{"id":10907,"date":"2026-08-03T20:48:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T20:48:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/?p=10907"},"modified":"2026-08-03T20:48:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T20:48:40","slug":"pasta-with-pecorino-zucchini-sauce-and-basil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/pasta-with-pecorino-zucchini-sauce-and-basil\/","title":{"rendered":"Pasta with Pecorino-Zucchini Sauce and Basil"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/div>\n\t<\/g><\/svg><\/span> Print Recipe<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n

<\/span>Pasta with Pecorino-Zucchini Sauce and Basil<\/span><\/h2>\n
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From Italy\u2019s Amalfi Coast, pasta alla nerano features long, thin pasta tossed with a velvety sauce made with pureed zucchini. It\u2019s an elegant yet easy dish that\u2019s luxurious but not heavy.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Total Time<\/span>40 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>4<\/span> to 6<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n
Author: <\/span>Christopher Kimball – Milk Street<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/span>Ingredients<\/span><\/h3>
  • 1\u00bd<\/span> lb<\/span> medium zucchini<\/span><\/li>
  • 1<\/span> lb<\/span> spaghetti OR bucatini<\/span><\/li>
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper<\/span><\/li>
  • 3<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> extra-virgin olive oil<\/span> plus more to serve<\/span><\/li>
  • 3<\/span> medium garlic cloves<\/span> smashed and peeled<\/span><\/li>
  • 2<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> salted butter<\/span> cut into 2 pieces<\/span><\/li>
  • 2<\/span> oz<\/span> pecorino Romano cheese<\/span> finely grated (1 cup), plus more to serve<\/span><\/li>
  • \u00bd<\/span> cup<\/span> lightly packed fresh basil<\/span> chopped<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n

    <\/span>Instructions<\/span><\/h3>
    • Thinly slice the zucchini on the diagonal. Stack several slices and cut lengthwise into matchsticks. Repeat with the remaining slices; set the zucchini aside.<\/div><\/li>
    • In a large pot, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and 2 teaspoons salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve about 1\u00bd cups of the cooking water, then drain; set aside.<\/div><\/li>
    • In the same pot, combine the oil and garlic. Cook over medium, stirring, until the garlic is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to a small plate, then add the zucchini to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is lightly browned and soft enough to mash with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Add half of the zucchini to a blender along with the garlic and \u00bd cup reserved pasta water. Puree until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds.<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n

      <\/span>Notes<\/span><\/h3>
      In this recipe from our cookbook \u201c Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,\u201d we use a minimal amount of water to cook the pasta, then blend some of the starchy liquid with tender saut\u00e9ed zucchini and golden garlic to create a creamy consistency without cream. Cooking pasta in less water than typically called for concentrates the starches that leach out of the noodles. That super-starched liquid can be used to create silkier, creamier sauces without the need for added dairy.<\/span><\/span>
      <\/div>\nLook for zucchini that are medium in size, or that weigh about 8 ounces each, as larger zucchini can be too seedy. Medium zucchini yield matchsticks of a good length for the dish. And be sure to seek out a chunk of pecorino and grate it yourself. The flavor will be fresher and fuller than cheese that\u2019s purchased already grated.<\/span><\/span>
      <\/div>\nIf you own an immersion blender, it works well for making the zucchini-garlic puree; simply transfer the ingredients to a medium bowl and blend. When smooth, return the mixture to the pot. Cook and toss with the drained pasta, butter, pecorino, basil and additional pasta water until the mixture is creamy and the pasta is lightly sauced, adding more pasta water as needed if the mixture looks thick and dry.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[136,2881,2506,179,2505,4440,138,1712],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entree","category-boiled","category-dinner","category-italian","category-lunch","category-pasta","category-stir-fry","category-vegetarian"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image_2026-08-03_164219521.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10907"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10909,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10907\/revisions\/10909"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}