So simple yet so flavorful, my bucatini pasta with garlic butter sauce is utter coziness in a bowl. Prepared with butter and olive oil, lots of garlic, a touch of wine, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, spinach and Romano cheese, all tossed together with al dente bucatini pasta noodles, this bucatini pasta recipe is a gourmet tasting pasta dish ready in minutes!
A Quick and Easy Bucatini Pasta Recipe That Tastes Gourmet
Little says “comfort” on a chilly evening better than a bowl of hot pasta, all slick with a touch of butter and some olive oil, and studded with a handful of aromatic ingredients.
Sometimes, the simpler the pasta recipe the better, because that means that I can be cozied up on the couch with a nice, big, warm bowlful sooner rather than later, wrapped up in my favorite blanket and happily enjoying my delicious meal!
My bucatini pasta with garlic butter is just such a simple pasta recipe, prepared with one of my favorite noodles, bucatini, the thick, spaghetti-like noodle with the hole running through the center of it.
Bucatini pasta is the perfect pasta to toss together with my flavorful combination of olive oil, butter, shiitake mushrooms, lots of garlic, a hint of white wine, plus spinach leaves and Romano cheese. I even love to sprinkle over top of the finished pasta a touch of toasted breadcrumbs for added texture—so tasty!
While there are just a handful of ingredients in this recipe, the combination of those ingredients creates a rich flavor that tastes so gourmet and so irresistible.
This pasta dish is sure to become one of your go-to favorites just as it is mine!
My Bucatini Pasta with Garlic Butter Recipe
While bucatini is similar to spaghetti, it is a bit thicker, which gives it a deliciously chewy texture when cooked al dente.
If you haven't cooked with bucatini yet, it's worth keeping some on hand as a terrific alternative to your favorite pasta!
What I'm looking for in this dish is to very simply coat the bucatini in an aromatic mixture of ingredients to give each strand lots of flavor, and for this I use some good quality olive oil to saute the shiitake mushrooms in.
I then add a touch more to give flavor to the garlic, and add in some white wine and butter to bring in some brightness and richness.
The spinach gets added into the pan along with my cooked bucatini noodles to be tossed together, as well as some flavorful, savory Romano cheese—such a simple, yet mouthwatering combination!
All that's left is to top a big bowlful of this bucatini pasta with some garlicky, toasted breadcrumbs, grab a fork, and dig in!
Here's a glance at my bucatini with garlic butter sauce recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)
- To get started, I prepare my toasted breadcrumbs (these are optional, but easy to make and delicious!), and set those aside.
- Next, I cook my bucatini pasta according to package instructions, then drain and keep it warm.
- In a large pan, I saute my shiitake mushrooms then remove them from the pan, followed by the garlic, the wine and the butter, and finally add back in my warm bucatini noodles, spinach, mushrooms and Romano cheese, and toss everything together to coat.
- To serve, I add the bucatini pasta with garlic butter sauce to a serving bowl, sprinkle some of the toasted breadcrumbs overtop of the pasta, as well as some additional Romana cheese, and enjoy.
Recipe
Bucatini Pasta with Garlic Butter Sauce
by Ingrid Beer
This bucatini pasta with garlic butter is brimming with white wine, shiitake mushrooms and spinach, plus garlicky toasted breadcrumbs!
Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Yield: Serves 4
Nutrition Info: 725 calories per serving (with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes minutes
Total time: 35 minutes minutes
Bucatini Pasta Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (half a pound or half a package) bucatini pasta noodles, uncooked
- Olive oil (¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons)
- 6 to 7 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly (including stems)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 10 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup white wine (I like Pinot Grigio for this recipe)
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup grated Romano cheese, plus extra as needed
Toasted Breadcrumbs Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Salt
- Black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
- Begin by gathering and prepping all of your toasted breadcrumb ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- To prepare the breadcrumbs, place a small skillet over medium-high heat, and drizzle in the oil. Once hot, sprinkle in the panko breadcrumbs, plus a good pinch of salt and pepper, and the granulated garlic, and stir to combine.
- Toast the breadcrumbs in the oil, stirring constantly as to not burn them, for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until they become a deep, golden-brown. Set aside in a bowl until ready to serve.
- Next, gather and prep all of your bucatini pasta ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- Cook your bucatini noodles according to package instructions, or until al dente. Drain and keep warm in a large bowl.
- While your pasta cooks, place a large pan over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add in the sliced shiitakes mushrooms, plus a good pinch of salt and pepper, and saute for a few minutes until golden-brown. Spoon the mushrooms into a bowl and keep warm.
- nto that same pan you used for the mushrooms, with the heat now on medium, add in ¼ cup of olive oil, along with the garlic and pinch of red pepper flakes, and cook for a moment just until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Once fragrant, add in the white wine, along with the butter (it will bubble up a bit), plus a couple of pinches of salt and black pepper. Simmer the sauce for a couple of minutes, whisking until the butter melts in and the sauce slightly reduces.
- Add back into the pan the sauteed shiitake mushrooms, plus the baby spinach leaves and the chopped parsley, along with the cooked bucatini noodles, and gently toss everything together to combine and coat. Add the grated Romano cheese, and toss that to combine.
- Serve the bucatini pasta with garlic butter sauce in bowls with extra Romano cheese and a generous sprinkle of the toasted breadcrumbs.
Tips & Tidbits for my Bucatini Pasta with Garlic Butter Sauce recipe:
- Shiitake mushrooms, or your favorite kind: If you cannot find shiitake mushrooms, or don't prefer the flavor, you can easily substitute crimini mushrooms instead, even button mushrooms if that's what you have on hand—use your favorite!
