Bucatini Pasta Recipe with Vegetables, Basil & Ricotta Cheese
Take your taste buds to the Mediterranean with this authentic bucatini pasta dish from Abruzzo, Italy. It's loaded with fresh vegetables like eggplant, carrots, zucchini and plum tomatoes. It’s also chock-full of Porcini mushrooms, and their earthy flavor pairs perfectly with creamy sheep’s milk ricotta cheese.
Bucatini with Veggies, Fresh Basil & Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients1 box Barilla® Collezione Bucatini
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ small yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
1 small carrot, chopped
½ ounce reconstituted Porcini mushrooms
1 red pepper, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 eggplant, diced
3 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
10 leaves basil, torn
2 cups fresh sheep’s milk ricotta
½ cup Romano cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, sauté onion with extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet until translucent (about 3-4 minutes) and then add carrots and garlic, and sauté for one minute.
3. Next, stir in veggies and cook thoroughly over medium heat.
4. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and sauté for two more minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine ricotta and Romano cheese.
6. Toss cooked pasta with veggies and basil.
7. Top with ricotta cheese before serving.
Recipe and Photo Credit: Chef Lorenzo Boni