Bucatini with Cavolo Nero
The best pasta dishes are often the simplest ones. This dish is easy as anything and flavour packed with earthy cavolo nero, crispy golden sourdough breadcrumbs, parmesan, lemon, garlic, thyme and chilli round out the delicious ingredient line up for one of the yummiest pasta you'll make.
Bucatini with Cavolo Nero
Bucatini with Cavolo Nero
Bucatini with Cavolo Nero
Bucatini with Cavolo Nero and Garlicy Sourdough Breadcrumbs is a spin on Pasta Aglio e Olio (Garlic and Olive Oil pasta) but souped-up with deep rich flavours of cavolo nero and crispy garlic and thyme breadcrumbs making this bucatini pasta dish outrageously yummy.
The steps to making this are simple and straightforward, which makes it perfect for a weeknight dinner when you’re firing on about 4% brain power and even less energy. Pull this one together on autopilot and enjoy.
Cavolo Nero is a type of kale originating from Italy. It’s has a striking deep blue green colour with long thin leaves and a ‘bubbly’ feeling texture, different to the more ubiquitous curly kale. It’s really versatile, you can eat it raw and add it to almost any type of stew, soup or pasta. You can blend it to make a delicious pasta sauce. I recommend removing the central stem as it can be a bit tough.
If you can’t find it at your local, sub with curly kale, spinach, baby spinach, silverbeet, collard greens etc. Look for greens that wilt down as an easy swap.
Bucatini is really similar to spaghetti, but with a hole through the middle allowing for sauce to not only coat the outside of the pasta, but also travel through the pasta as well (yum). When cooked it’s a little thicker that spaghetti, but it handles just the same.
To make a heartier variation, adding your fave shellfish would be amazing. You could also add guanciale, pancetta, nduja, streaky bacon, chicken are some ideas. This dish is a great flavour base for almost any protein.
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make it - step by step!
Put sourdough slices, garlic, and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse to make coarse breadcrumbs.
Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the breadcrumb mixture. Stir frequently, until the bread crumbs are golden brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and add lemon zest and thyme leaves. Put cooked breadcrumbs in a bowl and wipe out the pan for reuse.
Meanwhile, add butter and garlic to the pan, cook for a couple of minutes until the garlic just begins to brown and the butter becomes nutty and golden brown, then add in the cavolo nero, add chilli flakes and cook for another minute to soften.
Meanwhile, add butter and garlic to the pan, cook for a couple of minutes until the garlic just begins to brown and the butter becomes nutty and golden brown, then add in the cavolo nero, add chilli flakes and cook for another minute to soften.
Get your cup of pasta water before draining, then add in drained pasta, lemon juice, pasta water, parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir through so everything is combined, let it bubble together for a minute for the sauce to thicken, finish with olive oil.
Serve onto plates and generously scatter the breadcrumbs and a little extra parmesan on top.
Put sourdough slices, garlic, and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse to make coarse breadcrumbs.
Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the breadcrumb mixture. Stir frequently, until the bread crumbs are golden brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and add lemon zest and thyme leaves. Put cooked breadcrumbs in a bowl and wipe out the pan for reuse.
Meanwhile, add butter and garlic to the pan, cook for a couple of minutes until the garlic just begins to brown and the butter becomes nutty and golden brown, then add in the cavolo nero, add chilli flakes and cook for another minute to soften.
Meanwhile, add butter and garlic to the pan, cook for a couple of minutes until the garlic just begins to brown and the butter becomes nutty and golden brown, then add in the cavolo nero, add chilli flakes and cook for another minute to soften.
Get your cup of pasta water before draining, then add in drained pasta, lemon juice, pasta water, parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir through so everything is combined, let it bubble together for a minute for the sauce to thicken, finish with olive oil.
Serve onto plates and generously scatter the breadcrumbs and a little extra parmesan on top.
Watch the how to video
Watch the how to video
Bucatini with Cavolo Nero
For the breadcrumbs
- 3 big slices day old sourdough, cut into peices
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ tbsp thyme leaves, picked
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp of pepper
For the pasta
- 400g dried bucatini
- 80g butter (more if you love butter)
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 400g cavolo nero, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- ½ cup parmesan + extra to serve
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- good pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup pasta water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Put sourdough slices, garlic, and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse to make coarse breadcrumbs
- Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the breadcrumb mixture. Stir frequently, until the bread crumbs are golden brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and add lemon zest and thyme leaves. Put cooked breadcrumbs in a bowl and wipe out the pan for reuse
- Cook bucatini until al dente, adding a pinch of salt to the water
- Meanwhile, add butter and garlic to the pan, cook for a couple of minutes until the garlic just begins to brown and the butter becomes nutty and golden brown, then add in the cavolo nero, add chilli flakes and cook for another minute to soften
- Get your cup of pasta water before draining, then add in drained pasta, lemon juice, pasta water, parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir through so everything is combined, let it bubble together for a minute for the sauce to thicken, finish with olive oil
- Serve onto plates and generously scatter the breadcrumbs and a little extra parmesan on top.