Pasta crowned with an array of fresh seafood that’s bursting with spicy Italian flavor and lots of garlic – this Seafood Fra Diavolo with Bucatini is a spicy seafood spaghetti extravaganza!
Just like that, it’s freakin’ September. Whaaaaat.
I am having a seriously hard time believing how fast this summer has flown by. Summer was the best time of year when I was a kid because (1) no school, (2) staying up late is awesome, (3) more sunlight to play in. I dread it now because (1) work is busy, (2) staying up late is impossible, (3) breaking a sweat before the sun comes up just. isn’t. fair.
The only thing summer is good for to me now is thanks to Daylight Savings Time. As a natural light photographer, more sun = more bettah, since I have a couple good hours of rays to capture some food shots in after work.
Even though it’s still hotter than Hades outside, and summer officially has only a few weeks left to hang around, I’m ready to crank up the heat with a little fall cooking! That means you’ll be seeing more soups, stews, chilis, and some good old hearty pasta dishes, just like this new favorite of mine – Seafood Fra Diavolo with Bucatini.
Confession time: I have an ongoing love affair with pasta.
I don’t know when it happened, but it’s a food I just can’t seem to turn my back on, even when I’m trying to eat healthier (which is not where I’m at in life right now, for the record.)
You can keep your weird veggie versions, and your whole grain nonsense. Not that they’re bad, I’m just partial to pastas with lots of body.
Enter the bucatini noodle: all the slurpy goodness of spaghetti, but bigger. It’s actually a long, skinny cousin of the ziti noodle.
I knew it would be the perfect vehicle for my very first attempt at a fra diavolo dish.
Fra Diavolo means Brother Devil in Italian, and…honestly? Loose interpretation if I’ve ever tried one.
This dish will burn your mouth off, and I don’t mean because it’s fresh out of the pan, either.
The crazy amounts of garlic (I used almost an entire bulb!) and red pepper flakes (which you could sub out for fresh chilies) kick this sauce up to an extreme level, and any spicy food fan will give a watery-eyed thumbs up your way after their first bite.
Speaking of the sauce, I have to admit that I’m super lazy when it comes to homemade pasta sauce. I grew up eating jarred sauce and I turned out just fine!
I have made my own in the past, and I can admit that nothing compares to fresh tomatoes turned into a meal. There’s really no sauce on the store shelf that competes with one simmered all day in grandma’s kitchen.
At least, not until Mezzetta joined the sauce game.
Grab any jar of spaghetti sauce in your pantry, turn it around, and read the ingredient label.
Go ahead!
I’ll wait.
What do you see? What’s that sauce made with? Watered down tomato purée? Dehydrated onions and dried tomatoes? “Natural Flavor?”
What the hell is natural flavor, anyway?
Where’s sugar on the ingredient list? Probably pretty close to the top, isn’t it? Or even worse…is there high fructose corn syrup in there? Ughhhhh.
If your sauce doesn’t have those things, congratulations! You must have grabbed one of Mezzetta’s new Napa Valley Homemade jars.
And if not, well…you totally have to give it a try! Just one taste of anything smothered in this sauce will convert you, I promise.
Their sauces are 100% made of California plum tomatoes, fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices. There are no added sugars, colors, or flavors, meaning it’s a product you and I can feel good about feeding to our families.
And, having tried three of their six flavors so far, I can attest that they are 150% pasta perfection.
ORDER OUR #1 BEST SELLER COOKBOOK!
Let the fall pasta slurping begin!
Seafood Fra Diavolo with Bucatini
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic diced
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes less if you don't like it super spicy
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 ounces bucatini pasta or spaghetti or linguine
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- 12 mussels cleaned
- ½ cup calamari
- ½ pound scallops
- ½ pound medium shrimp
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt water. then add pasta, stirring to avoid sticking. Boil 10 minutes for best results, 8 for al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.
- While pasta is boiling, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes, stirring constantly to keep garlic from burning. After a minutes, add wine, salt, garlic powder, and pepper, and saute for two minutes, until the wine has mostly reduced.
- Stir in pasta sauce, mussels, and calamari. Cover and allow to cook 3-4 minutes.
- Add shrimp and scallops, cooking another 2-3 minutes, until shrimp is opaque and mussels have opened. Remove from heat.
- Add boiled pasta to pan, stirring to coat in sauce. Portion out pasta in bowls, then arrange seafood on top, pouring any remaining sauce over everything. Garnish with fresh basil, serve, and enjoy.
Nutrition
How do you like your pasta sauce – straight marinara, or full of flavors?
Erika says
Oh my gosh this sounds DELICIOUS! I love me some pasta with a kick to it. I definitely have to add this to my fall recipe box!!
Amber @ Slim Pickin's Kitchen says
Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum! Pasta is hard to get away from because it is so stinking easy to make! Especially on crazy busy days.