This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Buca di Beppo® for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
This last weekend, to my absolute delight, my husband and I left our kids with my parents and stayed the night in a hotel. Not only did we get a entire night and almost two days away from home but we walked around a mall, visited a book store, ate dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, and visited a local church service. All without the kids. It was so un-stressful and easy. I felt spoiled. Truly. I hope that you can connect with your significant other at least once per month – it is so necessary.
In honor of World Pasta Month and of course our unparalleled love of all things pasta, we visited our nearest Buca di Beppo restaurant. Back in the late 90s, Buca di Beppo was my husband’s and I go-to “fancy” date-night restaurant. We were in our early 20s and since he is half Italian and I was (and still am) pescatarian, Buca di Beppo was a very easy place for us to connect, eat, and be happy.
There’s just something about pasta isn’t there? It just makes me happy.
[Tweet “There’s just something about pasta isn’t there? Happiness.”]
Now, fast forward 15+ years later, and we still absolutely love Italian food. Buca di Beppo still offers great vegetarian pasta ideas. Thankfully, they’ve made it even easier to enjoy vegetarian pasta with their Create Your Own Pasta Bowl menu option. Did you know that pasta is so popular here in the U.S. that 24% of global consumption of pasta is done by us? In fact, the average American eats 20 lbs of pasta each year. (That number seems small. I am sure I eat more than that.)
Make Your Own Pasta
Who doesn’t love to personalize their food? When eating out, I love picking exactly what I love. With Buca di Beppo’s Create Your Own Pasta Bowl menu option you can pick exactly what you like: pasta, sauce, add-ins, protein and more!
[Tweet “Create Your Own Pasta – imagine the pastabilities.”]
Step 1: Pasta
- Spaghetti
- Linguine
- Penne
- Rigatoni
- Cavatappi
Step 2: Sauce
- marinara
- alfredo
- garlic olive oil
- rosa
- pesto
- meat sauce
Step 3: Veggies (up to 3)
- diced roma tomatoes
- sun-dried tomatoes
- roasted red peppers
- artichokes
- sautéed mushrooms
- broccoli
- spinach
- green peas
- sliced red onions
Step 4: Protein
- chicken
- prosciutto
- meatballs
- spicy sausage
- mild sausage
My husband let me pick what I wanted and darned if I could choose. There were so many “pastabilities” that I had a really hard time. We shared a small and I picked: linguine with garlic olive oil and sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, broccoli, and crushed red pepper. We called it our light and spicy pasta. It was very tasty and a small was a great size for he and I to share. {My second choice would have been penne with alfredo sauce and broccoli, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Oh, I must go back and get that next time!} Plus, we cannot visit Buca di Beppo without getting a small garlic mashed potatoes and small garden salad. And their bread? My goodness – I could almost live on it alone. Everything at Buca di Beppo was perfect. It was a great, and much needed, date night with my husband.
#PastaSelfie Contest
Share on Instagram for a daily chance to win a $100 Buca di Beppo gift card in the #PastaSelfie contest.
How to enter:
1. SNAP IT! Take a pic of your Create Your Own Pasta dish at Buca di Beppo or your favorite pasta dish.
2. SHARE IT! Share on Instagram using #pastaselfie #sweepstakes and tag @bucadibeppo.
3. WIN IT! You could WIN a $100 Buca di Beppo gift card. One winner will be randomly selected each day to receive a $100 Buca di Beppo digital egift card. Open to U.S. residents 13+.
Create your own Pasta Bowl Giveaway
How would you like to win your own $100 Buca di Beppo gift card? Tell me your favorite pasta dish or recipe in a comment below for your chance to win!
Just spaghetti and meatballs:) nothing better.
penne with marinara sauce is my favorite and lots of mushrooms
My favorite pasta dish is shrimp scampi unless I am craving a classic spaghetti and meatballs dish!
Lasagna is my all-time favorite food!!
My favorite pasta dish is linguine with white clam sauce.
Chicken marsala is my favorite – yum!
One of my favorite pasta dishes is lasagna bolognese made with fresh lasagna noodles.
I made a vegetable lasagna with ricotta a few days ago that was out of this world too!
I love Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti .
My favorite pasta dish is pasta primavera with alfredo sauce.
Spaghetti is my all time favorite!
I love Lasagna.
