Name: Pasta All'Amatriciana
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400g rigatoni or bucatini; 150g guanciale (cut into lardons); 1 can (400g) San Marzano peeled tomatoes; 60g Pecorino Romano (finely grated); 1 tsp chilli flakes; 100ml dry white wine; Extra virgin olive oil; Salt

Recipes

Pasta All'Amatriciana

By littlelane

One of Rome's four great pasta dishes guanciale, San Marzano tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, and dried chilli. Just four ingredients, but the quality of each one matters enormously. The rendered guanciale fat becomes the base of the sauce, adding depth no substitute can replicate. A 20-minute recipe that tastes like it took hours of slow cooking.

LL

Written by

littlelane

Ingredients list:

250g guanciale
2 cans of canned tomatoes (400g each)
300–400g of pasta
Generous amount of Pecorino Romano
Salt
Pepper
Good EVOO

Directions:

Difficulty: Easy
Feeds: 3-4 people
Cooking time: 45-60 minutes

Prepare the Guanciale: Remove the rind from the guanciale if present, then slice it into strips.
Render the Fat: Add the guanciale strips to a cold pan and cook over low heat, allowing the fat to render out and the guanciale to become crispy. Once cooked, remove the guanciale from the pan and reserve the rendered fat. If there is too much fat, discard the excess.
Cook the Sauce: Add the canned tomatoes to the reserved guanciale fat and let them stew for at least 45 minutes to develop a deep, rich sauce.
Cook the Pasta: At the 40-minute mark of stewing the sauce, cook your pasta until al dente. Reserve some pasta water before draining.
Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the cooked pasta directly into the tomato sauce. Loosen with a splash of reserved pasta water, then fold in a portion of the crispy guanciale. Season with salt and pepper.
Add Pecorino: Stir in a generous shaving of pecorino romano into the pasta and sauce mixture.
Plate and Garnish: Serve family-style, drizzling generously with EVOO, adding more shaved pecorino, and garnishing with the remaining crispy guanciale.