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Home » Recipes » Pasta Sauces

Published: Feb 19, 2019 by Jacqui

Bucatini or Spaghetti Amatriciana


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Bucatini or Spaghetti All' Amatriciana.

Amatriciana is a simple and delicious classic Italian pasta recipe from Lazio with pretty ancient origins. It's popular with kids and adults alike throughout Italy and abroad!

Bucatini or Spaghetti Amatriciana

Amatriciana comes from Amatrice in Lazio, Italy.

Sadly because of the devastating 2016 earthquake that destroyed much of the town of Amatrice in Central Italy, amatriciana has become a pasta dish that I cannot help but associate with that tragedy. However, I was very touched by how many restaurants here in Italy and abroad raised funds to help the town’s people by donating all or part of the takings from sales of plates of pasta all’amatriciana in the weeks following the quake. (Italians say all'amatriciana but abroad this recipe is often just referred to as amatriciana).

Bucatini or Spaghetti Amatriciana

Of course, Amatrice was already well known for its famous pasta recipe even before the earthquake. This dish is based on typical local ingredients. Traditionally the local people use a cast iron frying pan or skillet to make this dish. The original sauce contains only tomatoes, guanciale (pork cheek), pecorino, red chili pepper and white wine. However, like other classic Italian recipes you can find it made with other ingredients in it!

ingredients for Bucatini or Spaghetti Amatriciana

Some Amatriciana history!

Amatriciana, also called matriciana in the local dialect, was originally just a white condiment (no tomatoes!).  This original version is called 'alla gricia'. This was apparently the main meal for Amatrice shepherds. The shepherds carried pieces of pecorino in their packs, along with bags of black pepper, dried pasta, cured pork cheek and lard. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries tomatoes were imported to Italy and a tomato sauce was added to the recipe.

pieces of pork cheek (guanciale) in iron frying pan

Amatrice became famous for creating this ‘new’ recipe and in fact the town has held an annual festival in celebration of amatriciana for more than 50 years. In 2016 the festival was cancelled because of the earthquake which happened just a few days before the date of the festival. It was held instead in Rome in December. 

crispy cooked pork cheek (guanciale)

The Romans love Amatriciana!

Although it is not originally from Lazio (during the Kingdom of the Two Siciiys, Amatrice belonged to Abruzzo), amatriciana has become a classic Roman recipe. However, it is more often served with bucatini in Rome and spaghetti in Amatrice. Both pastas work really well in this dish. For this recipe, I used spaghetti but I like it with bucatini too.

peeled plum tomatoes

The people of Amatrice are very strict about the ingredients of this sauce and have been known to take offence when chefs become creative with their own versions. There’s a lovely story of when two Michelin star chef Carlo Cracco confessed that he put garlic in his amatriciana and the Amatrice town council accused him of ‘a lack of judgement’ on their Facebook page!!!

fresh tomato sauce and crispy pork cheek in frying pan

The recipe below is based on the original, except for the use of olive oil instead of lard. Bucatini or spaghetti all'amatriciana is a recipe that everybody loves, especially kids! So, it's well worth adding to your own pasta repertoire if it isn’t there already.

Bucatini or Spaghetti Amatriciana

If you do try this bucatini or spaghetti Amatriciana recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback means a lot to me!

Buon Appetito!

(This recipe was originally published in 2017 but I have updated the photos and text)

Other Classic Italian pasta recipes on The Pasta Project

  1. Tagliatelle Bolognese
  2. Lasagne al forno
  3. Spaghetti alla Carbonara
  4. Bucatini all'arrabbiata

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Bucatini or Spaghetti Amatriciana

Bucatini (or spaghetti) Amatriciana

Jacqui
This classic Italian pasta recipe from Lazio is loved by both kids and adults all over Italy and abroad. The Amatriciana sauce is very simple and easy to make yet absolutely delicious
5 from 36 votes
Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Central Italy, Italian, Rome & Lazio
Servings 4
Calories 808 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g spaghetti or bucatini (14oz)
  • 150 g cured pork cheek (5oz) Guanciale di Amatrice is the traditional type but you can also use thick slices of pancetta but preferably not the ready cubed one .
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Some cooks believe it’s not necessary to add oil as the pork is already quite fatty
  • ½ glass dry white wine
  • 400 g San Marzano tomatoes peeled
  • 1 fresh peperoncino or teaspoon of dried peperoncino flakes
  • 100 g grated pecorino cheese (3.5oz) Traditionally pecorino from Amatrice which is less salty than other types
  • black pepper
  • salt for pasta and to taste

Instructions
 

  • Thoroughly clean the pork cheek and cut it into small strips. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water and peel them. Cut them in halves or quarters and remove most of the seeds.
  • Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt when it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan (traditionally a cast iron pan) and add the pork cheek and let it brown.
  • Sprinkle with the white wine. Allow the wine to evaporate and add the peperoncino (if using a whole fresh one, remove before serving)
  • When the pork cheek is browned nicely, remove it from the pan and remove some of the rendered fat too. Add the peeled and cut tomatoes to the pan and cook on a medium heat until they start to soften. If you think you need more sauce you can add a little tomato passata too.
  • Put the pork cheek into the sauce with some salt and pepper (taking into account that the pork is quite salty already). Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente in the boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet
  • Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce with some of the pecorino, keeping the heat very low while you mix everything well together.
  • Serve immediately with a sprinkling of more pecorino.
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Notes

There are no other ingredients in the original recipe. Some people add onions, garlic, celery or carrot, but the taste of the sauce will change slightly with different ingredients. In Rome, onion is often added.
If you can't find or don't like pork cheek (guanciale) you can also use pancetta.

