Scary Good and Scary Easy, a Pasta for Halloween Night

bon appétit magazine

Audrey Bruno

Bucatini with Butter-Roasted Tomato Sauce
Bucatini with Butter-Roasted Tomato Sauce


Hallelujah, the weekend is in sight, and you need a no-brainer dinner tonight. Quick Main Thursday has you covered.

The day has come. You've been prepping for weeks: candy, costumes, more candy-you've got it all thought through. Wigs on, kids armed with pillowcases, you're about to head out the door when all of the sudden you hear: GRRRR. While that growling could be coming from the guy in the werewolf costume on your porch, it's probably your stomach. Candy is dandy, but substantial it ain't. You need something filling to get you through the tricking and the treating, and since this is Halloween it might as well be scary, right? Or, like, scary good. Or-even better-scary easy. Two words: Butter. Roasted. This rich tomato sauce requires little work: mix canned tomatoes, garlic, anchovies, butter, and red pepper flakes, and toss it all in the oven. You'll have time to complete your perfect zombie look when it's roasting. And when you're done, it's done. One more thing. Skip the utensils and eat it face first. You're a zombie, after all.

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BUCATINI WITH BUTTER-ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE
Servings: 4
Active: 20 minutes
Tota: 1 hour

Ingredients
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
8 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
2 anchovy fillets packed in oil
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)

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Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°. Combine tomatoes (crushing them with your hands), garlic, anchovies, butter, and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes in a 13x9" baking dish; season with salt and black pepper. Roast, tossing halfway through, until garlic is very soft and mixture is jammy, 35-40 minutes. Using a potato masher or fork, mash to break up garlic and tomatoes. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot and add tomato sauce and pasta cooking liquid. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Serve topped with Parmesan and more red pepper flakes.

DO AHEAD: Tomato sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat before mixing with pasta.

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