I love lasagna
My favorite pasta dish is the ones my husband cooks! He always makes it in the style of arrabiata, nice and spicy! Thanks, husband!!
Traditional spaghetti and meatballs, veggie lasagna, ravioli—we like it all! 🙂
I love pasta alfredo.
Love fettucine with chicken and broccoli!!
I love angel hair pasta and meatballs.
favorite dish is stuffed spinach and cheese pasta shells
I love Eggplant Parmesan. It’s my favorite!
What a wide variety of choices they provide! I’d like to have their cavatappi with meat sauce, artichokes, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and meatballs. Yummy!
Shrimp Scampi is my favorite dish! My family enjoys eating at Buca di Beppo! Great food and fun atmosphere!
My favorite pasta dish is shrimp alfredo. LOVE!
My favorite pasta dish is Eggplant Gnocchi — Gnocchetti di Melanzane.
I love alfredo!
Chicken Alfredo is an oldy but a goody, although it needs to be enjoyed in moderation.
I love spaghetti and meatballs! Simple but so tasty when the meatballs are good!
My Favorite Pasta Dish Is Chicken Parmesan.
My very favorite pasta dish is linguini and white clam sauce. I would love to win this one thanks for the chance.
I love spaghetti and meatballs!
spaghetti and meatballs
I love lasagna
Linguine with garlic and sundried tomatoes
My favorite pasta dish is spaghetti & meatballs OR my uncle’s famous homemade lasagna using Italian sausage instead of hamburger..beyond YUMMY!!!
Thanks so much.
I love angel hair with sauce.
I love tortellini’s in a white sauce with pine nuts & peas. Yummy!
my favorite is fettuccine alfredo
My absolute favorite pasta dish is Chicken Alfredo, thanks!
My fave is lasagna. I love veggie the best. Thank you for the chance 🙂
My favorite past dish is a mushroom ravioli with creamy white truffle sauce. I come from a big Italian family and we love Buca Di Beppo for family get togethers.
My favorite meal is gnocchi with meat sauce. I also like chicken parm.
I love penne a la vodka. I have heard so much about this restaurant and must go find one to try it out!
My favorite dish is penne with vodka sauce.
It’s hard to choose only one favorite! I love fettucine alfredo and I also love eggplant parmesan.
I love fettuccine alfredo
Chicken and noodles! Homemade chicken soup with whole chicken; stock; onions; carrots and celery. Pull chicken from bones, remove onions and celery; add Amish egg noodles until cooked; thicken with corn starch add a dollop of real butter. Yum yum.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Fettucine alfredo is my favorite pasta dish, but lasagna is a close second.
I love a good homemade carbonara. So simple yet so tasty!
My favorite is Chicken Carbonara..
My favorite is three-cheese lasagna.
I like spinach lasagna!
I love spaghetti and meatballs!
Don’t know what I would pick but I love love fettuccine alfredo!
I like lasagna with all those yummy layers. 🙂
Love the classic spaghetti and meatballs!
My favorite pasta dish is Alfredo Linguine with Scallops and Clams… it’s so delicious!! My husband made it for me on our first date, and it’s been my favorite dish ever since! 13 years later and I still get butterflies in my belly when he cooks for me <3
babydjs_mom@yahoo.com
My favorite Italian dish is Baked Penne pasta with Rose or Vodka sauce and sun-dried tomatoes and sausage. Yum!
I love raviolis ! All kinds
My favorite pasta dish is fettuccine Alfredo!
I love to make shrimp scampi with pasta!
I love spaghetti
Lately I’ve been making a hot sausage with penne and kale. Everyone seems to like it.
I love Lasagna!
Chicken alfredo with roasted red peppers, tomatoes and broccoli would be my choice. Hard to beat a hearty pasta for dinner!
Stuffed shells…with garlic bread…got have garlic bread! Thanks!
I love me a good pink vodka sauce with penne…yum!
Veggie Lasagna is my fave!
I could never pick just one! But my favorite really easy pasta is spaghetti with peas, feta cheese, and bacon. (This: http://www.jessieweaver.net/2009/07/family-recipe-fridays-d-hall-feta-pasta/). MMMMM.
I LOVE butternut squash ravioli, especially during this season! I also love a good Fettuccini Alfredo! Thanks for the chance to win!
I just like plain spaghetti!
love fettuccini alfredo!
Oh I really love Fettuccine Alfredo!
