Amatriciana sauce made with pancetta, tomatoes and garlic served with al dente bucatini pasta is a classic Italian dish everyone will love.

Ingredients needed

Extra-virgin Olive oil.
Pancetta. Guanciale is traditionally used but pancetta or bacon are good alternatives.
Onion.
Garlic.
Chilli flakes / red pepper flakes.
Chopped tomatoes.
Salt and black pepper.
Bucatini.Any pasta shape will work, I prefer longer shapes for example spaghetti or linguine but short pasta like penne will be delicious too.
Pecorino Romano cheese, to serve. A good substitute is Parmesan cheese.

What is Amatriciana sauce?

Amatriciana is a classic Italian sauce made with guanciale (cured pork cheek or pork jowl), tomatoes and chilli flakes. It’s very similar to Pasta Arrabbiata, except for the addition of meat. However, any cured pork product (like pancetta or bacon) can be used as guanciale isn’t always easy to find. Similarly, Parmesan can be substituted for Pecorino Romano.

How to make Amatriciana pasta

Make the sauce: Add a few teaspoons of olive oil to a large pan or skillet set over medium heat then add the pancetta and allow to cook until crisp and golden. Use a slotted spoon and remove the pork from the pan and set aside. Cook the onion, garlic and chilli flakes in the pork fat until softened and fragrant. Stir the tomatoes into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Add the pancetta back into the tomato sauce and simmer for 5-7 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly.
Assemble: Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain. Toss the pasta with the sauce and add a splash of cooking water. Serve the pasta with a generous amount of grated Pecorino cheese.

Classic pasta recipes

Bucatini Amatriciana

Amatriciana sauce made with pancetta, tomatoes and garlic served with al dente bucatini pasta is an Italian classic everyone will love.

4.89 from 9 votes

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Amatriciana, Bucatini, Bucatini alla Amatriciana

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

Servings:

Calories: 479kcal

Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
200 g (7oz) pancetta
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 small onion finely chopped
4 garlic cloves crushed
800 g (28oz) chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
500 g (1lb) bucatini
Pecorino Romano to serve

Instructions

Cook the pancetta over medium heat in a large pan until crisp and golden.
Use a slotted spoon and remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
Cook the onion, garlic and chilli flakes in the pork fat until softened and fragrant.
Pour the tomatoes into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Add the pancetta back into the sauce and simmer for 5-7 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain.
Toss the pasta with the sauce and add a splash of cooking water.
Serve the pasta with a generous amount of grated Pecorino Romano.

Nutrition