Bucatini all'Amatriciana

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!

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).

Top tips and recipe 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.

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.

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5 from 10 votes

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

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!

Course pasta

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 758kcal

Author Emily Kemp

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

Calories: 758kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 829mg | Potassium: 633mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 381IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 272mg | Iron: 3mg

Helpful Info for All Recipes

• 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.

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