Description
Bucatini al limone is a twist on spaghetti al limone, a traditional Italian pasta dish known for its lemony cream sauce.
Ingredients
Broccolini
¼ cup olive oil
2 bunches of broccolini
Kosher salt
2 lemons
Pasta
1 lb. dried bucatini8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more for serving
1 1/4 cups heavy cream at room temperature
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove the bottom 1 inch from the broccolini and trim off any excessive leaves.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the broccolini out onto the sheets. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Use your hands to make sure the oil, salt, and pepper are evenly distributed on the broccolini and roast for 25 minutes or until well charred, turning once mid-way through cooking.
- Remove the broccolini from the oven, and once cool enough to handle, give it a rough chop into 2-3 pieces and set aside.
- Bring a large pot two-thirds full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until almost done but still very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the packaging instructions.
- While the pasta cooks, finely grate the zest of one of the lemons, then juice the lemon, reserving the zest and juice separately. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 4 wide strips of zest from the second lemon. Using a sharp knife, cut each strip into very thin slivers. Set aside, reserving the rest of the second lemon for another use.
- Next, make the sauce. Heat a large sauteuse pan with high sides over medium heat. Melt the butter in pan.. Add the pepper and cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the cream and cook until the sauce is emulsified and the mixture begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the grated lemon zest and a generous pinch of salt.
- Drain the pasta, reserving 1 1/4 cups of the pasta cooking water.
- Add the pasta and cooked broccolini to the sauce and add 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Increase the heat to medium-high. Tossing the pasta constantly, slowly add the Parmesan, continuing to toss until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. (If you add all the Parmesan at once it will tend to clump.) Stir in the lemon juice. If needed, toss in more of the reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to achieve a silky consistency. Taste and season with more salt if desired.
- Divide the pasta among pasta bowls. Sprinkle with the lemon zest slivers, more Parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: Italian
