Oatmeal cake that is tasty and moist, with a broiled coconut topping.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs |
| Total Time: | 8 hrs 55 mins |
| Servings: | 2 |
Ingredients
- 1 quart sunflower oil, or as needed
- 6 medium green zucchini
- 4 ounces spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Place sunflower oil in a deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds.
- Add some zucchini to the hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a single layer on paper towels to drain and repeat to cook remaining zucchini. Let zucchini cool to room temperature.
- Transfer cooled zucchini to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it’s 2 minutes away from being tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 10 minutes.
- As you are cooking the spaghetti, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to release juices, soften, and break down, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a couple splashes of the pasta water to the zucchini, but don’t overdo it. Break zucchini into small pieces with the edge of a spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to low and toss in basil and butter; stir until butter melts.
- Grab spaghetti with tongs and transfer it right into the sauce; stir until coated. Mix in Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Add a final splash of pasta water and adjust salt if needed.
- Serve with more grated cheese and fresh basil.
- Use any zucchini from your garden, different types and sizes are fine.
- If your deep fryer is small, you can use a Dutch oven instead and fry more at a time.
- You can add a clove of minced garlic when making the sauce if you want.
- Use grated Provolone del Monoco cheese if you can find it. I used 1/2 Parmesan cheese and 1/2 Toma cheese.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. Amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 1016 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 63 g |
| Cholesterol | 57 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Protein | 23 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Sodium | 479 mg |
| Sugars | 12 g |
| Fat | 78 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
For those who changed it up and then said it wasn’t that good – well you missed out. I had the real deal in Italy, and it is absolutely one of the best things I ever tasted. I bought the Provolone del Monaco cheese while I was there just to recreate this dish at home. Don’t change a thing (although you might have to substitute a different cheese) because there is magic in how you fry the zucchini and put it all together.
As a fellow chef, I totally agree with you on the deep-frying aspect of this recipe. And as is – the way you have done it just doesn’t come out as satisfying as Stanley would have you believe. But I fixed it by grilling the zucchini lightly tossed in olive oil on a gas BBQ until browned similar to the deep fry method – it is 1000 times better. My 4yo and 7yo agreed – so, hard to argue with that!
Excellent. I was prepared to say this just wasn’t all that – because honestly, how could it be? Zucchini? Really? But I am delighted to confirm that this is, indeed, a surprisingly tasty pasta. It’s not a difficult recipe – but it is a little time consuming, having to fry in batches and wait until the next day. But there is some sort of alchemy at work here that transforms the sauce into something creamy and rich – and absolutely worth the effort. I’ll make this again.
What a waste of time, energy and fresh zucchini. I regret my time and the ingredients all wasted.
“Life changing”? Hardly. Prepared as directed. It is a decent and even a nice change of pace as far as pasta goes, but “the best thing I have ever eaten”? Not even close. The juice is not worth the squeeze.
Pasta alla Tucci was phenomenal! Made to recipe description, no garlic and extra butter and also made fresh pasta as well.
I have my version of pasta (angel hair preferred) and zucchini and love it so thought I’d give this a try. While not vastly different, there are a couple of steps that I thought would make a big difference but while I followed this recipe to the letter, I was really underwhelmed and a bit disappointed. IMO, it was more work and extra time with much less of a payoff.
I dried the zucchini using the warming setting on a piece of parchment on a pizza stone in my oven. Sounds like a lot, but it wasn’t – way easier than all of that deep frying – I gave it a spray of olive oil before starting. It took probably 6 hours at 160, tossing it around every hour or so. If you have an air fryer or dehydrator, you know it can take less time. I cut down on the butter and cheese and just let the taste of the zucchini shine through – it is a wonderful recipe. To note: I had seen Tucci going crazy on his Italy show before leaving for a trip to Italy. I was served this dish in Positano last week. My son married and instead of a big wedding, he and his wife opted to rent a villa and took both families on their honeymoon – I know good son/crazy son. This was served as the second course at his wedding dinner at 8:00 under the stars on fine china on the villa main patio. Pure magic, I had to recreate it but I HATE deep frying! Try it you will enjoy the sweetness of the zucchini in a way you didn’t know zucchini could taste.
It’s usually the simplest ingredients that produce big flavors. Two parts Pecorino Romano to one part Parmigiano Reggiano. Refrigerating the fried zucchini makes all the difference. Made this previously but didn’t refrigerate the zucchini.
I really like this. I’m not big on oil but just decreased it. It’sa treat and different than usual speghetti or Alfredo.tomorrow I’m actually pairing it with my creamy Alfredo and think it will be just as good as without. This is a versatile addition to any pasta dish and adds just the right twist!
I made a change, however, that created a significant decrease in the mess of frying. I coated the zucchini slices with oil and then I spread them on a baking sheet and baked them in a 360 degree oven until the right color/texture. I then proceeded with the recipe. FABULOUS!
Okay, this is the best pasta I have ever eaten! It almost has a nutty flavor and a creamy consistency. Sooooo good. And if you have an abundance of zucchini in your garden, this is a must!
Way too greasy. And actually, too much work. But it was tasty.
It was excellent! Instead of frying the zucchini, I sliced it thin and baked it on a cookie sheet. In the last 10 min I turned on the broiler to crisp it up a little. Turned out great.
Thank you for making such a straight forward video. I’ve eaten the pasta at Lo Scoglio and this is dead on. Not as good as theirs but for homemade pretty close! It’s heaven.
Excellent flavor and mouth feel, but was extremely heavy in the stomach due to deep frying, zucchini to pasta ratio seemed a smidge too high, and it took a really long time to fry all of that zucchini, which needs to be deep brown in order to achieve necessary flavor & texture. I can usually get a great caramelization when grilling zucchini so next time, I will cut zucchini in lengthwise strips, toss with some olive oil, and grill in that first step. I would also reduce zucchinis used – maybe 3 zucchinis to every 4 oz. of pasta.
Super delicious pasta and relatively simple. I did have to cook the zucchini in the pan much longer than chef john to get it to break down. It is definitely a pain to fry that much zucchini the day before especially in a small fryer. I am glad I tried it and at least it was tasty but can’t see making it regularly.
Was good but I felt the time it took to make it was not worth the results. It was very good eating.
Straightforward simple and tasty. I added half a chicken stock cube just to enhance the flavours a bit.
Simple but extraordinary. SO good.
Fantastic. Made it with Banza pasta. This will be in regular rotation