Bucatini all’Amatriciana
This typically Roman pasta dish was traditionally made with guanciale, but since that ingredient used to be very hard to find outside of Italy, and the Lazio region in particular, pancetta has became a common substitute. This is changing and guanciale can now be found at certain specialty food stores here in America. While you can still make a great Amatriciana with pancetta, if you are able to find guanciale, you should try using it at least once.
Made from cured pork jowl, guanciale is softer and has a higher ratio of fat than pancetta, resulting in a richer sauce. That being said, with either ingredient it is still my favorite pasta dish. So no need to get too caught up in being “traditional”.
The Three Things That Matter
Guanciale if you can find it, pancetta if you can’t. Guanciale (cured pork jowl) renders more fat and has a softer, almost silky texture when cooked. Pancetta is firmer and leaner. Both work. The dish is great either way. Don’t use bacon, the smoke flavor doesn’t belong here.
Render the fat slowly. Cook the guanciale or pancetta over medium heat until the fat melts out and the meat becomes deeply golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. The rendered fat is what makes the sauce taste like Amatriciana. Rush this and you’ve lost the dish.
Pecorino Romano, not Parmesan. Pecorino is sharper and saltier. It cuts through the rich tomato-fat sauce in a way Parmesan can’t. Buy a wedge and grate it fresh. This is one of the Roman pasta non-negotiables.
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Bucatini all’Amatriciana Recipe
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tblsp of olive oil
- 1/4 of a pound pancetta or guanciale, chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1 28 oz can of imported Italian tomatoes
- salt to taste
- 1 pound of bucatini pasta
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta or guanciale and cook, stirring often, until goldenbrown, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until garlic is golden, about 1 minute longer.
- Crush tomatoes and add with juices to pan. Add salt pepper and a little water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the bucatini. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente.
- Drain the pasta, then add the pasta and 1/4 cup of the Pecorino Romano to the sauce in the saucepan and toss well. Transfer to warm serving plates and serve immediately, with the remaining Pecorino Romano on the side.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
The Roman Pasta Quartet
Amatriciana is the fourth member of the famous Roman pasta family. Each builds on the others, and learning all four gives you a complete understanding of Roman pasta technique:
| Dish | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Cacio e Pepe | Pasta, Pecorino Romano, black pepper |
| Spaghetti alla Gricia | Cacio e Pepe + guanciale |
| Bucatini all’Amatriciana | Gricia + tomato |
| Spaghetti alla Carbonara | Gricia + egg yolks |
If you can make one of these, you can make all four. If you’ve never made any, Cacio e Pepe is the place to start.
FAQ
Amatriciana is a Roman pasta dish with a quick tomato sauce and rendered guanciale (or pancetta). Bolognese is a slow-cooked ragu from Bologna with ground meat, soffritto, and a 2 to 3 hour simmer. Different region, different technique, different intent.
You can, but the smoke flavor isn’t traditional and will dominate the sauce. Use thick-cut unsmoked bacon if you can find it. Pancetta is the much better substitute and worth tracking down.
Bucatini is traditional (the hollow center catches sauce nicely). Spaghetti and rigatoni also work. The dish is named for the town of Amatrice, where the locals still mostly use bucatini or rigatoni.
The classic Amatricean version from Amatrice has neither. The Roman version (more common in restaurants) adds both. Both are widely accepted now. Some purists object to either or both. Cook it the way you like.
Both are Roman pasta dishes with guanciale and Pecorino Romano. Amatriciana has tomato in the sauce. Carbonara has egg yolks instead. They’re cousins, not the same dish.
Italian specialty butchers, well-stocked supermarkets in cities with large Italian populations, and online (Eataly, D’Artagnan, and Amazon all carry it). If you can’t find it, pancetta is the right substitute.
When I was in Italy I was told never to mix garlic and onion, it’s one or the other, though I’m sure there are some exceptions, though I was told that Amatriciana definitely uses onion and not garlic. Also they said to use pasata, not pelati for this dish. Now this was is Naples, not Rome, so maybe it’s a regional thing?
I was always told that Italians start cooking with garlic and onions, and work up from there.
Your dishes look absolutely amazing! I have been craving Italian food, and your recipes have just made my mouth water! I’m definitely am to be trying your recipes soon!
Sara Welsh | http://www.naplespizza.ca/about-us/
Siamo Calabrese, qui. Iniziare a cucinare con un bicchiere di vino, allora noi che iniziamo a scaldare l’olio, cuocere le cipolle aggiungere l’aglio in questo particolare piatto. Quando si va a Roma, così, fare come fanno romana. Capire?