Skip to main content

Please stop making spaghetti and eat this instead

You've been eating pasta wrong your whole life. It's time to do it right

Here’s the thing. We love us some pasta in the States. Of course, we do. It’s absolutely divine, can be prepared and served in a million different ways and in a thousand different cultural styles, and we can’t get enough. To be honest, we’ve never met a pasta shape that we didn’t adore — penne, linguine, fusilli, farfalle, and of course, the most famous of them all — spaghetti.

Now, don’t get us wrong. Spaghetti is beautiful for what it is, and most of us have had a special fondness in our hearts for this stringy noodle since toddlerhood. This Italian pasta shape is every bit as much an American pantry staple as potato chips and Oreos. But what if we told you there was an upgrade to this ordinary noodle? One similar enough to have the comfort of familiarity but advanced in a way you never realized was possible? Enter bucatini pasta.

Bucatini in box, uncooked
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What is bucatini pasta?

Like spaghetti, bucatini is an Italian type of long pasta. Its long and thin body resembles that of spaghetti, but it holds a special secret — a slight hole running all the way down its center. Think of each strand as a slender straw. What does that empty center do, you might ask?

With its hollow core, bucatini can completely become one with the sauce in which it’s prepared. Sauce not only coats the outside of the noodle, but the inside as well, giving the eater a much more luxurious bite.

Of course, other types of pasta shapes, such as rigatoni or penne, are wonderful for a hearty sauce, standing up to the meaty boldness of a ragu or blending beautifully with short ribs. The large, hollow centers of these pasta shapes can fill with meaty sauces, giving the eater a bold, filling bite. But bucatini is shockingly delicate, with the light wispiness of spaghetti’s strands, but the ability to contain and highlight even the most delicate white wine sauce.

So the next time you’re at the grocery store and find yourself reaching for that box of spaghetti, do yourself a favor and pick up a box of bucatini instead.

Bucatini pasta dish
My Recipes

Bucatini puttanesca recipe

(From Myrecipes.com)

This beautifully rustic Italian dish is made in just one pot and comes together in minutes. It’s absolutely perfect for a simple and quick Tuesday night dinner, or to impress friends for a more formal get-together.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
  • 4 cups of unsalted chicken stock
  • 12 ounces of bucatini
  • 3 pints of multicolored cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
  • 24 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of capers
  • 1/8 teaspoon of salt

Method:

  1. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat, swirling to coat.
  2. Add garlic, anchovies, oregano, and red pepper; cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to break up anchovies.
  3. Add stock and pasta to the pan; bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until pasta is done.
  5. Remove pan from the heat; add the remaining ingredients, and then toss to combine.

Editors' Recommendations

Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
Apple cider vinegar: Should you really be taking shots of this pungent potion?
We love a good fermented food, but should you be drinking this one?
an acv shot on table

Wanting to look and feel your best is natural. Feeling this way allows you to live life to the fullest, nail a workout, focus on the job, and sleep better. Thanks to the internet and especially social media, there is no shortage of ideas on achieving longevity and enjoying life. One such way is consuming apple cider vinegar daily.

The pantry staple for salad dressings and marinades can purportedly help you lose weight, manage blood sugar, and improve heart health. Kim Kardashian called a raw version of Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar a "miracle ingredient." No shame if you loved yourself a good Keeping Up With the Kardashians marathon. However, taking medical advice from a Kardashian isn't recommended, and not every social media fad is a good one.
Believe it or not, there is some science behind the purported benefits of apple cider. Still, you'll proceed cautiously, especially if you are living with certain conditions. Here's what to know about reported apple cider vinegar weight loss benefits and more.

Read more
Costco Kirkland products are actually items made by Duracell, Keurig, Reynolds, Starbucks, and other big names
You've been getting a deal on top-end products all along
Costco storefront

There's something pretty astonishing that starts happening to everyone around the mid-30s mark. A pure, unadulterated love for Costco. Sure, there may have been a healthy appreciation in those younger years. A love for the $1.50 hot dog and soda deal, perhaps. An impromptu trip here or there with a parent whose card got you through the door. But somewhere between a first mortgage and a couple of kids, you probably started seeing the signs. They start subtly - a lingering gaze at the stacked sweatpants, tempting you with their fleecy softness. Asking the hair-netted sample lady if those mini artichoke quiches are organic. Before you know it, you have your own damned membership card, and all of your gym socks come in packs of 24. It's happened to the best of us. And with this adoration for Costco inevitably comes the love for all things Kirkland, the beloved Costco brand whose label is stuck on just about anything you can find in the enormous store, from batteries to rotisserie chickens.

But have you ever wondered where those Kirkland products come from? If you're anything like us, you may have just mindlessly assumed that there was some humungous Kirkland factory spewing out all of these products on some obscure, magical Nebraskan farm. Or, perhaps you're more rational than that and actually realized that many Kirkland-labeled products are not uniquely Costco's at all. Many of Costco's popular Kirkland products actually come from big brand-name companies that allow Costco to rebrand them for a fee. Perhaps even more surprising is that this isn't anything new or a process that's only used by Costco. Many retailers tap big-name brands to do this.

Read more
This secret All-Clad site has massive savings on the best kitchen equipment on earth
All Clad is the best, and now it's less expensive
All-clad set

If you've spent any amount of time in a kitchen, be it professional or home, you know that All-Clad cookware is the best there is. This brand has been around since the 1970s and has royally reigned over the cookware world for its high-quality performance, durability, and sleek design. All-Clad's range of kitchen equipment cooks food evenly, provides wonderful temperature control, and surpasses even the highest standards with its top-quality, U.S.-sourced materials. Unfortunately, all of these incredible perks tend to come at a price. All-Clad cookware and kitchen supplies can be pretty pricy investments. And while those investments are always worthwhile, they aren't always something on which everyone wants to break the bank.

That's where Home & Cook comes in.

Read more