Pasta all'Amatriciana (Bucatini all'Amatriciana)

Bucatini all'Amatriciana — the pride of Amatrice, where guanciale, tomato, pecorino, and chili come together in a sauce that has sparked more arguments than politics.

Amount	Ingredient
320 g (12 oz)	Bucatini (or thick spaghetti)
200 g (7 oz)	Guanciale, cut into batons
400 g (14 oz)	Peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
1	Small dried chili (peperoncino), crumbled
100 g (1 cup)	Pecorino Romano, grated
Extra-virgin olive oil	1 tbsp

Amatriciana is the dish that put the tiny town of Amatrice (in the province of Rieti, Lazio) on the culinary map — so much so that after the devastating 2016 earthquake, chefs around the world cooked and served it to raise funds for reconstruction. The original version, Gricia con il pomodoro, was simply pasta with guanciale and pecorino — then someone in the 18th century added tomato, and history was made. The modern Amatriciana is a study in restraint: guanciale (never pancetta, never bacon) is rendered until golden, then simmered briefly with crushed tomatoes and a touch of chili before being tossed with bucatini (the thick, hollow spaghetti that soaks up the sauce from both inside and out). Finish with a generous shower of Pecorino Romano, and you have a sauce that's simultaneously rich, bright, spicy, and salty — proof that the best Italian cooking is about ingredient selection, not complexity.

> The great Amatriciana debate: bucatini vs spaghetti. Purists insist on bucatini — the hollow center catches sauce in a way spaghetti simply can't. Either works, but bucatini is the canonical choice.

📋 Preparation

1. Start the guanciale — place the batons in a cold skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the fat renders and the meat is golden and crisp (about 7-8 minutes).

1. Add chili — stir in the crumbled peperoncino and let it bloom in the fat for 30 seconds.

1. Add tomatoes — pour in the crushed tomatoes, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should thicken slightly.

1. Cook the pasta — meanwhile, boil the bucatini in generously salted water until 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.

1. Finish the sauce — add about ½ cup of pasta water to the sauce and stir. Toss in the drained bucatini and cook together over medium heat for 1 minute, allowing the pasta to absorb the sauce.

1. Serve — remove from heat, add most of the Pecorino Romano, and toss vigorously. Serve in warm bowls with remaining pecorino on top.

👨‍🍳 Chef's Tips

• Hand-crush your tomatoes. Canned whole San Marzanos, crushed by hand, give a chunkier, fresher texture than pre-crushed.
• The peperoncino is non-negotiable. Just one small dried chili provides the gentle warmth that makes Amatriciana what it is — it shouldn't be spicy, just pleasantly warm.
• Guanciale, guanciale, guanciale. If you cannot find it, this isn't Amatriciana — it's something else (and probably still delicious, but call it something else).

🍷 Wine Pairing

A Cesanese del Piglio, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, or a bright Sangiovese di Romagna. The acidity cuts through the richness.

🏷️ Search Tags

`Amatriciana` `bucatini` `guanciale` `tomato sauce` `Roman pasta` `Lazio` `pecorino`

📸 Photo Reference

(Photo: vol1_504.jpg)

Recipe from The Italian Kitchen by Vita Milanese — Volume 1 · Pasta Perfetto. Discover all volumes on the ebook page.