Italian · Main · Medium
Bucatini all Amatriciana
Thick, spaghetti-like bucatini with a hollow center, tossed in a Roman sauce of crisped guanciale, tomatoes, and Pecorino. Salty, silky, and gloriously simple.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Bucatini all Amatriciana, in 5 ideas
- Starting the guanciale in a cold pan renders the fat slowly and crisps the meat evenly, a hot pan seizes it.
- Do not toss the rendered fat, it is the flavor base of the whole sauce.
- Guanciale is cured pork cheek with a deeper, funkier flavor than pancetta, it is worth seeking out.
- No onion in the traditional version, the Romans are firm about this, keep it to guanciale, tomato, and cheese.
- Crush the San Marzano tomatoes by hand for a rustic texture that canned crushed tomatoes cannot match.
What you need
Ingredients
- 12 oz bucatini
- 6 oz guanciale, cut into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 28-oz can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper
How to make it
Directions
- Place the guanciale in a cold large skillet, then set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes.
- Pour in the white wine and simmer 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Simmer 15 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Meanwhile, boil the bucatini in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Add the bucatini to the sauce with 1/2 cup of pasta water. Toss over medium heat for 2 minutes so the pasta absorbs the sauce.
- Off the heat, toss with the Pecorino until creamy. Serve with extra cheese and cracked pepper.
Ask the deli counter to cut the guanciale from the whole slab, it is cheaper per ounce than pre-packaged, and freeze the extra in strips for the next batch.