My creamy vegan zucchini pasta is a light, fresh, and dairy-free take on the classic spaghetti alla Nerano. Rounds of zucchini are lightly pan-fried in olive oil, then half of them are blended with pasta water, lemon, and garlic. This creates a beautifully creamy sauce! Top this simple pasta dinner with homemade vegan parmesan, lemon zest, or chopped herbs.
I’ve come up with a few original and creative vegan pasta recipes in the years since I’ve been writing about food.
As time goes by, however, I’m pulled increasingly to the classics.
This means that I’m rarely inventing a pasta dish so much as reinterpreting one. Very often, I’m putting a plant-based spin on a pasta dish that isn’t traditionally vegan.
Today’s light and creamy vegan zucchini pasta is a good example.
Searching for spaghetti alla Nerano
For those of you who are already wondering, yes: I first knew that I wanted to make this dish as I was watching Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy.
In the first episode of the first season of that show, Tucci travels to Naples and the Amalfi coast.
At the end of the episode, he introduces readers to one of his favorite pasta dishes, spaghetti alla Nerano at a restaurant called La Scoglio da Tommaso.
The restaurant’s version looks incredible; I wanted to reach through my TV screen with a fork when I first watched the episode.
But pasta alla Nerano isn’t only a specialty at La Scoglio, and in fact another restaurant in Nerano, Maria Grazia, is credited with it’s invention.
Now pasta alla Nerano a beloved recipe in many home kitchens in Italy. Thanks to Tucci’s show, it has only become more popular in the last few years.
A fresh take on zucchini pasta
So what makes my zucchini pasta distinct from the recipe that Tucci raved about—aside from it’s being vegan, of course?
In Searching for Italy, Tucci makes a big point about how important it is that the zucchini rounds in pasta alla Nerano be deep fried.
After frying, they rest, releasing some of their juices. Everything, cooked vegetable and liquid, is added to the pasta later.
Even if I had space for a deep fryer, the chances of me deep frying anything in my tiny studio apartment (and dealing with the lingering smells) are NIL.
For my own vegan zucchini pasta, I had to find another way.
Bending (not breaking) tradition
I spent a lot of time reading about spaghetti alla Nerano. Most of what I read suggested that deep frying, or at least pan frying in a healthy amount of oil, was absolutely crucial to the recipe’s success.
At first I was a little discouraged, but I kept my resolve. Any home cook knows that there are times when tradition must be followed, yet it often pays to bend the rules.
For example, when I was testing my vegan pasta alla vecchia bettola—aka the greatest pasta alla vodka recipe of all time—I followed the Nick & Toni’s recipe (via Ina Garten) almost to a tee.
But I swapped cashew cream for regular cream, which made all the difference.
And for this vegan spaghetti alla Nerano, I made a few key changes:
- Light pan-frying, rather than deep-frying the zucchini
- Per numerous spaghetti alla Nerano variation recipes: creating a silky pasta sauce with pasta water and some of the cooked zucchini—this helps to preserve richness in the dish without deep frying!
- Optional, homemade vegan parmesan cheese in place of regular parmesan
Did it work?
Well, in fairness, I’ve never had the traditional pasta alla Nerano that inspired this recipe.
But if the intention is a zucchini pasta that’s creamy, yet still wonderfully light on its feet, made with a few simple ingredients, and delicious to eat, then I succeeded.
I love this pasta’s freshness and simplicity so much.
How to make vegan zucchini pasta
I should offer you the warning that this recipe is very simple, but as far as pastas go, it isn’t ultra-quick.
Of course, it’s not as involved as a vegan pasta bake or spinach lasagna rolls or lasagna. But it’s not a flash-in-the-pan pasta recipe, either.
Actually pan-frying your zucchini rounds will take a little time. You really want them to brown a bit, so try to be patient and resist the urge to rush them.
The rest of the recipe is as simple as can be. And the ingredient list is nice and short. Here are the steps.
Step 1: Slice your zucchini into rounds
The zucchini should be sliced crosswise into thin rounds: think 1/16-inch / 2mm.
Step 2: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
Let the water heat up as you take care of cooking the zucchini.
Step 3: Pan-fry your zucchini
This step is the heavy lift. Heat some olive oil in a skillet. You’ll start by pan-cooking two cloves of garlic, which will infuse their flavor into the oil. This is good! It will help to flavor the zucchini.
