Bucatini Pasta with Sheet Pan Tomato Sauce

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Bucatini amatriciana pasta with a spicy roasted cherry tomato sauce made on a sheet pan, with extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil and ricotta cheese. 

Me and pasta. It’s one love, one heart, if you know what I mean.

This is my easy version of a classic all’amatriciana sauce, made on a sheet pan with a handful of ingredients.

Pasta is satisfying, affordable, and is the base of totally delicious meals—and I’d say that’s an undebatable fact.

But still, there’s a little secret to making a beautiful plate of pasta that rises above the ordinary.

I’m talking about elevating your everyday pasta beyond opening a jar of sauce and calling dinner “done.”

Are you with me?

The best part is that it’s totally doable, and using high-quality pasta is the key.

It’s always a great thing to employ one-stop shopping, especially when it comes to making something special for dinner.

The sheet pan pasta sauce for the bucatini is a snap to make; just toss extra-virgin olive oil and fresh cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan.

Then roast them along with spicy red chili (both fresh and dried) to create a diavolo sauce—the Italian word to describe devilishly spicy flavors.

The sweet roasted tomatoes are simply combined with some of the starchy pasta cooking water, garlic, and fresh basil to make an instant sauce.

For a dining-out worthy plate, the bucatini is served along with a creamy dollop of ricotta cheese.

The bucatini has such a pleasing chew and when the hot pasta mingles with the sauce, cheese, and spicy chili, it comes together to make an incredible dish.

I’m always amazed that such a simple combination of ingredients—basically just durum wheat flour and water—turns out to be one of the most delicious foods on earth.

Seriously, if, for some crazy reason, pasta was banned from my life, things would no doubt get ugly.

What is the difference between bucatini and spaghetti?

Bucatini is a long pasta shape that resembles chubby spaghetti, only it’s hollow all the way through.

It has an irresistibly sturdy bite and is on bestie terms with robust, chunky sauces.

In fact, the more robust the sauce the better — my Bucatini with Sicilian Almond Pesto and Burrata is one of my absolute favorite pasta recipes.

Pasta that’s bronze cut means that the pasta will not only look a bit different, but will also create a texture that better holds sauces and flavor!

If you hold it up close, you’ll see that pasta made with this artisanal method has a distinct nubby texture and matte color, which, by the way, happens to be the reason that bronze-cut pasta is superior at grabbing onto sauce.

Yum, right?

How to cook bucatini:

• For 12- 16 ounces of dried bucatini, bring 4 – 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of salt to the water (this seasons the pasta from the inside out).
• Cook 7 – 10 minutes for the best al dente texture; pull a strand out of the water and test it if you’re not sure.
• Scoop about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water out of the pot and set aside for your sauce.
• Drain the pasta in a colander and transfer to a warm serving dish. Top with your sauce and serve right away.

FOLLOW ALONG: Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for all the latest recipes and content.