Pasta smothered in spicy Amatriciana sauce made from sweet red tomatoes, porky pancetta (or rich cured guanciale), diced shallot, a little white wine, and a dash of red pepper to spice it all up — simple high-quality ingredients are all you need to create one of the world’s favorite Italian dishes. Plus, pasta Amatriciana is incredibly easy to make. Serve Amatriciana sauce with bucatini, spaghetti, penne, or even rigatoni. For anyone new to cooking or making Amatriciana sauce, I’ve included step-by-step photos for you below.
Eating Pasta all’Amatriciana in Rome
Pasta all’Amatriciana is one of our favorite spicy pastas to make and eat. The first time I had it I was in Rome and up to that point in my life, it was the most delicious pasta I’d ever eaten. The respect and passion that goes into growing Italian ingredients, the history of the dish, and the way it’s cooked, all play a critical role in creating one of the most loved pasta dishes around the world. It was a bit on the spicy side (just the way we like it) and the flavors never left me.
Eating Quadrato Pasta all’Amatriciana in Abruzzo (the Actual Birthplace of Amatriciana Sauce)
The region of Abruzzo bumps up to the region of Lazio where Rome is located which means there is occasionally overlap in the dishes you would expect to find in either place. And none of this really matters when the pasta is this good in either place (keep reading below to learn about the origins of Amatriciana sauce). The restaurant pictured below is 2 hours from Rome by car and where we ate a super delicious house-made Quadrato pasta with Amatriciana sauce this past summer.
Why We Love This Pasta Amatriciana Recipe (Ricetta Amatriciana)
- Fresh sweet tomatoes keep the flavor bright (like it’s meant to be)
- Pecorino Romano adds plenty of cheesy tang
- The sauce is simple and comes together quickly
- It gets heat and nuance from both the whole chili peppers
- You can scale the recipe up, portion the sauce, and freeze it for easy weeknight meals
- A great pasta sauce for Kiddos to help make
- Use this Amatriciana sauce to make bucatini all’ Amatriciana, rigatoni Amatriciana, penne Amatriciana, radiatore Amatriciana, soqquadro Amatriciana, Quadrato Amatriciana, and spaghetti all amatriciana pasta (it all tastes great!)
Where Does Pasta all’Amatriciana Originate From?
Pasta Amatriciana comes from Amatrice, Italy, and is said to have evolved from ‘pasta alla gricia’. Pasta ‘gricia was a simpler yet, equally delicious pasta originally made and eaten by shepherds that contained guanciale, Pecorino cheese, and pasta, but no tomatoes. Tomatoes weren’t introduced to the sauce until the 1700s when the first tomatoes arrived from the Americas and were added to the sauce. The first written record of pasta Amatriciana is when Chef Francesco Leonardi writes about it in his “Apicio Moderno” (1790). An important historical note that somehow gets lost in translation is that until 1927 Amatrice, Italy was part of the province of L’Aquila, which is in the region of Abruzzo. This means that pasta all’Amatriciana is not a truly Roman dish (although they have beautifully perfected it).
What Ingredients are in Authentic Italian Amatriciana Sauce?
Although you’ve probably seen endless variations of Amatriciana sauce recipes online, there is only one original Pasta all’Amatriciana and it starts with maccheroni or spaghetti (not bucatini) and exclusively includes fresh tomatoes, guanciale, and pecorino cheese. However, as with most delicious Italian dishes, this sauce lends itself to a bit of interpretation with some recipes adding shallots or even garlic, or substituting pancetta or bacon for guanciale. You won’t find garlic in an Amatriciana sauce in Italy because it changes the flavor of the tomatoes too much according to Italians. But if you love garlic and want to add it, go for it. Not a fan of Pecorino? Substitute Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It may not be an authentic Pasta all’Amatriciana, but it will be an excellent pasta everyone will chow down on. (Below in photos: guanciale, home-grown Italian ox heart and San Marzano Cornabel tomatoes, pecorino Romano cheese).
Why is Pasta all’Amatriciana Associated So Much with Being a Roman Dish?
In the 1700s and 1800s, the shepherds and farmers of Amatrice, Italy would travel to Rome from the hills to sell their cheeses, cured meats, and produce. Later on in the 1900s, because of a decline in sheep farming in Amatrice, there was a migration of farmers who went to live and work in Rome. Immigrants opened up restaurants or worked in Roman kitchens throughout the city and the Amatrice dish inevitably became a Roman staple. This is why you will find one of the best versions of this pasta dish in Rome. You may find it with bucatini, or some other type of pasta noodle but it will always be incredible if eaten from a local, (reputable) trattoria or restaurant (and not one that’s found near major tourist attractions).
