Garden Vegetable Bucatini

This post is sponsored by Delicacies Jewelry. There are also affiliate links in this post, which means if you make a purchase through these links, I may or may not receive a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Pasta is my all-time favorite food. It can literally be made in ANY WAY POSSIBLE. When I’m at a loss for what to make for dinner, I often do a “pantry & fridge dump” pasta. The crazy thing? It always tastes incredible. Every Summer we have a surplus of garden squash and tomatoes given to us by family and friends, therefore, I need to come up with fun ways to utilize it. This Garden Vegetable Bucatini recipe is super fast and easy, and is a perfect way to use up your garden overflow.

You may not have heard of bucatini, it’s a pasta much like spaghetti, but thicker, and hollow on the inside. Now, while I love all pasta, I must admit I prefer unique shapes because I think they taste better (I know, I know…I may or may not still eat Spongebob shaped Mac N Cheese). If you’ve never had Bucatini pasta, you’re missing out. The increased surface area of the noodle (due to thickness and hollow inside) makes for MAXIMUM sauce adhesion.

Bucatini can be a little hard to find, but I order mine super cheap here.

I try not to be THAT annoying food blogger, so I’m putting the Garden Vegetable Bucatini recipe up top. But, I hope you keep scrolling because there’s some very, VERY important information coming next.

Garden Vegetable Bucatini

A fresh vegetarian pasta dish perfect for utilizing your surplus of yellow squash and zucchini. This dish can even be made vegan if you forgo the cheese, and purchase egg-free bucatini noodles!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main Course, Pasta, Supper

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 people (generously)

Ingredients

  

• 2 Fresh Tomatoes
• 1 Can Tomato Paste
• 1 Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Summer Squash (aka yellow squash)
• 1/2 Yellow Onion
• 1/2 Box Bucatini Pasta
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil you can use Canola if you have to
• 2 TBS White Sugar
• 1.5 TBSP Pressed Garlic (aka 3 cloves)
• 1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Oregano
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Fresh Basil to taste
• Parmesan Cheese (optional)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Prepare your vegetables:

  Finely chop yellow onion, cube fresh tomatoes and squash.
• In a large stock pot, heat up olive oil on medium until the pot is warm to the touch. If your oil starts to smoke, it's too hot. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and onion, stirring frequently until they become transparent.
• Next, add the squash (NOT the tomatoes) and saute together for approximately 5 minutes.
• Add in the can of tomato paste, mixing together over heat until the sauce becomes very fragrant. Then, add in the crushed tomatoes, white sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes then turn heat to low. Let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
• While the sauce is simmering, boil a pot of water for the bucatini, cook according to instructions, then drain, keeping 1/2 cup of the pasta water, pouring it into the simmering sauce.
• When the tomato sauce has finished its 20 minutes, take it off the heat and stir in the fresh, diced tomatoes. Place the bucatini noodles in a serving dish, and coat with sauce to your preference. Top with chopped basil and parmesan cheese, serve immediately.

Notes

Frequently taste your sauce. If it’s too sweet, add in another TBS of balsamic vinegar. Too sour? Add in sugar slowly until you have the flavor you want.

When cooking pasta, one should always hold onto at least 1/4 Cup of the water the pasta is cooked  in. Add this to whatever sauce you’re using to make it starchy. Starchy sauce will adhere to the noodles better.

Another way to add protein, nutrients, and extra flavor to this recipe is to cook your pasta in stock or bone broth. I use Bonafide Beef Bone Broth from the frozen section at Kroger stores. One bag cooks enough pasta for 4 people, with some liquid left over to add to the sauce.

Keyword Garden Vegetable Bucatini, Italian Recipes, Pasta, Summer Pasta Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

In addition to being my favorite food, pasta holds a lot of memories for me. Growing up with a single mother, we were often short on finances and time. Pasta was cheap and fast, but Mama kept it interesting by introducing me to “fancy noodles.” I credit her for my penchant for shaped pasta, because she made our humble bowtie pasta nights seem like a black tie affair. She also made the best Birthday lasagna! As I got older, I tried all the different shapes. I still stand by my statement that fancy pasta tastes better.

Delicacies Jewelry thinks so too. They gifted me a gorgeous bucatini necklace, and a pair of farfalle earrings.

“Tasteful jewelry for people who love food,” truly describes Delicacies Jewelry. I’ve pretty much been wearing my pieces since I opened them. All their products are made from 0.925 sterling silver, 14k white or yellow gold. I love that I can wear my passion for food in a way that isn’t tacky, or childish looking. It’s even better that the company is socially conscious. As such, a generous portion of each purchase goes to provide meals for those who are hungry, you can see the recipients here.

If the Al Dente pasta jewelry collection isn’t your thing, there are so many other options to choose from. My favorite happens to be this diamond pig that’s just way too cute. Delicacies Jewelry make perfect gifts for foodie friends. Most vegetable, fruit, meat, and pasta designs come in bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. There’s even a high end pave diamond collection, so you know I have my eye on what must be the most expensive avocado in the world…

This weekend I’ll be hosting an incredible giveaway sponsored by Delicacies Jewelry, we will be gifting ONE lucky follower a sterling silver ingredients necklace of their choosing!

If you liked this recipe, you will LOVE my homemade butternut squash ravioli recipe. You don’t even need a pasta maker, just a rolling pin and some muscles. Thanks for being here, I love having you in the foodie fam.