I first fell in love with this dish when I was enjoying a beautiful dinner out with Geoffrey Zakarian, Katie Lee Beigel and her family at a joint in New York City called Daddies. For a humble pasta dish using only a couple of ingredients, it sure does satisfy.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 slices white sandwich bread, including crusts, diced or torn into pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Pinch kosher salt
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound dried bucatini
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, grated on a rasp
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced (zest and juice separate)
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- For the breadcrumbs: In a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, add the bread and process into coarse crumbs.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt and sauté until just golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- For the pasta: Boil pasta water in a large pot and salt heavily. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add in the garlic and some salt and pepper and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the al dente pasta to the pan and toss to coat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add a ladleful of pasta water and the lemon juice to the pan and toss. Gradually add in the cheese while tossing the pasta with tongs to emulsify. Once all the cheese is added, add the lemon zest and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Plate and top with the breadcrumbs. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 847 |
| Total Fat | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 97 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 37 g |
| Cholesterol | 76 mg |
| Sodium | 851 mg |
Reviews
I make this dish weekly now! I add lemon chicken and broccoli for a complete meal. My sons love the spicy bread crumbs. A keeper!
What a scrumptious dinner. I paired it with a lightly baked piece of haddock using similar ingredients. Wouldn’t change a thing!
Perfection! Absolute perfection! Followed to the letter, wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks Jeff, been a fan a long time! Your sandwich king show was awesome and missed.
Heavenly. The spicy bread crumbs and the lemony cheesy pasta are a stunning combo. Topped my serving with extra crushed red pepper as I love spice, but the whole family loved this pasta. Delish!
Dish was awesome! Very light and delicious!
Oh my heavens!! Butter makes everything better, doesn’t it? I made this to specs and it was a refreshing dish! Love the slight chew of bucatini. It’s quickly becoming my fav noodle due to The Kitchen!
This was easy and tasted great. I may cut back a bit on the lemon next time. It would be good with just a subtle lemon flavor too. It will be a great summer pasta
So simple and good. I didn’t want to take the time to make bread crumbs, it was late when I started. I crushed up croutons that I had and used those instead, still tasted great and had the crunch. Will def be making this again!
This was really delicious! I made it once just as the recipe called for and we loved it. Tonight I had some Argentinian pink shrimp that were calling my name – so I sautéed those first, removed from the pan and then proceeded with the sauce in the same skillet as the recipe indicates. Added the cooked shrimp on top with the breadcrumbs at the end, and it was amazing. Thanks for the fantastic recipe – this will be a staple when we want to satisfy a pasta craving!!
I did make this with a few changes. I used 1 1/2 sticks of butter melted and I substituted homemade breadcrumbs w/seasoned panko! used a bit of melted butter and EVOO and put in low oven on parchment paper and toasted til browned along w/a few pepper flakes.
I put garlic in the butter w/ rasp and lemon at the very end after the grated cheese.
OMG! What a hit! BTW, I used dececco wide egg pasta and it was incredible.
I put garlic in the butter w/ rasp and lemon at the very end after the grated cheese.
OMG! What a hit! BTW, I used dececco wide egg pasta and it was incredible.