Name: Spaghetti all'Amatriciana (Spicy Tomato Pasta Sauce w/Cured Pork & Pecorino Romano)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Italian
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

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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.

a plate full of spaghetti all' amatriciana

pasta all' amatriciana covered with a blanket of freshly grated pecorino cheese

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.

sepia colored panoramic view of Rome from my trip in 2005 — My first trip to Italy, "The Eternal City"...Rome is still one of my favorite cities to visit and eat in.

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!)

blanched and peeled grape Datterino tomatoes in a bowl

pancetta matchsticks frying in the skillet with shallots

a pile of snow white grated pecorino cheese next to a microplane and cheese wedge

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).

man dressed as roman guard in front of coliseum flipping me off — Roman "guard" outside of the Coliseum -- Rome Italy.

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).

Blanched and peeled bright red Italian tomatoes on a platter

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

Prepackaged pancetta affumicata on a grocery store shelf. — Prepackaged pancetta affumicata.

two separate square containers of pancetta dolci and pancetta affumicata lying on an orange and white checkered square oven mitt showing the difference between the uses on each package — Pancetta for carbonara + pancetta for amatriciana.

thick chuck of raw pancetta lying on a cutting board looking like a slab of whole bacon uncut, but brighter red in color with a little peppering on top sporadically — Slab of smoked pancetta.

large cubed pancetta — Large cubed pancetta dolce (not smoked).

sliced smoked pancetta — Sliced smoked pancetta.

matchstick slices of guanciale — Italian 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.

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana Italian pasta ready to eat

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)
¼ to ½ 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 ¼ to ½ 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

raw amatriciana ingredients on a cutting board

blanched grape tomatoes in a spider strainer with skins starting to peel off

my hand peeling a grape tomato above a bowl filled with grape tomatoes

my hand squeezing the grape tomatoes between my fingers to crush them

my hand pouring a bottle of olive oil into the skillet

a whole dried red hot chili pepper in the skillet

pancetta pieces cooking in the skillet with the chili pepper and olive oil

chopped shallot added to the pan with pancetta and chili pepper

nicely browned mixture of pancetta, shallots and chili pepper in olive oil

cooking pork with wine - pancetta, shallots, chili pepper deglazed in a pan with white wine looking nice and glossy

cooking and reducing tomatoes in the Amatriciana sauce

adding a little starchy pasta cooking water to the amatriciana sauce

The amount of pasta water this sauce needed to best bind everything together without diluting the pasta sauce

strained pasta noodles added to the amatriciana sauce

using tongs to coat the pasta noodles with sauce

a top down view of delicious spaghetti all amatriciana in a navy blue braising pan

a pasta plate filled with one portion of spaghetti all'Amatriciana

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.

pan seared shrimp in a pan full of creamy tomato alfredo

lasagna with asparagus on top in a white ceramic lasagna pan

bolognese pasta square looking ooey-gooey and delicious

the most delicious creamy shrimp alfredo pasta ready to eat with huge red Argentinian shrimp on top of a zigzag regional egg pasta

closeup of baked ziti with tomatoes and cheese covered pasta noodles some gooey and some crispy

Garganelli pasta noodles in a shrimp and tomato pasta sauce.

spaghetti carbonara plated in a white pasta bowl with rectangular pieces of beautifully browned pancetta throughout

a bowl full of Reginelle tagliatelle pasta which is a tagliatelle egg pasta with zigzagged edges (with a beautiful beef ragù mixed in)

fork holding a mouthful of cajun royal red spaghetti with a shrimp on it

shrimp pasta in red sauce piled high on top of triangular spaghetti noodles in a white pasta bowl

square pasta with sausage and with chopped chives sprinkled on top and grated Grana Padano cheese

finished Duck Ragù with Bigoli pasta looking delicious

a large rectangle of lasagna sprinkled with grated cheese

closeup of fully baked and bubbling Speck and lasagna

a large square of vegetarian parmigiana on a plate

A creamy Italian sausage and rigatoni pasta.

spaghetti with a fresh tomato and zucchini pasta sauce

spaghetti with zucchini in a white pasta bowl with Italian homes in the background in the view out of the window

Mediterranean pasta salad with pasta, olives, fresh mozzarella, shrimp, sauteed asparagus and carrots, sun dried tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, and more.

a cast iron skillet filled with Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Marsala Sauce

closeup of a white pasta bowl filled with spaghetti and clams

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!

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Spaghetti all'Amatriciana (Spicy Tomato Pasta Sauce w/Cured Pork)