Bucatini all'Amatriciana

bowl of bucatini all'amatraciana with red onion in the background

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Bucatini all'Amatriciana is the most robust of the four classic Roman pastas. Its big tomato flavor is complimented by an intense salty porkiness from guanciale (pork cheek), a pop of chili flake heat, and savory red onions. Finished with tangy Pecorino Romano, this Roman classic is a flavor powerhouse.

Prep Time10

Cook Time13

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 547kcal

Author: Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN

Ingredients

1 lb bucatini or rigatoni or pasta of your preference
4 oz guanciale trimmed of the outer rind
3.5 oz freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1 medium red oninon sliced (about 3 ounces or 1/3 cup)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes more or less to to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp kosher salt to season pasta water
28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand

Instructions

With a sharp knife, remove the outer rind from guanciale and slice into 1/4 thick slices. (This rind can burn and become acrid in the pan). Slice red onion into 1/8 thick slices and set aside.
In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over med-low heat. Add the guanciale slices.
Once guanciale starts to develop color on one side, move it around in the pan to expose the opposite side to the heat, add the red onion slices and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, and continue cooking until the onion starts to soften.
Once the onion has softened, pour in 1/2 cup of dry white wine and reduce by 2/3 over medium heat.
Once the mixture has reduced, add the hand-crushed whole-peeled tomatoes and their juices to the saucepan. Continue to cook, stirring enough to fully incorporate the ingredients in the sauce. Lowe the heat and allow the sauce to simmer.
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the Bucatini and cook until 2 minutes shy of al-dente (on the package instructions).
After about 6-8 minutes of the sauce simmering, add 1/8 cup of Pecorino Romano and 1/4 cup of starchy pasta water to the now reduced sauce. Stir in pasta water and cheese to achieve a glossy effect to the sauce.
Raise the heat in the suace to med-high. With tongs, pull the bucatini from the pasta water and add it to the sauce. It is okay if some of the pasta water makes its way into the sauce as it will aid in the emulsification. Stir and toss the pasta thoroughly into the sauce, adding more cheese and pasta water to create a glossy coating over all the bucatini. Add more pasta water an 1/8 cup at a time if the sauce becomes dry or pasty. The goal is a smooth glossy sauce, studded with chewy guanciale and sweet red onions that coats all of the pasta.
Remove from heat and top with another sprinkle of cheese and more crushed red pepper if you prefer a spicy sauce. Buon appetito!

Notes

**Nutrition Facts are calculated based on 6 servings of this recipe**

Expert Doppio Tips for Amatriciana

Full instructions for how to make pasta all’Amatriciana are included in the recipe below, but here are a few key tips I would recommend keeping in mind as well:

Use pasta water to control the consistency of the sauce. Adding a splash of pasta water improves the sauce consistency. Its not uncommon for your sauce to thicken a little while cooking. A little starchy pasta water loosens the consistency so that it can evenly coat all of the pasta in glossy glory. Instead of draining my pasta in a strainer in the sink, I allow some of the water to be carried over in the pasta as I transfer it from the cooking water to the saucepan with the spider (rigatoni) or tongs ( bucatini or spaghetti).

Pre-grate your cheese : Have freshly grated cheese at the ready so you can add it and incorporate into your sauce when the time comes. You will get the best flavors and impact from your cheese if you buy in chunks and grate it shortly before adding it to your sauce. If you have a market that will grate fresh cheese for you, this is a nice time saver. Ideally you would use the cheese the same day its grated. I find that the idea grating setting or side on the box grater is the round hole, which produces a snowflake like texture as opposed to ribbons. A microplane with the larger blades is also a good option.

Toss your pasta to evenly coat it in the sauce. Please forget the days when mom used to serve a dry heap of pasta and top it with a ladle of meat sauce. Be sure that you are tossing your pasta in the saucepan to get every millimeter covered in sauce. If you are not comfortable tossing the pasta in the pan, use a wooden spoon to stir it well, adding pasta water as needed to loosen and create glossiness.

Nutrition