Authentic Bucatini all'Amatriciana

A classic Roman pasta dish featuring bucatini noodles tossed in a rich and flavorful sauce made with guanciale, tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano cheese.

Ingredients

2	tablespoons olive oil
6	guanciale (if unavailable, pancetta or unsmoked bacon can be substituted), roughly chopped
1	large onion, finely chopped
1 1⁄4	teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)
1	small clove garlic, peeled and smashed
2	chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1	tablespoon unsalted butter
1	pound bucatini
1	Grated Pecorino Romano, for serving

Instructions

• 1. Begin by preparing a large pot of heavily salted water and bring it to a boil. In the meantime, heat olive oil and guanciale in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the guanciale becomes crisp and releases its flavorful fat, which should take around 7 minutes.
  2. Remove most of the rendered fat, leaving about a tablespoon in the pan for additional flavor. Reserve the excess fat for future use. Introduce finely chopped onions and red pepper flakes to the pan, stirring them together. Allow the onions to soften and caramelize, which should take approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Add the smashed garlic clove and cook for another minute. Incorporate the chopped tomatoes, unsalted butter, and a couple of generous pinches of salt. Let the sauce simmer over the lowest possible heat setting while you move on to cooking the bucatini pasta.
  4. Follow the cooking instructions on the pasta package to cook the bucatini until it reaches the desired al dente consistency. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Place the pasta back in the pot over low heat, and mix in roughly two-thirds of the prepared sauce. Adjust the amount of sauce to your preference, adding a bit of pasta water if needed to prevent dryness. Serve the pasta immediately, topping it generously with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and additional red pepper flakes on the side.

Jul 19, 2024