After seeing Stanley Tucci's zucchini pasta recipe on television, I knew I had to make this super simple but totally decadent pasta dish at home. The pasta water mixed with Parmesan cheese and butter creates a simple, lush sauce over long strands of noodles.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword zucchini pasta
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 40 minutesminutes
Total Time 50 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 688kcal
Ingredients
sunflower oil for frying
6medium zucchini
kosher salt
2tablespoons olive oil
16ouncesspaghetti or linguine
freshly ground black pepper
1cupgrated Parmesan cheese
2tablespoonsbutter
1bunch fresh basil leaves
Instructions
In a heavy bottom pot, bring ½ to 1 quart of sunflower oil to 350°F.
Slice the zucchini into thin rounds. In batches, fry the zucchini in the hot oil until they turn blistered and golden, about 5-7 minutes per batch. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the zucchini to a bowl or plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all of the zucchini is fried. Refrigerate the zucchini for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.
When 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 1 cup of the pasta cooking water to make the sauce.
In a large frying pan over medium-high, add the olive oil and heat the rested zucchini with 2 ladles of the warm spaghetti cooking water, stirring well until saucy. Season with a few pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan with the zucchini, tossing well to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese then toss everything together well. Stir in the butter and more water as needed to enrich the sauce.
Add more Parmesan and top with a fresh basil leaves before serving.