Description
My pasta all’Amatriciana sauce recipe is made the authentic Roman way: crisp guanciale, tomato passata, and Pecorino Romano cheese. No onions or garlic (hot chili flakes are optional). The success of any Amatriciana recipe relies heavily on ingredient quality and execution. Bucatini is the traditional pasta shape; however spaghetti and rigatoni are acceptable pasta shape substitutes. You will need a large 12-inch skillet or braiser pot to finish the pasta directly in the sauce the Italian way!
Ingredients
- 450 g (1 lb) spaghetti or mezze rigatoni pasta
- 250 g (8 oz) cubed guanciale (or best-quality thick cut bacon)
- 560 g (19.7 oz) tomato passata
- Pinch of chili flakes (optional)
- 30 g (1/3 cup) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Do not drain. Reserve the pasta water.
- In a large 12-inch skillet, sauté the guanciale over medium heat until golden and crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Keep the fat in the pan.
- Add the tomato passata to the pan; stir well. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 8 minutes or more, depending on the size of your pan (the wider the pan, the less cooking time you’ll need).
- At this point the pasta should be done. Using tongs, transfer the pasta directly into the pan. It’s OK if some of the water still clings to the pasta- you want additional liquid to loosen the sauce.
- Add 1/2 of the reserved guanciale to the sauce. Toss thoroughly to combine. Reduce the heat and cook in the pan for 1 minute for the flavors to combine.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add 1/2 of the cheese and stir well. Give it a taste; add more cheese and/or salt if desired. If the sauce becomes too tight, loosen with 1/4 cup of the leftover pasta water, plus more as needed.
- Top with the remaining guanciale and serve right away.