Bucatini with zucchini and sausage. (Photo by Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb for The Washington Post)
I love bucatini. It’s so fun to say. Let’s give it a go: boo-kuh-tee-nee. (It helps if you use your most exaggerated Italian accent.) See, fun! But it’s even more enjoyable to eat.
Also known as perciatelli, bucatini is a thick, long pasta similar to spaghetti but with a hole running down the center. Italian dried pasta artisans have been making the shape since around the 16th century, and it became particularly popular in Rome, where it is the characteristic pasta served with Amatriciana sauce, starring tomatoes and guanciale.
I first encountered bucatini a decade ago when I stumbled upon it at the grocery store and then posted a recipe with it on my blog. It was love at first bite. "I’d definitely say I’m a fan after using it in this recipe because of the heartiness it provides and its delicious chew,” younger me wrote.
And I’m not the only member of its ardent fan club. To find out why, I put out a call on social media asking people to tell me about their feelings toward the noodle.
Events professional and magazine founder Amber Mayfield Hewett said it "feels a little fancier than it is,” calling it "spaghetti’s sophisticated cousin.” Others said it carries a certain sense of indulgence, which might explain why it’s the best-selling pasta at both locations of Caruso’s Grocery, according to chef Matt Adler.
In another comparison to its more common relative, fashion designer Bach Mai said, "It’s like spaghetti but hiding a little secret inside, making it mysterious and sexy,” which can make it even more enticing.
Photo by Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb for The Washington Post
So much so, in fact, that you might remember the great bucatini shortage of 2020. "[It] was a combination of factors: the pandemic’s pasta demand, how hard it is to make bucatini because of its hole, De Cecco’s strange and untimely barring from the U.S. border,” Rachel Handler wrote for Grub Street. (That last factor was caused by a food and Drug Administration hold; the company’s pasta didn’t have enough iron to meet the agency’s standard for enriched macaroni products, which is how pastas in the United States are labeled.) Thankfully, such woes are long behind us.
Bucatini’s mysterious allure aside, food blogger Marta Rivera Diaz likes it for the noodle’s substance. "It’s also more filling, which means I can stretch a recipe when using it to get more portions, i.e., leftovers!” she wrote.
But bucatini isn’t without its downsides.
"I like bucatini in theory,” wine writer and entrepreneur Tyler Balliet said. "However, in practice, eating bucatini means you get pasta sauce all over your face and clothing. Only make this for people you love because they will see you at your worst.”
As television show host Alejandra Ramos oh-so-colorfully put it, "It’s like a bowl of mini out-of-control garden hoses splattering garlicky oil and pecorino all over the place.”
Yes, bucatini can be messy, and when you try to take a bite, you’ll find that the noodle fights back. It’s hard to wrangle with a fork, but bucatini is well worth the effort for its unparalleled texture.
Enjoying a bowl of bucatini is a practice in giving up control, which can be difficult for the type A personalities among us. However, take it as a lesson that sometimes things happen that are out of our control, and that’s okay - and can be fun, too.
To put it to the test, make my Bucatini With Zucchini and Sausage for dinner tonight.
(I’ve been calling it zucchini bucatini in the office, because who doesn’t love a rhyme?) The dish features summer’s perhaps most prolific vegetable, zucchini, along with hot Italian sausage for a spicy boost of flavor, and creamy ricotta cheese. All you need is about 25 minutes and you can have a bowl of chewy, delicious pasta to enjoy, mess and all.
Bucatini With Zucchini and Sausage
4 to 6 servings (makes about 10 cups)
Total time: 25 mins
Zucchini and Italian sausage star in this simple summer pasta. Bucatini is the pasta of choice for this recipe because of its delightfully chewy texture, and ricotta adds just a touch of creaminess.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
Fine salt
8 ounces dried bucatini
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 medium zucchini (1 pound total), trimmed, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup whole or part-skim ricotta, plus more for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving
Steps
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the bucatini and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the bucatini.
Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) nonstick or cast-iron skillet, combine the sausage with the oil. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon, until the fat renders and the sausage is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl, leaving the fat in the skillet.
Add the zucchini and pepper to the skillet, sprinkle lightly with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until somewhat soft and lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes.
Add the ricotta, cooked bucatini and reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet, and stir until evenly combined. Remove from the heat, taste, and season with more salt and pepper, as desired. Divide the pasta among bowls, top with a dollop of ricotta, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Substitutions: Hot Italian sausage >> mild or sweet Italian sausage. Vegetarian? >> Use a plant-based sausage and an extra tablespoon or two of oil. Zucchini >> other summer squash. Bucatini >> another long dried pasta. Ricotta >> goat cheese or mascarpone. Parsley >> basil.
Nutrition per serving (1 2/3 cups), based on 6: 437 calories, 32g carbohydrates, 46mg cholesterol, 25g fat, 2g fiber, 20g protein, 9g saturated fat, 739mg sodium, 4g sugar. This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