Next, lightly fry the zucchini, working in a single layer the whole time.
The slices will need about four minutes per side. They should be browning nicely, but not burnt to a crisp.
Once the batch of zucchini slices is ready, you can transfer them to a plate that’s been lined with paper towels or tea towels.
Season the rounds generously with salt and pepper, then keep cooking the next batch, till the zucchini is all pan-fried.
Step 4: Make the sauce
Meanwhile, whenever the pasta water does boil, you’ll have added your spaghetti. Cook it according to your preferred texture (most recipes call for al dente, but I like a slightly softer pasta).
Very important: when you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve 1 1/4 cups / 300ml of salted pasta cooking water. You’ll need all of it to finish the dish.
Transfer three-quarters of a cup of cooked zucchini, half a cup of reserved pasta water, some garlic that cooked with the zucchini, and a squeeze of lemon juice to a blender.
Blend until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.
Step 5: Finish the pasta
Finally, you’ll transfer the sauce, your cooked pasta, and all of the remaining cooked zucchini slices back to your skillet.
Add a big splash of additional pasta water and heat the zucchini pasta through. Keep adding water until the pasta is creamy and saucey and a lovely light green color. Taste it and adjust salt, pepper, and lemon to taste.
That’s it: the pasta is ready to serve. I like to top it with some of my cashew parmesan, of course, but some chopped fresh mint or basil is also a really nice touch.
Do I have to use spaghetti?
No, you don’t!
I love making this dish with spaghetti or fettuccine, and most pasta alla Nerano recipes I’ve seen do call for a long pasta shape.
However, I can confirm that I’ve now made the pasta with penne and fusilli, and both of those worked well, too.
If you eat gluten-free, then you can also use a gluten-free pasta in the recipe.
Meal prep & storage
You can certainly store whatever vegan zucchini pasta leftovers you have in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a few days. It makes about 3-4 servings.
That said, this is one of a very few of my recipes that isn’t super well suited to meal prep. I think the pasta tastes best, and has the best texture, when it’s freshly cooked.
If you have an opportunity to make it, share it, and savor it right away, then go for it.
Light and Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta
Author –
Yields: 4 servings
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 medium large zucchini (1lb / 450g)
- salt
- 8 ounces spaghetti (or another long or medium pasta shape of choice)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- cashew parmesan cheese (optional, for serving)
- chopped fresh mint or basil leaves (optional, for serving)
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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Trim the zucchini and slice them crosswise into thin (1/16-inch / 2mm) rounds.
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While the water is coming to a boil, heat the olive in a large, wide skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic cloves to the oil and allow them to sizzle in the oil for 3-5 minutes, or until browning lightly. This will infuse the oil with the garlic flavor. Remove the cloves from the oil, reserving them.
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Add the zucchini slices to the skillet in a single layer. Pan fry the slices till browning all over, about 4 minutes per side, flipping as you go. When the slices are nicely browned, but not burnt, transfer them to a large plate or platter lined with paper towels and season them generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. Repeat this process with all of the remaining zucchini slices.
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When the pasta water comes to a boil, add the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions, until it’s your preferred texture. Reserve 1 1/4 cups / 300ml of the pasta cooking water.
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Transfer 3/4 cup of the cooked zucchini, 1/2 cup / 120ml of the pasta water, the reserved garlic cloves, and the lemon juice to a blender and blend till smooth.
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Add the cooked spaghetti, the blended sauce, and all of the remaining cooked zucchini slices to the skillet and fold the ingredients together. Add as much of the remaining pasta water as is needed until the pasta dish is coated in a light, creamy sauce. Taste the spaghetti and add additional salt, freshly ground black pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste.
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Divide the cooked pasta onto plates or into bowls. Top each portion with cashew parmesan cheese and/or chopped herbs, if you like. Serve.
Leftover portions of pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
So much is written about how Italian cuisine, and pasta recipes in particular, are characterized by simplicity.
Simple, fresh, quality ingredients. Unfussy, yet delightful results.
I think that this vegan zucchini pasta is a perfect example of that. Maybe Mr. Tucci would agree—and in any case, I hope that you’ll agree!
xo
