Today I’m sharing a yummy Italian favorite of mine!  I haven’t given you guys a good & simple pasta dish in a while- so here it is 🙂

My Spicy Garlic & Brussel Sprout Bucatini is al-dente, flavorful, and cheesy!  This pasta dish is actually very simple because the main ingredients are the main flavors.  Garlic is one of the highlights of this dish, but so is my favorite Cabot Cheese… Hot Habanero! If you guys haven’t tried it before, you need to purchase it for this recipe. It’s pretty spicy and has great flavor. And, you can save the rest of the block to eat with crackers!

I try to sneak in my greens every chance I get, and usually I LIVE for spinach in pasta. But this recipe tastes soooo good with brussel sprouts because you shave them or cut them so they are really small, so you only get little hints of them here and there. I’ve never been a fan of brussel sprouts, but when they are infused with garlic and cheese, we get along pretty well. If you like them more than me, ADD MORE!

Hope this recipe gets you in the kitchen, especially with this cold pasta weather. (Yupp: low temperatures = comfort food = pasta).  Can’t wait to hear what you guys think!

Spicy Garlic & Brussel Sprout Bucatini

• 8 oz bucatini
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 8-10 brussel sprouts (finely chopped)
• 8-10 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 6-8 cherry tomatoes
• 1.5 cups cabot hot habanero cheese (or pepper jack, shredded)

1. In a pan, add your oil and let it warm up on medium heat.  Throw in the onions and brussel sprouts and let them cook for about 1 minute.  Then add in the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper per taste.  Let this cook on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes.
   

2. In the meantime, boil your pasta to al-dente (add salt).  Once it is cooked, save 1 cup of the pasta water and strain the rest out.  Add the garlic, onion and brussel sprouts to the pot with the pasta.
   

3. Add your cheese to the pasta, as well as pasta water until you get your desired consistency. Keep the heat on low.
   

4. In the same pan as the onion/garlic/brussel sprouts, add your cherry tomatoes and let them cook for 3-5 minutes, occasionally flipping. Remove them from the heat when they are completely blistered. (The pan will still have some oil on it so the tomatoes won’t need any extra)
   

5. When the tomatoes are done, add them directly to your pasta and serve!