June 30, 2026
This zucchini pasta is a nod to one of the most memorable meals I enjoyed on my recent trip to Italy: a post-Pompeii tour lunch (hurrah—not a skinned knee or sprained ankle between us!) with wine pairings at Casa Setaro, a lovely winery nestled right under Mount Vesuvius. A driver suggested it to us, and it turned out to be one of those unexpected, wonderful travel experiences you end up talking about long after the trip is over. The pasta we were served was hand-rolled Fusilli alla Nerano, which, unbeknownst to me at the time, is Stanley Tucci’s favorite pasta dish (his is technically Spaghetti alla Nerano), and I wholeheartedly agree with him. I would gladly fly the 10-plus hours again just for another bowl of their handmade pasta with fried zucchini and provola.
I have no idea exactly how the original was made, but its simplicity left such an impression that I knew, the moment I got home to my kitchen, I had to try to recreate some of its tangy, creamy deliciousness. It’s wonderfully simple—zucchini, herbs, and cheese—and it’s definitely going into our summer family dinner rotation.
Side note: I’m convinced this region’s food is so delicious in large part because everything is made for local consumption rather than shipped to distant places, which means there’s no need for preservation during transport or adherence to, ahem… certain guidelines. From olive oil to dairy products, the result is flavor that shines in simple preparations. It makes sense that so much of the regional cooking relies on just a few key ingredients when those ingredients are this essential—and this delicious.
For the dish, I started by slicing a few young zucchinis I picked up at the farmers market (I’m still waiting for my garden crop). I sprinkled the slices with a little sea salt and let them sit for about 10 minutes before patting them dry and frying them. This step helps draw out some of the moisture, ensuring the zucchini fries up beautifully. I used a combination of olive oil and algae oil, which has a higher smoke point, and fried the zucchini in batches.
While the pasta cooked in well-salted water, I started the sauce with a bit of garlic, generous amounts of butter, the fried zucchini, a little pasta water, and a mix of basil and mint. Once the pasta was almost done, I transferred it directly into the sauce using a spider, along with a bit more pasta water, and continued cooking it there. Then I stirred in the cheeses, mixing vigorously until the sauce turned creamy and the pasta was perfectly cooked through.
A note on the cheese: The cheese in the original dish was creamy, slightly earthy, occasionally smoky, and deeply tangy. To achieve that balance, I used a mix of Parmesan and a little scamorza (I found it at Pavilions—shocking, I know), a smoked mozzarella that’s similar to the regional cheese from that area called provola. I also used a younger Parmesan, which added a nice freshness. Together, the cheeses felt like a good way to recreate some of the flavors and textures I remembered.
As for the pasta, in the spirit of sourcing more locally, I have recently discovered a Santa Barbara-based brand called Pasta Santina. The original dish was made with fresh hand-rolled fusilli—which I will tackle sometime soon—but for this recipe, I used a shape called Vorti-cee. (A spiralized cut traditionally known as girelle or vesuvio, which felt especially fitting given the inspiration.) It also happened to be excellent at soaking up every bit of the delicious sauce.
