Italian Bucatini Pomodoro Pasta
on Jul 02, 2024, Updated Apr 15, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links! For more info, check out our privacy policy.
This Italian Bucatini Pomodoro Pasta is the ultimate pasta dish. Made with ripe tomatoes and fresh basil, this recipe is perfect for an easy dinner. While traditional Pomodoro uses ripe fresh tomatoes or crushed tomatoes, this recipe uses roasted tomatoes in the oven to make our pasta sauce.
Try our Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta next for another delicious tomato pasta recipe. If you’re looking for a sausage variation, be sure to check out our Spicy Sausage Cherry Tomato Pasta and What to Do with Tomatoes for more tomato recipes!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is a simple and super-flavored pasta recipe that you are sure to enjoy! It combines fresh roasted tomatoes with loads of basil and is one we make on repeat.
- Easy to Prepare: This pasta is hands-off, where you roast the tomatoes and make a delicious pasta sauce to toss over the pasta.
- Traditional: This is a simple, classic, and traditional recipe.
- Depth of Flavor: The roasted tomatoes add depth of flavor and umami to the classic tomato sauce.
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the ingredients you need to make this recipe, including all our tips and substitutions.
Tomatoes for the roasted tomato sauce: The star of our fresh pomodoro sauce. We roast halved tomatoes and add crushed tomatoes to the marinara-style sauce. San Marzano tomatoes are the classic Pomodoro tomatoes choice, especially when they’re in season during late summer. When those are not available, Roma tomatoes and plum tomatoes are excellent alternatives.
Extra-virgin Olive Oil: Use a high-quality oil to roast the tomatoes and sauté the shallots and garlic. The oil enhances the texture and improves the flavor of our sauce.
Seasoning: We keep it simple with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and chili flakes.
Aromatics: Shallots and garlic cloves form a strong foundation of flavor, balancing and complementing each other well. You can also choose to add some red pepper flakes here for some heat.
Fresh Basil Leaves: This herb infuses the tomato sauce with sweet, fragrant notes.
Bucatini: The sauce evenly coats the pasta for easy eating. Feel free to sub out with spaghetti or linguine, any long-form pasta will work here!
Parmesan Cheese: A sprinkle of salty, savory cheese is the perfect finishing touch.
Butter: While this ingredient is optional, it adds a velvety smoothness to the sauce.
The full list of ingredients with exact quantities can be found on the recipe card below.
Tips and Substitutions
- Prepping: You can make the sauce up to two days in advance. Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container and reheat gently before tossing it with pasta.
- Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
- Tomato Variations: San Marzano tomatoes are the classic Pomodoro tomatoes choice, especially when they’re in season during late summer. When those are not available, Roma tomatoes and plum tomatoes are excellent alternatives.
How to make Bucatini Pomodoro
Roast Tomatoes: Heat your oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, add your halved tomatoes. Season with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until jammy and burst.
Sauté Aromatics: In the meantime, in a large saucepan, heat your remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in your shallots, salt, pepper, and a pinch of chili flakes. Stir to sweat until your shallots are softened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add in your minced garlic, tossing to combine for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add Tomatoes: Add in your crushed tomatoes, and bring the heat to medium-low. Once your tomatoes are ready from the oven, add them to the pot, and give them a little crush if needed. Tear your basil leaves and add that in, stir to combine.
Simmer: Simmer your sauce for 30 minutes, and up to 1 hour on low.
Cook Pasta: When ready to serve, cook your pasta until al dente. Then transfer the pasta to the sauce, using pasta water as needed to toss. Add in basil leaves, and finish with parmesan. Optional to add a knob of butter melted through.
Serve: Serve the pomodoro in a bowl, topping with more parmesan, and basil leaves.
The full detailed instructions can be found on the recipe card below.
Serving Recommendations
Looking for some ideas to serve with this bucatini pomodoro? We have you covered!
We like the way this tastes with our homemade focaccia bread. The soft bread soaks up the sauce for a tasty comfort meal. For a lighter addition, pair it with our Green Goddess Salad.
If you’re looking for another pasta recipe, check out our Pasta with Lemon and Capers.
Bucatini Pomodoro FAQs
Pasta pomodoro or pasta al pomodoro is a pasta dish tossed in a fresh tomato sauce. It originated in Naples, Italy. The traditional sauce has ripe tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil. Our bucatini al Pomodoro takes it being made with roasted tomatoes to build our sauce.
No. Pomodoro sauce is a type of tomato sauce. It’s made with fresh tomatoes (sometimes canned crushed tomatoes!), garlic, olive oil, and basil, which gives it a light, fresh flavor. Tomato sauce is very versatile and can be made with a variety of ingredients like canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, and spices.
You can also use bucatini, angel hair, linguini, spaghetti, or any other long pasta. The sauce will coat these types well.
More Pasta Recipes
If you do make this Bucatini Pomodoro recipe, leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, we would love to hear what you think! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram, we love to see what you’re making! If you’d like to stay in touch and get the latest in your inbox, sign up for our Newsletter. We can also be found on YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Italian Bucatini Pomodoro Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 18 medium-sized tomatoes, (about 2 pounds) halved
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, plus more to taste
- 4 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 4 to 5 leaves of fresh basil, roughly torn, plus more for serving
- 1 pound long pasta of choice, such as spaghetti or bucatini
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, add your halved tomatoes. Season with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until jammy and burst.
- In the meantime, in a large saucepan, heat your remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in your shallots, salt, pepper, and a pinch of chili flakes. Stir to sweat until your shallots are softened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add in your minced garlic, tossing to combine for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add in your crushed tomatoes, and bring the heat to medium-low. Once your tomatoes are ready from the oven, add them to the pot, and give them a little crush if needed. Tear your basil leaves and add that in, stir to combine.
- Simmer your sauce for 30 minutes, and up to 1 hour on low.
- When ready to serve, cook your pasta until al dente. Then transfer the pasta to the sauce, using pasta water as needed to toss. Add in basil leaves, and finish with parmesan. Optional to add a knob of butter melted through.
- Serve in bowl, topping with more parmesan, and basil leaves.
Notes
- Prepping: You can make the sauce up to two days in advance. Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container and reheat gently before tossing it with pasta.
- Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
- Tomato Variations: San Marzano tomatoes are the classic Pomodoro tomatoes choice, especially when they’re in season during late summer. When those are not available, Roma tomatoes and plum tomatoes are excellent alternatives.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
A delicious and easy pasta recipe that is always handy to know how to prepare! I hope you enjoy!