While I love pasta, I have to admit that I’m more obsessed with pasta sauce. And while I appreciate a tasty noodle, even the best of them are largely “sauce delivery systems” for me. That’s why I adore bucatini (aka perciatelli), a type of Italian long-strand wheat-based pasta with a hole in the middle, like a cross between spaghetti and ziti. And the reason it has that hole is so the noodle can fill up with sauce, preventing the “sliding off” factor you get with spaghetti or egg noodles. Plus, bucatini noodles have rough edges, which is perfect for holding to that saucy goodness. But that’s not to say all dried bucatini pasta is the best bucatini.
It can be hard to judge the best bucatini brand from the box alone. So, I sampled them for you, ranking them on taste, texture, and “sauce interaction.” Here’s our picks for the best bucatini brands you can buy in a store or on Amazon.
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- Zaccagni Pastificio d’Abruzzo
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I was surprised that the most authentic looking bucatini brand I tried turned out to be only so-so. Made in Italy, this dried bucatini pasta boasts only two ingredients: “organic durum wheat semolina” and “water.” It’s also a little skimpy on instructions, saying only to “Cook in booling (their typo, not mine) salted water and stir from time to time until the suggested cooking time.” That is only slightly more helpful than just writing “Cook it!” on the box. The noodles have a very light flavor and are pretty thin, with very little room for the sauce to climb inside. Still, they’re good noodles, I just liked some of the other options better. And they’re definitely one of the best bucatini options if you want a more delicate noodle.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Delallo Bucatini
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If you want a bit more coaching on how to cook your bucatini, this bag is covered with recommendations and tips on how to make the best bucatini possible. They also emphasize their al dente cooking option. Only 8 minutes of cooking does give you a noodle with a nice solid bite and a light taste, while still giving you that sauce-grabbing roughness you need. I appreciated the hand-holding I got from the instructions.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Mancini Pastificio Agricolo Bucatini
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With this bucatini brand, we go back to cooking pasta on “hard mode,” as the bag for this Italian-made bucatini contains no information beyond a little blurb that just says “5 – 7 min.” That’s it. But after cooking it, I found that it had a particularly tasty wheat flavor that reminded me a little of Japanese soba noodles. This bucatini is also a little thicker, making a hearty noodle that filled me up more than the other brands. It’s the type of tasty noodle that might go better with a light sauce that can let its natural flavor shine through.
Credit: Merc / DR Delicacy
- Good And Gather Signature Bronze Cut Bucatini
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This was the best bucatini of the bunch, with a classic pasta flavor that I even enjoyed on its own, with just a little butter and parmesan. The noodles are also dense and long, giving you a lot of pasta for your money. It was just a really satisfying meal, both taste-wise and filling-wise. If you’re looking for the best bucatini brand, you’ll find it at Target.
Credit: Merc / Target
Best Thin Noodle
Best Instructions
Best Hearty Noodle
Best of the Best
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!