- Substitution for bucatini pasta: These days, bucatini is pretty easy to find in the dried pasta section of the market, but you can substitute spaghetti or even linguini in a pinch if that's what you have on hand, or if your market doesn't carry it.
- Leave the wine out: If you'd prefer not to use wine for this recipe, then simply substitute chicken stock, and add a good squeeze of lemon (about half a lemon) to give that hint of acidity.
Craving more delicious and cozy pasta recipes? Check out this Shrimp Scampi, this Pasta Puttanesca, this Mushroom Pasta, this Vegetable Pasta with Mozzarella, or this Cajun Shrimp Pasta!
Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2017, and has been updated with even more love!
Angela Latrelle London
I just made this for dinner, and it was a HIT!!! I added a little bit of chopped sundried tomatoes, and a little bit of coconut milk. It is sooooo yummy, and I will be making it again!
The Cozy Apron
Angela, thumbs up on adding your own little twist to this! Sounds delicious! So glad it was a hit, and a recipe you plan on preparing again. Thank you for your comment.
Daniella
Hi Ingrid,
I made this for dinner tonight and just loved it! Great flavour and comes together quickly. I will be making this again. Thank you for sharing this
The Cozy Apron
Hi Daniella, so happy you enjoyed this one! It’s one of my personal favorites —I love the flavors and the simplicity. Glad you’ll make it again some time! ❤️
Frank
Greetings Ingrid. As a life long Italian, use to my Grandmothers and Mothers exceptional cooking, I rarely look for pasta recipes online. I must tell you that I am so happy (and my partner John as well) that I came upon your exquisite recipe. I doubled the recipe and have to confess that we ate the entire thing. We didn’t utter a word to each other until we had our fill. As a man that loves to cook and eat I felt compelled to express my deep gratitude for your fabulous recipe. I can’t wait to try more. Thank you so much, from the two of us.
The Cozy Apron
Frank, I cannot tell you how deeply your comment touched me!
I instantly had a warm, fuzzy feeling in my belly, and a tremendous sense of gratitude for what you shared.
I am so very glad that both you and John enjoyed the recipe so much, and I am so very excited that you plan on perusing and possibly preparing some more of our recipes!
It almost seems a bit serendipitous that you stumbled upon this particular recipe, especially since, as you mentioned, you don't typically look for pasta recipes online. When you have a mother and grandmother who are exceptional cooks, the way in which they prepare their amazing meals certainly gets passed down, and that becomes a part of your soul; and I'm sure that you know those dishes by heart and by taste, no written recipe needed, necessarily.
So it makes me feel a bit extra honored to have had a little part in your special meal through my recipe, and I cherish that.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with me, and I hope both you and John find comfort and enjoyment in many more of the recipes you find here!
Happy cooking (and eating!) Frank! 😉
Joy Pruner
My son introduced me to bucatini pasta using this recipe last week, but he added sauteed sea scallops with lemon pepper. It was a scrumptious, indulgence. I will probably have to go to Dallas/Fort Worth to find bucatini, or maybe order it online. Not avail. here in Waco - Imagine that! LOL!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Joy, I'm so thrilled your son prepared his delicious versions of this dish!
Bucatini is such a fun pasta, and yes—you should be able to order it if you can't find it there in Waco. 😉
Happy cooking to you!
Kelly
This has become my go to for a quick and wonderful comfort dish and I've served this at dinner parties to really impress and it's never failed me. I've done veggie variations when I didn't have spinach on hand with squash and bell peppers along with the mushrooms. I always use bucatini because I am never without bucatini in the house. It's the best pasta EVER. I've made it with and without the wine (kids) and it's just as good. I have passed this recipe onto many who rave about it. It's easy and so delicious!
The Cozy Apron
Kelly, that's music to my ears—thanks so much for sharing this with me!
Bucatini is so delicious, isn't it? Perfect with all sorts of additions/substitutions, and it seems you've done brilliantly with those!
So very glad you're all enjoying the recipe...and thank you for passing it on to others!
Maureen Miller
I love using bucatini past because it is very forgiving. You have time to test for doneness without overcooking what is still in the water. I used avocado oil because that is my go-to oil and it was fabulous. I was not sure if the pasta amount was dried or fresh. I used 1 pound of fresh and the proportions seemed fine. Perhaps 3/4 pound of fresh would have been better. My guests loved it.
The Cozy Apron
Thank you for sharing, Maureen! Glad you all enjoyed. (By the way, the pasta I used for this recipe was dried, just for future reference.)
Minnie
What a melange of flavours in such a simple pasta recipe. There were no leftovers for sure. Warmest regards!
The Cozy Apron
Minnie, thank you so very much for your comment. So glad you enjoyed this simple yet flavorful pasta recipe!
Coffeecake
this is an amazing recipe- I substituted pecorino for Romano, cremini mushrooms for shitake and added in some sauteed broccoli to up the health factor. It was so delicious and will go into our rotation. Thanks!
The Cozy Apron
So very happy to read you enjoyed the recipe so much! The broccoli addition sounds absolutely delicious and wonderfully healthy.
Nan Eakin Molitor
Hi there! Terrific recipe and I've had much success with it. However, the last time I made it, I didn't realize that I had picked up a box of "Baby Spinach and Baby Kale" instead of just spinach. Everyone ate it but there wasn't the joy in their faces. Rather bitter. So sad and I won't make that mistake again!
The Cozy Apron
Nan, you made me chuckle! I've gotten that combo myself!
I'm thrilled to hear you've had good success with the recipe in the past as well—I guess that keeping that kale out of it is the key to keeping the smiles on the family member's faces, haha... 😉 Happy cooking to you!