How to make an authentic Bucatini all'Amatriciana. This classic Italian pasta dish is insanely delicious made with tomato, guanciale and pecorino cheese. It takes 20 minutes or less to make and is perfect comfort food for busy weeknights!
Bucatini all'Amatriciana is a classic pasta dish that originates from the town of Amatrice (Lazio). Although that's where it originated it's very much considered a classic Roman dish alongside Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Pasta alla Gricia and Cacio e Pepe.
These classic pasta dishes start with Cacio e Pepe, add guanciale and it becomes Pasta alla Gricia, add eggs and it becomes a Carbonara, swap the eggs for tomato and it becomes Sugo all'Amatriciana (Amatriciana sauce).
Having a solid recipe for each of these dishes is a must for every Italian food lover. They're not only quick and easy (ok, Cacio e Pepe can be a little tricky) but they are incredibly comforting and out of this world delicious.
All you need is a few simple ingredients and 15-20 minutes to spare. As always buy the best quality ingredients possible because it makes a HUGE difference in flavour! Check out our recipe below including our top tips, step by step photos and video tutorial. Buon Appetito!
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Ingredients - what you need
See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make an authentic Bucatini all'Amatriciana plus some top tips on ingredients!
- Bucatini - bucatini pasta is a thick, hollow spaghetti-like shape, the sauce gets sucked up inside making every single bite delicious. If you can't find bucatini you could use spaghetti or even a short pasta shape like rigatoni.
- Tomatoes - you can choose to use fresh or canned plum tomatoes. I use high quality canned whole plum tomatoes, the quality is important for the overall taste of the dish so use a good brand like Mutti or Cirio.
- Guanciale - this is salty cured pig jowl (cheek) and it has incredible flavour! It's much fattier than pancetta which is from the belly but it makes a good substitue if you can't find guanciale. See our notes on how to cut it!
- White wine - use a dry white wine such as Orvieto, Pinot Grigio, Verdicchio or Gavi.
- Red pepper flakes - aka chilli flakes to add a little heat, don't worry if you don't like spice the heat is very subtle.
- Pecorino Romano cheese - this cheese is a must for making a classic amatriciana sauce, it adds so much flavour. You can use Parmigiano Reggiano cheese instead but it will give you a different end result.
How to cut guanciale
Guanciale, just like pancetta has a thick skin on the underside and a dark seasoned coating on to which is what it's cured in.
Make sure to trim the thick skin off of the bottom (you don't want to eat that but can add it to soups for flavour) (photo 1).
The seasoning on top (dark part) can be eaten but we cut most of it off as it can give sauces a gritty texture, that's just a personal preference so do what you prefer.
Once you've trimmed off the fat, cut the guanciale into cubes or strips about ½cm thick (¼ inch) so you get a bit in every mouthful of pasta (photos 2-4 above).
Step by step photos and recipe instructions
Fry the guanciale - Heat a large pan on a medium heat and add the chopped guanciale. Fry it until the fat starts to melt and it becomes crispy (photos 1-4).
Make the sauce - Once crispy, add the white wine and simmer to reduce the liquid by half. Add the red pepper flakes and the tomatoes then break them up with the side of a wooden spoon or spatula. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes (photos 5-8).
Boil the pasta - While the sauce is simmering add the pasta to the boiling salted water and cook until al dente (see packet instructions and reduce the time by 2-3 minutes). Reserve ½ cup (125ml) of pasta water (photo 9 shows you what bucatini looks like).
Add the pasta to the sauce - Once the pasta is cooked add it to the tomato sauce and toss (add a splash of reserved pasta water if needed, see notes). Add the grated pecorino cheese and toss everything together until the pasta is well coated in the sauce then serve (photos 10-12).
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Use guanciale if possible - it's really worth getting your hands on guanciale to really taste an authentic amatriciana sauce, it's also what's used to make a classic Carbonara and Pasta alla Gricia and it adds a crazy amount of flavour!
- Use reserved pasta water as needed - add a splash of reserved pasta water to emulsify your sauce if it has reduced too much and add flavour.
- Taste before adding salt - guanciale can be heavily salted so you may not need to add additional salt to the sauce. Always taste the tomato sauce before adding the pasta and season it as needed.
yes, you can prepare the sauce in advance (don't add the Pecorino cheese) and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days. When ready to serve, cook your pasta and reheat the sauce until piping hot. Add the cheese with the pasta, toss and serve.
Of course, Bucatini can be hard to find and you'll often see Amatriciana sauce served in Rome with Spaghetti or a short pasta shape such as Mezze Mancati or Rigatoni.
More classic Italian pasta recipes to try
- Spaghetti alla Carbonara
- Pasta alla Gricia
- Penne all'Arrabbiata: Spicy Italian Tomato Pasta
- Spaghetti Aglio e Olio: Garlic & Oil Pasta
- Pasta Alla Norma (Eggplant Pasta)
If you’ve tried this Pasta Amatriciana or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST or sign up to our NEWSLETTER to see more of our delicious food.
