Amatriciana Recipe

Course Main Courses

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 772

Author Christina Conte

Pasta with guanciale, tomatoes and Pecorino cheese from Amatrice, Italy.

Equipment

1 grater

Ingredients

8 oz guanciale (use pancetta if you can't source guanciale)
1 lb spaghetti or bucatini
16 oz tomato purèe or fresh tomatoes
1 tsp sea salt or Kosher salt, more or less as needed
⅛ tsp black pepper freshly ground, more or less to taste
3.5 oz Pecorino Romano DOP finely grated (about a cup)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Salt the water well when it is almost boiling.
While the water is heating, slice the guanciale into strips.
Heat a large saucepan (which can accomodate a pound of pasta) over medium heat, then add the guanciale strips (there’s no need to add oil.)
While the guanciale is frying, butta la pasta (throw in the pasta!) Stir well, lower the heat when it starts boiling again, and cook according to the directions on the packet.
When the guanciale is golden brown and starting to crisp, turn up the heat and add the tomatoes/passata and stir well.
Add the salt and stir again. Keep stirring while keeping the sauce simmering quickly.
When the sauce has reduced to a good consistency for pasta, taste it for salt and add the pepper, as desired and turn off the heat. This will only take 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the pan you use and how hight the heat is. Do not use a deep pot.
When the pasta is almost al dente, drain it and add it to the sauce, but RESERVE THE PASTA WATER. Gently mix the sauce and pasta together.
Gently mix the sauce and pasta together. Add in the grated Pecorino Romano, DOP and mix again until well combined.
Plate into five bowls immediately. Sprinkle with more cheese and serve.

Notes

Spaghetti is the original pasta used in Amatrice, but bucatini is now a favorite. Use whichever cut of pasta you prefer, but know that the authentic, original choice from Amatrice is spaghetti (also my favorite!) 😎
Given the difficulty of finding guanciale in the US, use pancetta if you cannot source it, but know that Italians will scoff at this, not knowing our pain!
I always recommend buying a chunk of cheese and grating it yourself so you are sure of what you are buying. I've never heard of a recall on a hard piece of cheese, but many for bags of grated cheese.

Nutrition

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