Below a Few Various Styles of Italian Pancetta & Guanciale
The Benefit of Making Pasta all Amatriciana at Home
Learning how to make this easy Amatriciana sauce at home means you can experiment with the ingredients. You can make it spicy (or not), a little extra porky, and you can even leave out the shallots altogether. I ended up adding two peppers and crumbled them into the sauce at the end.
If you make this recipe with real Italian pancetta (cured pork belly) or pancetta affumicata (smoked cured pork belly) or guanciale (cured pork jowl or cheek), it’ll likely be one of the most delicious pasta dishes you’ve ever eaten. We use pancetta and guanciale depending on what we have in the fridge. But if you live in a place where you can’t find a high-quality guanciale or pancetta, I suggest using thick-cut bacon as opposed to a sub-par pork that’s pre-sliced in those plastic packages. It won’t taste exactly the same and you can’t call it “Amatriciana”, but it’ll still be really delicious.
Pasta all Amatriciana Ingredients
With just a few basic pantry staples you can make this easy authentic Amatriciana sauce and enjoy it with spaghetti, bucatini, rigatoni, penne, or your favorite pasta shape. This Spaghetti all’Amatriciana recipe makes enough for two people, but you can easily double or triple it to make it for 4 or more people, or to freeze it for easy weeknight pasta dinners.
- 6 ounces spaghetti or bucatini pasta noodles (160g)
- 10 ounces grape tomatoes, peeled and crushed (about 15 tomatoes) (2l0g)
- 3 ounces guanciale (cured pork jowl) or pancetta affumicata, cut into strips (85g)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, grated (or just enough to sprinkle on your pasta when serving) (25-50g)
- 1 to 2 dried chili peppers (or more to taste)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (30-45g)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine (25g)
- 2 tablespoons onion or shallot, finely diced (22g) (optional)
- Salt to taste
How to Make Authentic Pasta all’Amatriciana
- Cook the pancetta + onions. Add the olive oil and the chili peppers to a medium-sized sauté pan and cook over medium heat for about one minute, and add the pancetta (or guanciale). Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes or until much of the fat is rendered from the pancetta. Add the shallots and continue sautéing until the pancetta is golden brown and some bits are crispy, but not all of it.
- Blanch the tomatoes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the tomatoes for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the skins start to break. Remove the tomatoes and allow them to cool slightly before removing the skins and setting them aside. When cool enough to handle, crush the peeled tomatoes so they can quickly be added to the sauce in the next step. Do not discard the salted water because you’ll use it to cook the pasta.
- Deglaze the pork mixture with wine. Once the pancetta (or guanciale) and onions have cooked through and browned just a bit, add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Turn the skillet up to high heat and allow the wine to evaporate while stirring constantly and scraping the browned bits (the fond) off of the bottom of the pan.
- Add the tomatoes. Add the crushed tomatoes and add salt to taste. If the tomatoes aren’t sweet, add a very small pinch of sugar. Reduce the sauce to a simmer and cook on low stirring occasionally as it reduces slightly. *You may substitute an equal amount of canned whole peeled tomatoes if you don’t have sweet fresh tomatoes.
- Cook the pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook according to packaged directions, or until al dente.
- Add starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, continue simmering the pasta sauce over low heat. About 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked through, add approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water to the tomato sauce, increase the heat to medium and sauté for a couple of minutes more until the sauce is glossy.
- Assemble the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked through, strain it and add the noodles directly to the sauce, quickly toss and turn the noodles to coat them fully. Remove from heat and serve immediately with a side of pecorino cheese to be tossed over the top of the pasta. Enjoy!
Pasta all’Amatriciana recipe step-by-step photos
How to Cook Better Pasta at Home (Tips for Cooking Pasta Like Italy Does It)
If you’ve eaten a forkful of pasta at your favorite restaurant you may have wondered why it can sometimes be so much richer and velvety (even tastier) than the stuff you make at home. Restaurants typically use more fat (and sometimes dairy) than you’d ever imagine cooking with at home. And one of the biggest differences between your spaghetti and theirs mostly comes down to cooking techniques and the quality of ingredients used. In order to bring out the best texture, flavor, and maximum pasta goodness, follow the guidelines below.
- Don’t pre-cook your pasta noodles. In most cases, try to time the pasta so that the sauce is ready just before (or well in advance of) the noodles and not the other way around.
- Add starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce. Just before the noodles are finished cooking to “al dente” doneness, add a little starchy water to the sauce and stir.
- Don’t over-salt the cooking water. If the pasta cooking water is too salty, it’ll make your final sauce too salty when it gets added. Alternatively, if the pasta water is not salty enough, the noodles will be bland.
- Cook the pasta directly in the sauce at the end and toss. When you can, it’s good to finish cooking the noodles directly in the sauce for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. But this is not a technique to be used when making Pasta alla Carbonara because egg yolks are involved.