This post was first published on 17 March 2018 but has since been updated for user experience.
📖 Full Recipe
Bucatini all’Amatriciana
Ingredients
- 1.1 pounds bucatini pasta can also use spaghetti or rigatoni (400g)
- 1.5 cups guanciale (150g)
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated (70g)
- 28 oz canned whole plum tomatoes (800g)
- ⅓ cup dry white wine (80ml)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (chilli flakes)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Trim the thick skin from the bottom of the guanciale and discard or freeze (can be used to flavour soups). If preferred, trim some of the dark seasoned layer on the top then cut the guanciale into ¼ inch thick cubes or strips.
- Heat a large pan on a medium heat and add the guanciale. Fry it until the fat starts to melt and it becomes crispy.
- Once crispy, add the white wine and simmer to reduce the liquid by half. Add the tomatoes and break them up with the side of a wooden spoon or spatula then add the red pepper flakes. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering add the pasta to the boiling salted water and cook until al dente (see packet instructions and reduce the time by 2-3 minutes). Reserve ½ cup (125ml) of pasta water.
- Once the pasta is cooked add it to the tomato sauce and toss (add a splash of reserved pasta water if needed, see notes). Add the grated pecorino cheese and toss everything together until the pasta is well coated in the sauce then serve.
Notes
- Use guanciale if possible - it's really worth getting your hands on guanciale to really taste an authentic amatriciana sauce, it's also what's used to make a classic Carbonara and Pasta alla Gricia and it adds a crazy amount of flavour!
- Use reserved pasta water as needed - add a splash of reserved pasta water to emulsify your sauce if it has reduced too much and add flavour.
- Taste before adding salt - guanciale can be heavily salted so you may not need to add additional salt to the sauce. Always taste the tomato sauce before adding the pasta and season it as needed.
- Make in advance - you can make the sauce in advance (don't add the pecorino) and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat until piping hot then add the pasta and pecorino and toss everything together.
- Storage - leftovers can be stored in the fridge for around 2 days.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Debbie
Delicious recipe! Like many other commenters, I did not have guanciale and I wouldn't know where to get it in the UK (I'll have to investigate a bit more thoroughly), so I used proscuitto as I couldn't find pancetta either. I could have gotten pancetta but would've had to travel further than I would have liked. I love Italian food in general and particularly tomato-based dishes, so it was no surprise to me that I would love this too. Also quick and easy to make for an after work weeknight meal which is always a big plus. Thanks for the recipe!
Emily
Thanks so much, so happy you enjoyed it! You can get good Italian products like guanciale and pancetta at Delicatezza.co.uk sometimes they have it on offer which is great. I often buy it, cut it into 100g portions and store it in the freezer so I've got it to make dishes like amatriciana, carbonara etc, it makes such a difference! Waitrose also have it in some of their stores already cut into cubes, I've tried it and it's not nearly as good (just in case you see it there).
Matt Freund
This recipe is delicious. I will be making this again.
Erika Castano
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I used bacon and added some leftover hickory ham from Christams. Left the balsamic out because I didn't have any, added some fresh parsley. It came out better than great! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe which is now a family favorite.
Inside the rustic kitchen
That sounds absolutely delicious, so happy you enjoyed it!
Lynda
I first tried this in Eataly in New York. The only difference was that their recipe had chopped red onions. That’s the way I make mine and I get raves from the family. Yum!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Sounds so delicious!
PK
I had my first from Eataly NYC also. Just made this recipe tonight , it is delish. I used the guanciale I bought from Eataly. Such a simple wonderful dish.
Jim
Made this exactly as directed except used pancetta instead of guanciale. It was fantastic, better than most italian restaurants. I love guanciale, but just can't get it where I live. Having said that, it's hard to lmagine it being any better. Thank you so much for sharing.
*****
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Jim, So happy you enjoyed the recipe. I've found guanciale hard to find outside Italy and when I do it can be really expensive so pancetta always works so well. Simple recipes really are the best. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Jaci and Paul
What a great recipe for the bucatini we just purchased. On the menu for tomorrow night. Thank you for the inspiration.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hope you enjoy!
Sophia
Emily! This looks incredible. I don't eat bacon but I need to make this leaving that out because I LOVE bucatini!! I have it all the time in this restaurant here, similar to this, and it's to die for. I'm drooling!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Aw thank you so much Sophia, I love it too and it's a nice change to spaghetti. Hope you enjoy!
Jessica Robinson
This pasta dish sounds SO SO delish!! Love the idea of incorporating balsamic vinegar into the recipe. I bet that will add such a unique flavor to this already delicious dish!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets
Bucatini is my absolute favorite! This looks fantastic! I can't wait to try it!
Traci
Love everything about this...esp the bacon part 🙂 Looks so easy for a weeknight meal, yet looks like restaurant quality. Pinning this now!
Tina
I love the fact that all steps are laid out and ingredients explained! 🙂 I can't wait to make this for dinner this week!
Julia
I love quick dinners, especially when pasta is involved 🙂 Had not heard of guanciale before but will try to find it around here!