We've compiled a list of great Italian zucchini recipes to take advantage of the summer squash season. Of course, shopping for fresh, in-season produce is always advised, but never more so than in summer, when small, colorful zucchini become available to expand your cooking repertoire and add fantastic flavor and texture to your dishes.
Here, we showcase a range of Italian zucchini recipes, including Portland chef Cathy Whims' exquisite use of fresh summer squash in a vegetarian carpaccio and atop a mouth-watering pizza. The chefs from NYC's Don Angie and the new San Sabino, Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, share a recipe for a white baked ziti made with zucchini and provolone. And Appetito contributor Chiara Montalto Giannini has fun with zucchini flowers.
But first, some background on nomenclature: The name zucchini derives from the Italian "zucca," or gourd, and translates roughly to "little gourds." The French call similar summer squash courgette, which the British adopted and use instead of zucchini. Confusingly, New Zealanders call it courgette, while Australians opt for zucchini. Armed with that knowledge, it's time to get cooking!
Baked Ziti Nerano With Zucchini and Provolone
New York City power chef couple Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli adapted a spaghetti with fried zucchini dish from Nerano on Southern Italy's Sorrento Peninsula, placing the ingredients in a baked ziti. Here, they share the recipe from their popular cookbook, Italian American.
Zucchini Carpaccio With Tomato Vinaigrette
Portland chef and restaurateur Cathy Whims is one of the best culinary minds in the Pacific Northwest, known especially for using seasonal produce and herbs in her memorable Italian dishes. Here, in a recipe for Appetito which doubles as a preview for her 2025 cookbook, she turns raw zucchini into the star of a salad-like appetizer with a tomato vinaigrette.
Spaghetti With Zucchini, Zucchini Flowers, and Breadcrumbs
Recipe developer and Appetito contributor Chiara Montalto Giannini gets creative with the flowering part of the squash plant in a series she created for Appetito. Here, zucchini flowers and zucchini combine with breadcrumbs and spaghetti in one delicious pasta dish.
Here, Montalto Giannini shares her grandmother's technique for breading and frying the flowers from zucchini plants. While many chefs stuff fried zucchini flowers with cheese and other ingredients, she argues that this simple preparation better represents the subtly sweet flavor of the flower.
Zucchini or zucca pizza is a type of white pizza that Whims adds to her menu when summer squash is in season. Top it with a mix of cheese and add spicy pepper flakes for a veggie pizza that's a crowd pleaser.