- Don’t add any cheese while the sauce is boiling, simmering, or otherwise cooking. Adding grated cheese to a pasta sauce while it’s cooking, causes the cheese to separate and become stringy. The fat in the cheese will separate leaving the sauce oily. Instead, remove the sauce or pasta from the heat and add the cheese after 15-20 seconds. Alternatively, in some recipes, you may serve the grated cheese at the table instead of adding it directly to the pasta.
- Skip the dairy. Butter and cream aren’t necessary to create a smooth velvety texture to pasta, although in the right amounts and in the right sauce the addition can be delicious. If you’re using dairy to enhance the flavor, go for it, but if you’re just trying to create a better mouthfeel, use the techniques above and you can’t go wrong.
- If the sauce is tomato-based use Mutti brand tomatoes (or the best San Marzano DOP tomatoes). My recommended canned tomato brand to use for all your tomato-based pasta sauces in the States (and around the world) is Mutti. These are the best 100% Italian (non-GMO, no additives or preservatives added), commercially canned tomatoes from near and around Parma, Italy. These tomatoes are available in the US (and other global markets including China. In Italy, if your family doesn’t grow and can their own tomatoes, or buy them from a local producer, Mutti is a staple found in just about every cupboard here. The reason is simple — these tomatoes are delicious with intense real tomato flavor. We have access to an abundant variety of high-quality canned tomatoes that we love and buy, but we still always keep Mutti on hand. They’re consistently great-tasting. This is important when I’m developing and sharing recipes. I want the Biting audience to have the best possible results when replicating a dish at home. Using a consistent brand that’s available to me (and you) makes the most sense. I’m not paid by Mutti. for the endorsement. They’re just one of the best brands out there, and using them absolutely will make all the difference in your homemade pasta and pizza sauces.
Looking for More Delicious Pasta Dishes to Make?
If you love pasta as much as we do, here are a few more recipes to inspire your next dinner.
- Anniversary Pasta (Spicy Shrimp Tomato-Alfredo Sauce w/Rigatoni)
- Asparagus & Ham Lasagna (w/Asparagus Bechamel)
- Classic Lasagna Bolognese (authentic Italian recipe)
- Shrimp Fettuccini Alfredo Pasta Recipe (w/Parmigiano Cream Sauce)
- Baked Ziti with Ragù (from Scratch)
- 15-Minute Shrimp Pasta w/Garganelli (the Italian Way)
- Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Cook Pasta Like A Roman)
- Tagliatelle al Ragù (Northern Italian Beef Ragù w/Pasta)
- Cajun Style Royal Red Shrimp Pasta for One (or a crowd)
- Triple Shrimp Trighetto Pasta (Creamy Shrimp Pasta)
- Spicy Abruzzo Ventricina and Salsiccia Pasta (with Gold-Drawn Verrigni Soqquadro Pasta)
- How to Make Venetian Duck Ragù w/Bigoli Pasta (Bigoli al Ragù d’Anatra)
- Abruzzese Almost-Bolognese (Lasagna al Ragù w/Porcini Béchamel)
- Italian Speck & Asparagus Lasagna (w/Asparagus Béchamel & Zucchini Crema)
- Mama A’s Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana (Pinterest & Food52 Golden Recipe Grand Prize Winner)
- Creamy Pasta with Sausage & Wine Sauce (Almost Pasta alla Norcina)
- Italian Summer Garden Spaghetti w/Zucchini & Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce
- Simple + Delicious Pasta alle Zucchine (Spaghetti with Zucchini)
- Mediterranean Pigtail Pasta Salad with Shrimp (Featuring Sautéed Vegetables + Fresh Mozzarella)
- Italian Langoustine Shrimp Scampi w/Rigatoni Pasta (Mezze Maniche agli Scampi)
- Italian Spaghetti with Clams (Spaghetti alle Vongole)
Pasta Amatriciana tips + tricks +FAQ’s
- Use canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes in this recipe with a 1:1 ratio.
- Substitute pecorino cheese with Parmigiano or Grana Padano cheese if desired. Pecorino cheese has a stronger (wilder) flavor than both of the other cheeses and is slightly sharp tasting.
- Can I use thick-cut bacon if I can’t find pancetta or guanciale? Yes, you can, but it won’t taste like the actual dish, but it’ll still be delicious.
- What’s the difference between American bacon, Italian Pancetta, and Italian Pancetta Affumicata? American bacon is smoked and is raw and needs to be cooked. Pancetta is salt-cured and dried and is therefore no longer raw and can be eaten both cooked and uncooked. Pancetta affumicata is salt-cured, dried, and smoked, and perhaps the best of both worlds? But remember it’s smoked using different hardwoods than is typical for smoking American bacon. Bacon, Pancetta, and Pancetta Affumicata are all made using pork belly.
