Spaghetti with Grana Padano, toasted breadcrumbs and gremolata

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Valeria Necchio serves up a deliciously simple spaghetti with gremolata recipe, lightly coated in a simple Grana Padano sauce for a wonderful richness and crispy fried breadcrumbs. A truly satisfying dish for a next-level midweek meal.

First published in 2018

The “less is more” adage truly applies to this weeknight pasta recipe, the ingredient list of which counts little more than pantry and fridge staples. Still, this is no boring bowl of spaghetti: flavours are fresh and bold – lemon, parsley and garlic all work together to uplift the savoury cheese base – while textures swing from the creaminess of the melted cheese to the crispness of fried and toasted breadcrumbs. To fancy things up a little, you can add some fresh ricotta to the cheese base or some almond slivers to the toppings... Make this recipe a solid starting point.

Ingredients

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Imperial

Method

1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. In a small bowl, combine the chopped parsley with the grated lemon zest and the minced garlic. (This is your gremolata.) Set aside
2
Heat the oil in a small skillet set over a medium heat. When hot but not smoking, add the breadcrumbs and stir to evenly coat in oil. Fry for 1 minute, until deeply golden, then remove from the heat and transfer to a plate to cool
3
As soon as the water is boiling, reserve about 100ml and then add the spaghetti
4
Place the grated Grana Padano in a large bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of the water to the cheese and stir using wooden spoon. Keep adding more water, a little at the time, until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Season generously with black pepper
5
Cook the spaghetti until al dente, then drain and toss with the cheese sauce. Add the gremolata and toss once more. Serve the spaghetti with a handful of breadcrumbs on top and some extra Grana Padano
First published in 2018

Valeria Necchio is an Italian food writer and photographer with roots in the Venetian countryside.

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