The Pasta Dish That Made me Rethink Zucchini | Kenji's Cooking Show
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0:00 – Intro: Discovering zucchini’s real flavor
0:35 – History & first taste at Leon’s in New York
1:18 – Traditional method & keys to flavor
2:50 – Prepping zucchini, basil, and cheese
4:06 – Frying zucchini to deep golden brown
5:00 – Cooking pasta & why starchy water matters
8:57 – Building the sauce: zucchini, pasta water, butter, basil
12:10 – Adding cheese off-heat & final touches
14:27 – Tasting & reflections
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"Tucci" pasta
I remember Stanley Tucchi doing a version of that but he more or less deep fried the zucchini. I made it and it wasn't worth the effort in my opinion (and I actually love zucchini).
ETA: I think I may have made Chef John's version of this recipe and that definitely didn't do it for me.
Your version looks much better and less hassle. I will give it a try.
Grilled zucchini can get like this. It's amazing
I’m not the only one who thought, “That’s what you do when your zucchini crop explodes.” Looks so good! Sliced mushrooms would make a great variation on the basic recipe.
This has to be one of my favourites in a long time! Yummy, thanks Kenji.
Great recipe!!!!!!
One of the doctors and author that helped me lose weight and keep it off, Dr Robert Lustig doesn't recommend cooking with EVOO, I think I'll stick to his advice.
Dude, lose the nail polish
The handle of the boiling pasta water sticking out into the kitchen, where you or anybody else can stumble onto it is making me so nervous! But the dish looks fantastic!
Looks delicious! But have you ever met a walk-in that didn’t stink?
One of my favourite foods ever! I made a big batch of fried zucchini on Friday, then some homemade linguine and vegan "parmesan" on Saturday. It turned out absolutely delicious, i rave about this pasta
I didn’t know you could fry in olive oil. Thank you!
Really like this format the best. I learned a lot more from your conversational style.
😮frying in olive oil?
I like to add in fresh chili peppers to my fried zucchini, squash, and onion combo to add a little kick.
get those bits out of the sink. wastage!!
You found zucchine romanesche! Those are what really make the difference in a zucchini dish. The flavour is much more intense than the average watery zucchini you can find normally. I crave them (and the broccoli rabe) since I moved to Spain. Bravo 😊
I'd like to suggest dressing the leftover fried zucchini scapece-style for dinner
SO happy to see this format of video back!! I feel like I learn so much! Can't wait to try this recipe!
Did you switch to induction or is that a flat electric range?
Adorable cat.
My mom made that kind of fried zucchini when we were growing up. Just olive oil and a little salt. So good.
Hey Kenji, I noticed you use Primis olive oil, which I believe is a northern hemisphere harvest from last fall. I recently got some southern hemisphere EVOO harvested this summer. Do you ever get southern hemisphere oils in the summer to better align with harvest timing or does the actual brand of olive oil have a higher impact on flavor compared to freshness?
this has srsly changed my view on zucchini – made twice alrdy and probably making again tmrw😁
Not posting the recipe here anymore unless you pay him directly? Ridiculous. unsubscribed
I'll definitely be trying this dish!
And I have that pan, and love it. Non-stick but durable.
Honestly, how do I add parm without it becoming a messy glob?
Missed this ❤
Would that work with an air fryer?
I've stolen this recipe from my wife, just frying the zucc's in butter and EVOO then throwing in sliced garlic and after that some feta chunks. Spaghetti goes on top after the feta melts and that's it, toss and serve. What a coincidence!
7:45 I have heard you shouldn’t use olive oil more than once…then it’s harmful…?
Yum Yum 🤩
I’m tempted to add garlic to the oil. Maybe whole or gently smashed, just to perfume it. Would that impede the purity of the zucchini flavor? Adding garlic to olive oil for pasta is such a reflex for me, but I wonder if it’s omitted very intentionally here.
Dear Kenji, does it make a difference if you salt brine and then marinate chicken thighs for kaarage or fried chicken in general?
I made this tonight and impressed the family. Oh my goodness it was Deeelish. Thx!!
Looks incredible! Also, major props for always giving credit where credit is due or citing the source of your recipes! Some channels have great recipes, sometimes at a very fast rate of video-publishing, and you wonder where all those great dishes came from. They never say anything about the origin of the recipe itself 🤔 Some channels have been found to literally copy an existing recipe and just "tweak" a few ingredient measurements here and there to come up with an "original" recipe 🫠
I have made a zucchini pasta a few times lately where I basically just roast zucchini whole until they're soft, then blend them smooth with some herbs (I like dill), cayenne, and a bit of something smoky (either meat or not). Insanely good and rich and velvety.