Learn all about what Bucatini Pasta is, what makes it different, and why it's my favorite long pasta, especially if I am making Cacio e Pepe.
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Inspiration. As a food lover, food blogger, and food cooker I am always looking for new inspiration. Ways to inspire me to do food better. Sometimes that comes by eating a new fruit. Sometimes that comes by trying a new recipe. Or sometimes it comes by discovering a new ingredient. The latter is what we are talking about today.
Many years ago, I saw a show on Food Network involving a celebrity cook-off between two teams, one lead by Rachel Ray and the other buy Guy Fieri. I wasn't watching it to be educated on food, more to see how much of a train wreck it would be.
One of the dishes they made on the show was a simple tomato and basil pasta. That kind of dish is not original, but what struck me was the pasta one of the contestant uses - Bucatini. I had never heard of this pasta before, but I was intrigued by it.
Years later and will cook it whenever I have the chance. Let me teach you now about it.
Jump to:
❓ What is Bucatini?
Bucatini is a spaghetti style (long string-like) pasta. The name "Bucatini" derives from the Italian word "buco" which means hole.
The cool thing about is that it has a hole right through the center. This is great for serving with any sauce. I like the texture of the pasta way better than any spaghetti type without a hole. If you want to up the ante of your favorite spaghetti recipe definitely use this pasta.
⏲️ How Long It Take to Cook?
Bucatini on average takes about 9-11 minutes to cook. It goes take longer than spaghetti or angel hair because it's thicker. I boil it in a gallon of salted water. I don't break the pasta like some people do to fit it in the pan. It only take a few seconds of the pasta is soften enough where you can bend it so it's completely submerged.
♻️ Bucatini Substitute
Why I am finding Bucatini at more stores than ever like Kroger owned stores, Publix, and recently they had it as a limited time item at ALDI. Still I don't find it everywhere. So if I need to use a substitute here are some ideas. You are looking for a thicker pasta than just spaghetti or angel hair. :
- Fettucine
- Linguine
- Chitarra
As you see in the photo above, ALDI had all those pasta conveniently together for me! None of these have holes in the middle, but they are what I use when I really wanted Bucatini but had to settle for something else.
🥊 Perciatelli vs Bucatini Pasta
Perciatelli is similar to Bucatini. It has a hole in the middle as well but it tends to be larger in size. Some people like to break it apart and use in a Minestrone soup. I think that's harder to find that Bucatini, which is why I didn't place it on my substiution list above.
🍝 My Favorite Thing to Use it For?
The answer is basically everything! If I have the choice I will always pick it over spaghetti. I love using it for a traditional tomato, roasted garlic, and basil sauce.
What I love it for the most is Cacio e Pepe. This is a pasta dish where the pasta is cooked in a shallow amount of water. This concentrates the starch in the water. That starch is then combined with cheese like Parmesan and Pecorino Roman, olive oil, and freshly cracked black pepper to make a sauce.
🎧 Listen to our podcast epiosde - How to Make the Best Cacio e Pepe
🛒 Where to Buy
Here is where I look for Bucatini at:
- Whole Foods Market
- Any Kroger owned store (Kroger, Ralphs, Smith's, etc.)
- ALDI (Doesn't appear to be an everyday item)
- Publix
- Harmon's
- HEB
- Hy-Vee
- Sprouts Farmers Market
- Wegmans
- Hannaford Market
- The Fresh Market
You can also order it online.
Have you ever had Bucatini? What do you think of it? Leave a comment below.
Stephen Paparatto
I guess it all has to do with location. I live in New York and Perciatelli is actually easier to find here than Bucatini. Ronzoni is the bestselling pasta in the New York area, and they make Perciatelli , but not Bucatini. If I want Bucatini, I would need to buy Barilla brand instead, and they make Bucatini, but not Perciatelli. Both brands are the same length, so they are pretty much interchangeable. But here in NY older people grew up eating Perciatelli because Barilla is a relatively new brand to the market and was not sold here in the United States until 1996.
Eric Samuelson
That is interesting that you see that more. Got to be a New York thing.