I have never been there so far, but we plan to go next weekend for my son’s birthday!
I have been to Buca’s and my favorite is the Ravioli. It is so good and huge portions.
My favorite pasta dish is Parma Rosa. Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win.
I like ravioli.
I love Baked Ziti the most! Thanks so much for the chances to win.
I really like any pasta with vodka sauce 🙂
Fettuccine Alfredo is my favorite (also the first thing I learned to cook).
My favorite pasta recipe is definitely lasagna. Can’t get enough of it! 🙂
I love Chicken Marsala!
My favorite pasta dish there is Quattro al Forno
I like spaghetti with meatballs
I love penne arrabiata.
(actually I love pretty much any pasta, but that’s on the top of my list right now because I’m cooking for my Dad and he does not like anything spicy, so I miss my arrabiata sauce)
Spaghetti and Meatballs are my favorite dish.
Thank you!
I love cheesy lasagna dishes
lasagna but i like to add a layer of fried plantains to mine
I love brown butter and mizithra
I love sausage ravoli with meat sauce and a side of soup.
I am a big pesto fan!
my favorite pasta dish would be abated ziti with a sausage meat sauce with lots of cheese.
We love gnocci! Thank you for the giveaway.
My favorite pasta is lasagna.
I love plain old spaghetti tossed with red pepper pesto.
My favorite pasta is homemade Mac and Cheese
No meat or cheese for me nowadays, so some angel hair spaghetti with a red sauce with lots of chunks of peppers, onions, zucchini, a few cloves of garlic and lots of oregano and basil. It could not hurt to mix in some sweet red wine into the sauce.
We either love really simple browned butter and Parmesan pasta, or a veggie pasta in which we saute (carmelize) onions, green peppers, red peppers, zucchini, and whatever else our garden or greenhouse has available and toss with pesto.
I love penne with veggies and a light sauce – no dairy based.
I love chicken scallopini and any pasta with pesto sauce in it!
Mmm. I love anything with pesto or seafood.
I have many pasta recipes, I like an olive oil sauce with garlic and crushed tomatoes, on angel hair. I also like cavatappi with pesto. Red sauce on anything is delicious.
Ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese
4 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 cup 2% milk
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Dash of salt
Dash of fresh ground pepper
*note – this makes about four adult servings, double as needed for more.
First, put the cream cheese and butter in a small saucepan. Then add the garlic and the milk. Next add the Parmesan, the salt and the pepper. Then put on the stove over medium heat. Stirring it with a whisk as the cream cheese and the butter melt. Once it begins to boil whisk constantly so it doesn’t burn and turn down the heat after about 2-3 min to med/low heat. Let it cook for about 5-7 min more while whisking, until it is a little thicker but not quite the thickness you want your sauce to be. It will thicken as it cools down. If it is too thick on the stove it will be very thick and chunky off the stove.
My favorite pasta dish is just spaghetti with spicy sausages and spam 🙂
My favorite pasta dish is linguine with shrimp scampi and arugula!
Our favorite pasta dish is Cheese Manicotti with Marinara Sauce.
I like shrimp alfredo
My favorite pasta dish is chicken fettuccine but really I just love all pasta!
Lasagna is my favorite!!
I have never eaten here before but I see from their site that there is one not too far from my house. I am excited that they have a gluten free menu that gives me plenty of options to try!
Lasagna
Oh man….hard to choose just one. I will go with a super cheesy lasagna….sometimes there is nothing better as a comfort food.
I’d go with spghetti, marinara, and meatballs with red pepper!
I love a good marsala cream sauce over rigatoni and chicken.
My favorite is always Shrimp Scampi. Fettuccine Alfraido is my second choice.
Favorite would be fettucine alfredo.
I like shrimp pasta the best.
I absolutely love Eggplant Parmesan
Plain lasagna for me
I love Lemon Herb Chicken Piccata. Yum! kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.
I am a simple girl! Spaghetti is my favorite!
my fav is lasagna
I love fettuccine alfredo.
My favorite is Chicken Fettucine Alfredo! Love it!
I lov mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes
Favorite would be fettucine alfredo or lasagna
lasagna is my fave
My favorite pasta dish is linguine with clams.
I love alfredo lasagna!! I love regular lasagna as well.. Anything with tomato sauce and cheese is yummy!
I love lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs. I like most pasta dishes.