Bucatini Pie
Living in an apartment community in a college town means you are bound to get mail every now and again that is addressed to someone else. I found it odd that this still happened in our old apartment last year (having lived there for three years) but it was always junk mail that went right into the recycling. Last month I came home to find an issue of Food & Wine for a past resident of our apartment and flipped through to see if there was anything interesting buried among the pages of advertisements.
One of the recipes that caught my eye was for bucatini pie, a simple and fun pasta bake. Bucatini is just a thick spaghetti with a hollow center. I had never heard of it before but after a trip to the grocery store it turns out it had been there on the shelf all along.
It’s probably best to have this with a salad since the dish is loaded with eggs, cheese, and cream. Just like the another pasta bake I’ve made, our favorite part was the extra crispy baked pasta on top. Right before serving I put the pan under the broiler to get it nicely browned. Next time I make this I will probably use a more shallow baking dish so that we get more of that crispy texture.
It was my birthday over the weekend and in addition to the Michigan football win I purchased a light box/tent for myself so that I can take better food pictures in our apartment. I had been meaning to make or buy one for a long time and am excited to finally have done something about it!
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 5 large eggs, beaten
- 1 pound bucatini pasta, broken in half
- 1½ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (4 ounces)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or pyrex baking dish.
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the bucatini until al dente according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, cheese, cream, olive oil, garlic, pepper and salt. Add the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly.
- Scrape into the prepared skillet and bake for about 30 minutes, until just set. Remove from the oven.
- Preheat the broiler. Broil the bucatini pie 6 inches from the heat until golden, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve with warm marinara sauce.