Nutrition

Calories: 808kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 26gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 772mgPotassium: 453mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 221IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 321mgIron: 3mg
Keyword amatriciana, bucatini, guanciale, spaghetti
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Bucatini or spaghetti Amatriciana

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Reader Interactions

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Tom says

    October 18, 2023 at 10:24 pm

    This is a fabulous dish! I am a foodie, but have a whole litany of health issues to accommodate in just about anything I cook. I used three strips of apple wood smoked bacon and 6 ozs of salt pork cut up per the recipe, 1/4 oz crushed fresh garlic, 8 ozs finely chopped yellow onion and a full cup of pinot grigio, and the rest of the recipe items. No problems along the way. Used canned diced tomato and crushed them with the back of my silicon spatchla toward the end of the simmer. The aroma filled the whole house by the end of the 30 minute simmer. My bucatini was shy of ready at the maker's suggested cook time, so I added a half cup of water to the sauce, drained the pasta and dumped the sauce over it. I tossed and pulled the pasta/sauce over everything until I hit the consistency I though was right. And, low and behold, it was right! We oohed and aahed through dinner! It was amazing for how the delicate pork flavor loaded every bite. Our kids will be here come Christmas season, and this will replace the usual huge platter of orzo with frutti di mare we've had forever for Christmas. I know they are gonna rave about it when they taste it.

    Reply
  2. Stephanie says

    March 04, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    The pork and tomatoes sound like a delicious flavor pairing with the pasta! I can almost taste the flavors!

    Reply
  3. Lathiya says

    February 26, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    The pasta looks fabulous..I'm loving your pasta dishes and saving this for later.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:19 pm

      Thank you dear Lathiya! This is a real classic Italian pasta recipe and so delicious! I'm sure you'll love it!

      Reply
  4. Maman de sara says

    February 26, 2019 at 12:23 am

    I love italian food, that looks yummy

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:19 pm

      Thanks so much! We love Italian food too (of course!)

      Reply
  5. Julie says

    February 25, 2019 at 9:01 pm

    This looks so tasty for a cold winter day! Love all the flavors you packed in there.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:21 pm

      Thanks Julie! This is a super flavourful pasta dish! Very popular here in Italy!

      Reply
  6. Susan says

    February 25, 2019 at 6:40 pm

    Seems very simple to prepare but absolutely delicious flavors!! I love the back story as well. Can't wait for our tomatoes to grow so I can make this for dinner!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:23 pm

      Thanks so much Susan. Lucky you having your own homegrown tomatoes! They will definitely make this dish even tastier!

      Reply
  7. Kari Heron | Chef and Steward says

    February 25, 2019 at 5:38 pm

    This is definitely a pasta that my five year old will completely adore! Those tomatoes are just sensational!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:24 pm

      I'm sure your five year old will devour this dish, Kari! It's very popular with kids here in Italy!

      Reply
  8. Jori says

    February 25, 2019 at 5:23 pm

    Appreciate the background on how this dish came to be! Can’t go wrong with centuries worth of meals can you.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:25 pm

      Happy you like the background info Jori! I love old recipes. You know they must be good because they've been popular for ever!

      Reply
  9. Corina Blum says

    February 25, 2019 at 1:57 pm

    Such a simple pasta dish but it sounds so tasty! Its definitely something that my husband and son would love as well as me.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:27 pm

      Thanks Corina! Often the simplest dishes are the best! I'm also sure your husband and son will love this pasta!

      Reply
  10. Brian Jones says

    February 25, 2019 at 9:28 am

    The fat on that pork looks stunning, I have a version of this dish that uses similarly fatty pork and I love it.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:29 pm

      Guanciale is a favourite of mine Brian because it adds so much flavour to any dish! It's popular here in Italy, although more expensive than pancetta.

      Reply
  11. Amanda says

    February 23, 2019 at 6:07 pm

    This is pretty much the perfect pasta dish -- so simple yet it also has tons of flavor. Love all the pecorino. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:30 pm

      Thanks so much Amanda! I'm thrilled you like this recipe! Yes simple but flavourful, so perfect!

      Reply
  12. Linda says

    February 23, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    I love good pasta like this - simply flavorful and delicious! Love how easy it is and good to know the origin of this dish.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:31 pm

      Grazie Linda! Yes this recipe is a winner! As you say, simple, flavourful and easy to make!

      Reply
  13. Mimi says

    February 23, 2019 at 12:05 am

    I love the way Italian dishes sound - so unique and so inviting! And it is so interesting to read the stories behind each recipe. Amatriciana is definitely a bright example - can't wait to make one very soon!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:33 pm

      Thank you very much Mimi! I also love the recipes that have a story behind them and an interesting history! I'm sure you'll enjoy this dish a lot!

      Reply
  14. April says

    February 23, 2019 at 12:02 am

    I can't believe this pasta has so much history! But I can certainly believe that it is incredibly popular and delicious. Fantastic recipe!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:44 pm

      Thank you April! Italy has a lot of food history which I love researching! This dish is a classic much loved by Italians!

      Reply
  15. Ramona says

    February 22, 2019 at 9:53 pm

    This pasta dish is so good looking and sounds super delicious - I love how informative your posts are too. Superb! Thank you for sharing yet another wonderful pasta dish which I will definitely make

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:45 pm

      Thank you so much dear Ramona! I'm sure you'll love this dish. It's full of flavour but easy to make!

      Reply
  16. Kelly Anthony says

    February 22, 2019 at 7:32 pm

    I love simple recipes that are full of rich flavors. This looks delicious and I can't wait to try another of your pasta recipes.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      February 28, 2019 at 2:46 pm

      Thank you cara Kelly! This is a great pasta recipe. As you say full of flavour! I'm sure you'll really enjoy it!

      Reply
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Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! My name is Jacqui. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where…

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