Bucatini Pasta With Tomatoes And Mozzarella
Restaurant-quality bucatini pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella made at home. Simple technique, incredible results, make it year-round.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 481kcal
Equipment
- 8 quart stock pot
- 12-inch skillet
- tongs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
- ⅕ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- Diamond Crystal kosher
- 1 pound bucatini pasta
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls pearls or cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 ounce fresh basil about 4 stems
Instructions
- Bring 6 quarts of water and 4 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 2 tablespoons of table salt) to a boil. You should be able to taste the salt in the water and adjust for more, if preferred.
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic slices to the oil. Stir frequently for 1-3 minutes until they just barely start to toast. Reduce the heat to low, then add the chili flakes.
- Add the canned crushed tomatoes to the skillet and stir to combine. Add ¼ water to the can to rinse out the residual tomatoes and pour the slurry into the sauce. Bring to a simmer. Taste to see if the sauce needs salt.
- Cook the bucatini pasta in the boiling water. Set the timer to 1 minute less than the package directions state as the cooking time.
- Using tongs, transfer the bucatini from the pot of water to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Stir to coat the noodles. Add ¼ cup of pasta water to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Keep stirring in small amounts of pasta water to the noodles until the sauce looks fairly wet, but not soupy. You could use up to 1 cup of water.
- Sprinkle half of the mozzarella balls over the noodles and gently stir to incorporate the cheese evenly throughout. Top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese balls. Cover the skillet with a lid or foil for 2-3 minutes to allow the cheese to melt while the burner is set to simmer. Chop or tear the basil into ½-inch pieces while you wait.
- Observe the bucatini. Add more pasta water if the noodles and sauce appear to be getting dry. If they are too watery, let them simmer another minute. You are looking for a saucy consistency. The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid after plating. Taste a noodle to see if the dish needs a little salt for seasoning.
- Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the basil on top of the skillet of pasta before serving. Dish into warm plates or bowls. Serve with grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, if desired.
Video
Notes
This pasta is at its best when freshly made and served.
To Double This Recipe:
Swap the skillet for a heavy-bottomed 8-quart pot so the tomato sauce is in a deeper vessel, and there's room for the extra pasta.
Storage Information:
Cool leftovers before refrigerating in a covered container for 4 days.
If you package leftovers in lunch containers, add 1-2 tablespoons of pasta water to each container. Just microwave the pasta until it is warm again. If it seems dry, stir in a little water to reincorporate the sauce.
Freezing is not recommended since fresh mozzarella and basil do not freeze well.
The nutritional information does not include additional salt added to the pasta water or additional seasoning.
Nutrition
Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 418mg | Potassium: 606mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 809IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 263mg | Iron: 3mg
