Creamy Tomato Bucatini <3

Creamy Tomato Bucatini

Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: Approx. 1 Hour

Yields: 4+ Servings

What You Need

• 454g Bucatini Pasta
• 3 Tbsp. EVOO
• 1 Tbsp. Pepperoncini In Chili Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Carrot, peeled & diced
• 2 stalks Celery, diced
• 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1 C White Wine ( I used a local Ontario Pinot)
• 796ml San Marzano Style Tomatoes
• Small Handful Fresh Basil
• 1/2 C Whipping Cream, room temp
• 1/2 C Grana Padano, finely shredded
• 1/4 C Store-Bought Pesto
• 3 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1/2 Tsp. + Himalayan Salt
• Cracked Pepper
• GARNISH - Grana Padano, Basil, Parsley

Directions

• Begin heating the EVOO, pepperoncini, and garlic, in a large stainless skillet set to just below medium. Once heated, let everything sizzle together for about a minute before adding the onion, pepper, carrot, celery, and a generous hit of both salt & pepper. Stir occasionally to ensure your veggies don't char, reducing your temp if needed. Cook for about 10 - 12 minutes until the veggies are cooked down nicely.  Pour in your wine, season with another good pinch of salt, and let the wine simmer until mostly reduced. This will take 5 - 7 minutes approximately. Once the wine has cooked off, add your tomatoes, rinse out the can 1/3 of the way with water, swishing it around to lift all the tomato remnants & pour that in your skillet. Smash up the tomatoes a bit in the skillet as you wait for the sauce to start coming to a low boil. Once the sauce starts bubbling pretty rapidly, reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the 1/2 tsp. salt & fresh basil. Cover for 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of cold, generously salted water to a boil. Once boiled, leave covered until your sauce is blended.​

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• Once the sauce is finished, carefully transfer it to a heat safe blender ( I use my Vitamix) and add the cream. Blend until smooth. Alternately, add the cream to the skillet and use an Immersion blender. Now, you will not need all of the sauce for this recipe. I used about half of it and packed the other half in an airtight container. It can be refrigerated for about 5 days. Return the sauce to the skillet and leave covered until the bucatini is finished.
• Cook your bucatini in the boiling water until almost perfectly al dente according to package directions. Transfer your bucatini directly from the boiling water to your skillet of sauce. Start tossing to combine the pasta in the sauce. At this point, you have reserved sauce if you think you need some more! Once it's combined, let the bucatini skillet simmer until your bucatini is perfectly cooked. 
• Turn off the heat and add the parsley, pesto, grana padano, and a ladle of pasta water. Start tossing until everything is combined in the skillet. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust your salt at this point if needed.
• Serve your bucatini garnished with heaps of finely shredded grana padano, fresh parsley, and some gorgeous basil. ENJOY!
• Any leftover pasta can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 4 - 5 days.

HAPPY VEG