- Is bacon better than pancetta? In my opinion, bacon isn’t better than pancetta and pancetta isn’t better than bacon. They’re just different products even if they share some similarities. They can be used to replace one another in recipes, but the finished dish won’t taste the same (that doesn’t mean it won’t still be delicious).
- Where does Amatriciana pasta sauce originate from? The recipe originates from Amatrice, Italy, and is said to have evolved from ‘pasta alla gricia’ (a simple and also very delicious pasta originally made and eaten by shepherds. The ingredients are: guanciale, pecorino cheese, and pasta, but no tomatoes. When tomatoes first made their way from the Americas and were introduced to Italy, the people of Amatrice added tomatoes to pasta alla gricia.
- What are the top 5 Italian Pasta dishes of all time? In my opinion, it’s impossible there are only 5 pastas that are the best, but if I were forced to decide, it could be any of these: Ragù alla Bolognese (with rigatoni, pappardelle or any other appropriate noodle), Pesto alla Genovese, Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Spaghetti or Bucatini all’Amatriciana, Spaghetti or Linguine alle Vongole, and Bigoli all’Anatra. I could name 20 more, but these offer a wide variety and are a great place to start.
Let’s get started!
Print
Spaghetti all’Amatriciana (Spicy Tomato Pasta Sauce w/Cured Pork & Pecorino Romano)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Fresh sweet tomatoes, pancetta (or guanciale), Pecorino Romano cheese, white wine, extra virgin olive oil, and a dash of red pepper give this favorite Italian pasta all its deliciousness. This is a house favorite pasta that we eat all year round and it’s super quick to make. This recipe makes enough for 2 people but you can easily double, triple, or quadruple the sauce to feed a crowd, or to portion and freeze for quick weeknight meals or busy weekends.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces spaghetti or bucatini pasta noodles (160g)
- 10 ounces grape tomatoes, peeled and crushed (about 15 tomatoes) (2l0g)
- 3 ounces guanciale (cured pork jowl) or pancetta affumicata, cut into strips (85g)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, grated (or just enough to sprinkle on your pasta when serving) (25-50g)
- 1 to 2 dried chili peppers (or more to taste)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (30-45g)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine (25g)
- 2 tablespoons onion or shallot, finely diced (20g) (optional)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pancetta + onions. Add the olive oil and the chili peppers to a medium-sized sauté pan and cook over medium heat for about one minute, and add the pancetta (or guanciale). Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes or until much of the fat is rendered from the pancetta. Add the shallots and continue sautéing until the pancetta is golden brown and some bits are crispy, but not all of it.
- Blanch the tomatoes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the tomatoes for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the skins start to break. Remove the tomatoes and allow them to cool slightly before removing the skins and setting them aside. When cool enough to handle, crush the peeled tomatoes so they can quickly be added to the sauce in the next step. Do not discard the salted water because you’ll use it to cook the pasta.
- Deglaze the pork mixture with wine. Once the pancetta (or guanciale) and onions have cooked through and browned just a bit, add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Turn the skillet up to high heat and allow the wine to evaporate while stirring constantly and scraping the browned bits (the fond) off of the bottom of the pan.
- Add the tomatoes. Add the crushed tomatoes and add salt to taste. If the tomatoes aren’t sweet, add a very small pinch of sugar. Reduce the sauce to a simmer and cook on low stirring occasionally as it reduces slightly. *You may substitute an equal amount of canned whole peeled tomatoes if you don’t have sweet fresh tomatoes.
- Cook the pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook according to packaged directions, or until al dente.
- Add starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, continue simmering the pasta sauce over low heat. About 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked through, add approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water to the tomato sauce, increase the heat to medium and sauté for a couple of minutes more until the sauce is glossy.
- Assemble the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked through, strain it and add the noodles directly to the sauce, quickly toss and turn the noodles to coat them fully. Remove from heat and serve immediately with a side of pecorino cheese to be tossed over the top of the pasta. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use equal amounts of canned whole tomatoes if you can’t find sweet grape tomatoes.
- In the recipe photos, you’ll notice that I tossed the grated Pecorino on top of the entire dish of just-cooked pasta before tossing it with tongs and serving. But I actually prefer to serve the cheese on the side at the table to allow everyone to add as much or as little cheese as they like.
- Don’t forget to add a little pasta cooking water to the sauce so that the starches will help bind the final sauce to the noodles. This is also why it’s important not to over-salt the pasta boiling water, but instead, have it lightly salted.
- Do not use sparkling wine, sweet wine, or semi-sweet white wine in this recipe. Use a white wine that’s drinkable and light. If you’re not a white wine drinker and don’t like the idea of having a bottle of wine lying around that you won’t drink afterward, either substitute a dry red wine or pour the white wine into an ice cube tray and freeze it use it for future recipes as needed.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2
