Bucatini makes lemon pasta more demanding in a useful way. The hollow center holds sauce, but the strands clump if the cheese and citrus hit too much heat.
We keep the sauce low and glossy: zest in butter first, pasta water next, then cheese and lemon juice off the heat. Cream is listed as a variation, not the main path, because the cleaner version shows the pasta shape better.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Zest the lemons finely, then juice them. Keep the zest and juice separate.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it until it tastes seasoned.
Melt the butter in a wide skillet over low heat. Add the lemon zest and black pepper and cook 1 minute, just until fragrant.
Add 1/2 cup hot pasta water to the butter and swirl until glossy. Keep the heat low.
Cook the Gusta bucatini for 4 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then transfer the pasta to the skillet.
Toss for 1 minute over low heat, adding more pasta water as needed so the bucatini moves freely.
Turn off the heat. Add the cheese in two additions, tossing hard after each one until the sauce clings.
Add lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go. Stop when the sauce is bright but not sharp.
If the pasta tightens, add warm pasta water by the spoonful off the heat. Serve immediately with more black pepper.
For a cream variation, warm 1/4 cup cream with the butter before adding pasta water. Keep the lemon juice off the heat.
You made Bucatini al Limone. Time to eat.
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Lemon juice goes in after the cheese has melted into the sauce. Add it too early and the dairy can turn grainy.
Each Gusta product is hand-selected and imported direct from Italy. Add what you need, or grab the whole set in one click.
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Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.
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