Winter Herb Pasta

Thanks to Simon and Garfunkel, the fresh herbs in this dish are forever linked. But the folk duo probably never knew how good they are on top of al dente bucatini, a thicker-than-spaghetti hollow noodle.IngredientsMakes 4 to 6 (main course) servings2 tablespoons unsalted butter5 tablespoons olive oil, divided3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped1 1/2 cups coarse…

Ingredients

Makes 4 to 6 (main course) servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a baguette)

1 pound dried bucatini or spaghetti

2 teaspoons chopped sage

2 teaspoons chopped rosemary

2 teaspoons chopped thyme

1 cup chopped parsley

Step 1

Heat butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant and pale golden. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, reserving skillet.

Step 2

Meanwhile, cook bucatini in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.

Step 3

Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook sage, rosemary, and thyme, stirring, 2 minutes.

Step 4

Add pasta, 1/2 cup reserved water, and parsley and toss well. Add more water to moisten if necessary. Serve sprinkled with bread crumbs.

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving

based on six servings: 446 calories

17g fat (4g saturated)

10mg cholesterol

88mg sodium

63g carbs

3g fiber

11g protein (nutritional analysis provided by Nutrition Data)

[See Nutrition Data’s complete analysis of this recipe](http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00036Winterqq0Herbqq0Pasta-03E203W-02Q21Ga-084308D-0Po11Vh-03E303c-04q40dS-03E3029-00o303M-01c20eX.html?mbid=HDEPIl) ›

#### Nutritional analysis provided by Nutrition Data

How would you rate Winter Herb Pasta?

Made this with a ton of changes, so didn’t rate. Feel free to skip, but thought I’d share. I started with bacon, wiped the skillet clean, then made the breadcrumbs. Used oregano instead of sage and didn’t have parsley. After herbs cooked, I added some white wine and chicken stock to the pan, let it reduce a lot. Tossed with pasta, topped with pecorino, crumbs, and bacon. Breadcrumbs are definitely the star here!
This is just ok. Used whole wheat
fettucine. You don’t need very much of
the pasta water at all – too much will
make it soggy and watery. I also used
about a third of the breadcrumbs. More
would have been overwhelming. Good way
to use up extra fresh herbs.
I thought it definitely needed salt
(though my wife disagreed) and it was
easy enough to add.
I did add a pinch or two of crushed
red pepper to the oil as it heated
before adding the herbs because I
like that kind of thing.
I’m happy to have this recipe in my
collection.
sounds yummy
This recipe was
disappointing. It
was bland, and I
felt like someting
was missing. I
have since decided
that salt was
missing, and
possibly some other
spices (maybe chili
powder) to give it
a little kick. I
added lots of
vegetables, and
that made it
better. I would
definitely make it
again because it
could be amazing
with a few changes.
Did not like at
all…my family loves
pasta (all types) but
this was not good.
Do yourself a favor and make the fresh breadcrumbs. They make a wonderful difference.
I had very good luck
with this dish, but
I did some
alterations based on
some of the comments
here. I added
slightly more garlic
and spices than
called for. Also,
there is no salt in
this recipe, so I
added at the end to
taste. Bread crumbs
did not remain
crunchy once I added
the reserved pasta
water. Overall I am
very pleased with
this recipe. It is a
simple, rich, and
hearty dish loaded
with savory flavors
from the fresh
herbs.
This has become my
new standby recipe
if I get home late
from work, since it
is so quick to make
and I usually have
all the ingredients
on hand. I have the
first 3 herbs
growing in my window
garden and if I
don’t happen to have
any fresh parsley,
it is okay without
it. The key is the
bread crumbs sauted
with the garlic. We
eat a lot of fresh
french baguettes,
which go stale in a
day so I save the
crumbs for this
recipe. I have used
panko for
substitution and it
works okay. Don’t
leave out the
cooking water at the
end, it is too dry
without it.
I always keep a
block of good
parmesan (I mean
GOOD parmesan, not
the tasteless
mass-produced stuff
they sell in most
groceries) in the
fridge and it adds
nice flavor to this
dish.
Horrible recipe –
breadcrumbs on
pasta? A messy and
labor-intesive
recipe with a
completely bland
result.
I used really fresh herbs
and bread crumbs made
from homemade bread,
and it was delicious – I
think in a dish so simple,
the quality of the
ingredients matters. Be
generous with the garlic,
herbs and salt and you’ll
have no trouble with
blandness, but in this
case I don’t think the
flavors are intended to
knock you over.
I get most of my recipes
from Epicurious and I
have never been let down
until now. The
ingredients smelled
delicious while
cooking…but when
served, it lacked any sort
of flavor. The bread
crumbs absolutely killed
it – no clue why it called
for a cup and a half. I
made it in the first place
because it called for
garlic — but all the garlic
got lost in the
crumbs…which barely
made it into the pasta at
the end (because there
was so much!). My
husband and I were
laughing at how awful it
was. As a result of the bread crumbs, it tasted like fuzzy pasta. We tossed it
and ended up eating
pizza and cookies for
dinner. It was a waste
of time and money.
Bland if you follow the directions exactly, but add red chile flakes and fresh shrimp. Used half the butter, only 4 tbsp of oil, and did not add water from pasta. Topped with asiago cheese. Much better!
This was pretty good. The pasta you use is fun to eat. It’s bigger than traditional spaghetti, so that makes it different. I made sure to season it enough. Good in a pinch. Also, I used Ians’s Panko instead of breadcrumbs. Yum!
I was disappointed by how bland it tasted.. The herbs lacked any punch, perhaps I should have doubled the amount of herbs or added some fresh rather than cooked in the oil.