Not sure what to do with all of that zucchini from your garden? Here’s a tasty dish that I’m sure you’ll love. It’s just a few simple ingredients, but it is one of Stanley Tucci’s favorite dishes from his “Searching for Italy” series, and you’ll see why! My vegan version is just as delicious by using vegan parmesan cheese. My favorite vegan parmesan is Violife brand. They make it in a wedge that you can grate, and it’s fantastic. The key to this recipe is very thinly sliced zucchini. You can use a mandoline here; but I find that a paring knife works well to get very thin slices. Anyway, I hope you love this dish as much as I do. Buon appetito!
Directions
Place a large pot of water on the stove and cook pasta according to package instructions. While waiting for the water to boil for the pasta, heat a large sauté pan on high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add about a third of your sliced zucchini. You’ll want to do this in batches so that all of the zucchini slices can fry nicely. Fry until the zucchini are slightly brown; then use a slotted spoon to remove the slices and place them onto a plate covered with some paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Repeat until you’ve used up all of the zucchini. Add the garlic to the last batch of zucchini and set aside when done.
Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. When the spaghetti is almost done cooking, reserve about a cup of the pasta water. Add the zucchini and garlic back to the sauté pan and set on low heat. Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan and combine with the zucchini and garlic. Add some of the pasta water and stir. Grate the parmesan over the pan as this will combine to give the dish a nice, creamy texture. Add in some torn basil leaves. Stir and add some salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and add in a little more pasta water and parmesan as needed. Garnish with more basil.
