Stanley Tucci’s Pasta With Zucchini Is the Ultimate Summer Dinne

Updated at: Mon, 11 Sep 2023 22:36:55 GMT

Step 1

To serve four to six, you'll need

Step 2

Add the olive oil to a large skillet, just enough to lightly coat the bottom. Set it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is rippling but not smoking, add the zucchini and cook for three to four minutes on each side or until golden brown. You will need to do this in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the skillet, preventing the zucchini from browning.

Step 3

Transfer the cooked zucchini onto a paper towel-lined plate. When the skillet cools, we like to wipe it using a paper towel to reduce the amount of oil, but you can leave it as is.

Step 4

While the zucchini cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, following the package .

Step 5

Add the fried zucchini back to the skillet set over medium heat. Use tongs to add the cooked spaghetti to the zucchini along with 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Cook the pasta, stirring frequently with the tongs, until the liquid mostly evaporates.

Step 6

Add the butter and grated Parmesan and cook for another minute, stirring until the sauce thickens and the pasta looks glossy. Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste. The texture of the quick sauce is silky and luxurious. With just a hint of salt and pepper, the sweet zucchini flavor shines.

Step 7

Serve immediately with torn fresh basil leaves and more Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Step 8

1. Slice the Zucchini Thicker While most recipes we've seen online call for slicing the zucchini thinly, about 1/8 inch, we slice ours on the thicker side, about 1/4 inch. They take longer to fry—about six minutes per side. We like that the zucchini doesn't completely melt and have more texture and substance the thicker they are sliced.

Step 9

2. Use Less Oil Other similar recipes we've seen online call for filling the skillet with an inch or two of olive oil to fry the zucchini. We opted for using less oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Of course, you could use any kind of oil you prefer.

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