Bucatini
all’Amatriciana
Lazio pasta with guanciale & tomato
Hollow bucatini carries a tomato sauce enriched with guanciale, a little chili and grated Pecorino Romano, with crisp pork pieces throughout.
Bucatini with tomato, pork & a herb garnishTomato and guanciale,
a Lazio pasta favorite.
Bucatini all’amatriciana combines tomato, guanciale and pecorino in a savory pasta sauce. Guanciale is cured pork cheek; its rendered fat carries the tomato around the hollow strands. A little chili adds warmth, while the cheese brings a salty finish.
The sauce is associated with Amatrice in Lazio and is also familiar on Roman menus. Pasta shapes and proportions vary between kitchens; this version uses bucatini and finishes with Pecorino Romano. The photograph includes a green herb garnish that is left out of the home recipe below.
Let’s make bucatini all’amatriciana.
A bucatini home preparation with guanciale, tomato, white wine and Pecorino Romano. The herb garnish in the photo is separate.
Four first-course portions, using dried bucatini.
The 35-minute cooking allowance is elapsed time: water heating and pasta cooking run alongside the pan work.
What you’ll need
- 320 gdried bucatini
- 120 gguanciale, rind removed, cut into small strips
- 400 gcanned peeled tomatoes with their juice, crushed
- 60 mldry white wine
- ¼ tspchili flakes
- 60 gPecorino Romano, finely grated, 40 g for the sauce and 20 g for serving
- 3 lwater, for the pasta
- 2 tspfine salt, for the pasta water
- to tastefine salt and black pepper
No herb garnish is included in this home recipe. The guanciale starts without added oil; lower the heat if it browns before releasing fat. Taste before adding extra salt beyond the measured pasta-water salt.
How to make it
- 01
Render the guanciale
Put the 3 l water on to boil. Meanwhile, put the guanciale in a cold, wide skillet and set over medium-low heat. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the fat renders and the edges turn golden.
- 02
Make the tomato sauce
Add chili flakes and wine carefully; let it bubble for 2–3 minutes, scraping the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until thickened slightly.
- 03
Cook the bucatini
While the sauce simmers, salt the boiling water and cook bucatini for 1 minute less than its packet’s al dente timing. Reserve 250 ml cooking water before draining.
- 04
Toss and finish
Add the pasta to the sauce with 60 ml reserved water. Toss over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until al dente, adding a little more water if needed. Take off the heat and mix in the 40 g cheese. Serve with the remaining 20 g cheese and black pepper.
While you’re in Lazio…
SecondiAbbacchio alla Romana
Lamb braises with garlic, rosemary and white wine, then takes on a savory, lightly sharp sauce from anchovies and vinegar.
PrimiAgnolotti del Plin
Small pinched pasta parcels hold a fine filling of braised veal, pork and spinach, dressed simply with butter and sage.
AntipastiAntipasto Misto
Cured meats, cheeses, olives and preserved vegetables make a shared Italian starter, with bread for assembling small bites.