Creamy zucchini-pecorino pasta: A luxurious, dairy-free delight from Italy

From Italy’s Amalfi Coast, pasta alla nerano features long, thin pasta tossed with a velvety sauce made with pureed zucchini. It’s an elegant yet easy dish that’s luxurious but not heavy.
In this recipe from our cookbook “ Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we use a minimal amount of water to cook the pasta, then blend some of the starchy liquid with tender sautéed 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.
Look 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’s purchased already grated.
If 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.
Start to finish: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
1½ pounds medium zucchini
1 pound spaghetti OR bucatini
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
3 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 2 pieces
2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated (1 cup), plus more to serve
½ cup lightly packed fresh basil, chopped
1. Thinly slice the zucchini on the diagonal. Stack several slices and cut lengthwise into matchsticks. Repeat with the remaining slices; set the zucchini aside.
2. 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 1½ cups of the cooking water, then drain; set aside.
3. 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.
4. Add half of the zucchini to a blender along with the garlic and ½ cup reserved pasta water. Puree until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds.
5. To the zucchini in the pot add the puree, drained pasta, butter, pecorino, basil and another ½ cup reserved pasta water. Cook over medium, tossing, until heated through and the mixture is creamy and the pasta is lightly sauced, 2 to 3 minutes; add more reserved pasta water as needed if the mixture looks thick and dry. Off heat, taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with additional oil and sprinkled with additional cheese.