Heirloom Tomato Bucatini
The end of summer is the time when tomatoes are at their finest and most abundant. Which means that all tomatoes are going to be on sale at grocery stores and farmer’s markets. This is the only time of year that I made Heirloom tomato Bucatini and the kids love it.
I love Heirloom Tomatoes!
Usually, pasta sauce is made with San Marzano or Roma tomatoes since they are less juicy and more meaty. Although heirloom tomatoes are generally not used for pasta, I just love their sweet, meaty, and not too acidic taste.
Because heirloom tomatoes are so awesome they can come at a hefty price. However, during peak tomato season they go on super sale at my local WF Market, so I ended up buying 4 lbs!
Very simple ingredients
I love how this recipe uses very simple ingredients to make something amazing. This recipe is vegetarian friendly and can be made vegan if you leave out the butter and the cheese.
What’s Bucatini?
I first tried Bucatini on my honeymoon in Rome. Before that, I didn’t know that there was a thicker spaghetti noodle out there. What makes Bucatini so special is that there is a hole, or “buco” in Italian. It makes the noodle absorb sauces better!
I found Rigorosa Bucatini at Eataly in Valley Fair Mall. It’s from Gragnano, a town in Southern Italy that’s known to be the birthplace of dried pasta. The pasta has a rougher texture that clings onto sauce better.
Buy Rigorosa Bucatini here or Rummo Bucatini on Amazon works too!
Prepping and Cooking Heirloom Tomato Bucatini
- Anytime you cook pasta, get that pasta water on the stove ASAP! Make the water as salty as the sea so your pasta absorbs the flavor.
- Also start boiling a medium pot of unsalted water to prep the tomatoes.
Make the basil-garlic infused olive oil
- Add 1/4c olive oil to small sauce pan with basil and garlic. Cook on low heat until garlic turns golden, turn off heat (like the second picture), ~7 mins.
- While the basil-garlic oil is infusing, core the tomatoes and score the bottoms with an “X.”
- When the medium pot comes to a full boil, add all the tomatoes (boiling makes the peels come off easier). Turn off heat and immediately transfer tomatoes into an ice bath.
- Peel the skin off the tomatoes.
- Try to remove as much pulp and seeds as possible, set aside the meat.
- Set a large pan or pot on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil. When pan hot, add the tomatoes and 1/4 tsp salt. Break the tomatoes down with a wooden spoon or potato masher.
- Pasta water should be boiling by now. Cook Bucatini according to packet instructions (usually 8-12 minutes). Let your sauce simmer at the same time your pasta is cooking on low heat. Add 2 tbsp butter to sauce.
- Turn tomato sauce to medium-high heat. Add pasta to sauce directly from pot. We don’t want to drain the pasta because the residual water that goes into the sauce during transfer will help thicken up the sauce. Toss to combine. At this time, can add 1/4 c of Parmesan cheese to pasta and sauce and combine throughly.
- Add some finely chopped basil and extra shredded Parmesan to top.
Heirloom Tomato Bucatini
Ingredients
- 1/4 c olive oil For basil & garlic infused oil
- 2 sprig fresh basil About 15 basil leaves
- 5 cloves garlic whole garlic, slightly smashed
- 3 lbs heirloom tomatoes
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 pack Bucatini pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 c Parmesan cheese grated, optional
Instructions
- Fill a large pot of water for the pasta and add enough salt to water so it's salty like the sea (about 1 tbsp salt), and bring to a boil.Bring a medium pot of water to a boil for the tomatoes.Add olive oil, garlic, and basil to a small sauce pot and simmer on low-heat until garlic turns golden brown (about 7 minutes). Then turn off heat.While waiting for the pots of water to comes to a boil, core the tomatoes and slice an "X" on their bottoms.When medium pot of water is boiling, dunk the tomatoes until their skin starts to peel (~10-15 seconds). Place tomatoes into an ice bath to cool them down. Remove skin from tomatoes and remove as much pulp as you can and set the tomato meat aside.Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a large pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add tomato meat. Crush the tomato meat with a wooden spoon or potato masher and add 1/4 tsp salt to bring out juices, cook on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Lower heat to simmer.Cook Bucatini pasta according to instructions on packet.After pasta is cooked, add pasta and basil infused oil directly into the sauce (no need to drain noodles, pasta water will help sauce thicken), and toss. At this time, you can add Parmesan cheese if using and incorporate.Plate Bucatini pasta and top with fresh shredded basil and a sprinkle of Parmesan (if using).