the oil and garlic, making sure they are all well coated. Leave the zucchini to fry for 5 minutes before turning to cook on the other side for a further 10 minutes, tossing occasionally. You want the discs to brown.
- Add the grated zucchini, basil (reserving a little for garnish), another 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes, then pour in half a glass of water (about 150 ml/5 fl oz). Reduce the heat and leave to cook gently while you prepare the pasta.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, give it a good stir so that it doesn’t stick together, and cook until al dente according to package instructions.
- Halfway through the pasta cooking time, add a couple of ladlefuls of the starchy pasta water to the zucchini mixture; increase the heat slightly to allow the water to amalgamate into the sauce.
- Drain the pasta (reserving a mugful of the cooking water in case you need it), then add to the zucchini sauce with a drizzle of olive oil and toss to combine. Remove from heat and add in the parmesan cheese, tossing continuously until well combined. Top with extra parmesan, a few grinds of pepper and the reserved basil. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 487kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 20gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 400mgPotassium: 637mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 567IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 327mgIron: 2mg