We love the way that roasting intensifies the flavor of canned tomatoes. While we're pretty obsessed with the texture of bucatini, a strand pasta with a hole running through it, this dish is every bit as delicious with spaghetti, linguine, or even rigatoni.
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What you’ll need
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Box Grater
$12 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
13x9" Baking Dish
$20 At Amazon
Large Pot
$55 $48 At Amazon
Potato Masher
$15 At Amazon
Tongs
$21 At Amazon
Heatproof Measuring Cup
$26 At Amazon
Colander
$11 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
60 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
8
¼
1
2
½
12
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425°. Crush 8 garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef's knife and remove peel. Cut ¼ cup (½ stick) butter into small pieces (about ½").
Step 2
Empty 28 oz. can of tomatoes into a 13x9" baking dish and crush lightly with your hands. Watch out for flying tomato juices. Scatter garlic, butter pieces, 2 anchovies, and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes over tomatoes; season with salt and black pepper.
Step 3
Roast tomatoes, tossing halfway through, until garlic is very soft and mixture is thick and jammy, 35–40 minutes. While tomatoes are roasting, bring a large pot of water (4-6 qt.) to a boil over high heat and add a small fistful of salt.
Step 4
Remove pan from oven and let sauce cool slightly. Using a potato masher or fork, break up garlic and tomatoes until mixture looks like coarse applesauce.
Step 5
Cook 12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti in pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally with tongs, according to package instructions for al dente. Toward end of cook time, use a heatproof measuring cup to scoop out and reserve ½ cup pasta cooking liquid. Drain pasta in a colander; reserve pot.
Step 6
Return pasta to pot and add tomato sauce and pasta cooking liquid. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing with tongs, until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes.
Step 7
Divide pasta among plates. Serve topped with Parmesan and more red pepper flakes.
Step 8
Do Ahead: Tomato sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat before mixing with pasta.
Nutrition Per Serving
How would you rate Bucatini with Butter-Roasted Tomato Sauce?
Leave a Review
Reviews (618)
Back to TopThis is my most favourite tomato sauce recipe ever. And I actually don’t like tomato based sauces…. At all. This one has depth and is interesting and easy and you really should try it.
Anonymous
Ontario, Canada
4/4/2024
This is my go to sauce base. I typically add oregano when the tomatoes go in the oven but otherwise I don't change a thing. I like grilling some chicken sausages a d slicing that into the sauce with the bucatini. Delicious!
E
Seattle
3/7/2024
Great! Love the butter in the sauce! We didn't have anchovies so I used a little white wine and capers instead and added sun dried tomatoes. A great staple recipe and fun to play around with!
Emma
Portland, OR
2/27/2023
I read this recipe in the 2013 issue when it came out one night around 10PM: got out of bed, pulled out the ingredients and oh my goodness. Ten years later, still craving and making it. I also triple the anchovies.
NativeNYC
NYC
1/27/2023
A delicious pasta sauce that is easy to make. It's one of my go-to recipes! Thank you
Fatemah
San Francisco Bay Area
10/15/2022
Made this twice, closely following directions both times. Unimpressed first time, but used better quality imported Italian tomatoes second time, canned with purée, not juice, and it made a world of difference.
Fran
Mexico
7/30/2022
Marcella Hazan first did this in her tomato sauce!
Anonymous
2/2/2022