Generously salt your grated zucchini and toss to distribute. After 5 minutes, place the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or cheese cloth and squeeze tightly to remove all of the water. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil. While that’s heating up, start on the sauce.

Heat a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil, shallot and a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook the shallot for about 3 minutes, until soft but not brown, stirring intermittently.

Add the jalapeno and garlic. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the ingredients are softened.

Add the zucchini and stir. At this point, if the mixture is too dry, you may need to add an additional Tbsp of olive oil.

Cook the mixture over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, until the zucchini is soft and jammy. Stir in the lemon juice + zest and allow to simmer for 1 minute, until the lemon juice begins to reduce down. Shut off the heat while you cook your pasta.

Generously salt your boiling pasta water and add the dried spaghetti. Cook to 1 minute before al dente – we will finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.

Turn the heat back on for the zucchini mixture and stir in 1 cup of pasta cooking water, reserving another cup of pasta water in case you need to add more later. Add the cooked spaghetti into the pan of sauce along with the cheese and butter.

With the heat turned on medium, continually toss + stir the pasta in the sauce. Stirring the pasta constantly will agitate the gluten and help to thicken and emulsify the sauce. As the sauce simmers, it will reduce. If the sauce becomes too thick, add in some of the reserved pasta cooking water to help thin it out. Season with kosher salt, to taste.

Serve in bowls and top with more grated parmesan cheese, fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of good quality EVOO to finish.