Welcome to your free online Nerano Pasta Course! This famous dish from the town of Nerano (near Naples) has a secret ingredient: fried zucchini! It’s a deliciously unique seasonal recipe you’ll definitely want to master!.
This course is part of our series of Free Online Italian Cooking Classes for Pasta, where we teach you to cook pasta like Italians do—from dough to dishes.
Video Class Overview
This lesson is filmed in stunning 4K for visual clarity, with subtitles available in English, French, Spanish, German, and other languages.
Each class is structured to walk you through the techniques used by Italian cooks—so you can see what matters (and what doesn’t) when making pasta the traditional way.
Ingredients and How to Make Nerano Pasta
The full ingredient list and step-by-step instructions are below. We’ve formatted the recipe for easy saving or printing. Be sure to watch the video first—it covers essential technique tips!
We use the most traditional measurements and techniques, so you can recreate this recipe exactly as it would be made in Italy—no shortcuts, no substitutions unless noted.
Equipment and Tools
You don’t need a professional kitchen to make great pasta—but the right tools can make it easier. For this recipe, we recommend:
- Deep fryer or deep pan – for frying the zucchini slices
- Thermometer – to control the temperature of the frying oil
- Slotted spoon – for removing the fried zucchini
Video Class Overview
How to Make Nerano Pasta
- 0:00 – Nerano Pasta Intro
- 0:24 – Ingredients for Nerano Pasta
- 1:01 – How to Fry the Zucchini
- 2:45 – How to Make the Cheesy Pasta Sauce for Nerano Pasta
Pro Tips for Making Nerano Pasta
Provolone del Monaco
The traditional recipes for this pasta call for “Provolone del Monaco” however this cheese can be difficult to find outside of Italy. You can reasonably substitute with a caciocavallo.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Burning the Zucchini
Zucchini slices are easy to burn when frying. Follow the video closely to cut them to the ideal thickness and fry them to perfection.