Italian recipe

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Name: Bucatini all’Amatriciana
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: 360 g bucatini; 140 g guanciale, cut into thick strips; 500 g whole peeled tomatoes, crushed; 1 g dried red chile flakes; 90 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated; 3 L water for boiling pasta; 24 g fine salt for pasta water

Bucatini in a bright tomato sauce built on rendered guanciale, Pecorino Romano and a restrained touch of chile. The pork fat carries the tomato while the pasta finishes directly in the sauce.

Italy

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 40 min
Servings: 4

Bucatini all’Amatriciana with red tomato sauce, guanciale and Pecorino — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by BlackcatSource page · Original file · CC BY-SA 4.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

360 g
bucatini
140 g
guanciale, cut into thick strips
500 g
whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1 g
dried red chile flakes
90 g
Pecorino Romano, finely grated
3 L
water for boiling pasta
24 g
fine salt for pasta water

Method

01
Render the guanciale
Cook guanciale in a wide skillet over medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes until crisp at the edges and plenty of fat has rendered. Transfer half the crisp pieces to a plate for finishing.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Build the tomato sauce
Add chile flakes to the fat and stir 20 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes until slightly thickened but still bright.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Boil the bucatini
Boil 3 L water with 24 g salt. Cook bucatini until 2 minutes short of package al dente. Reserve 250 ml pasta water and drain.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Finish in the sauce
Add bucatini to the tomato sauce with 100 ml pasta water. Toss over medium heat for about 2 minutes until al dente and the sauce clings to the tubes; add more pasta water only as needed.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Add Pecorino and serve
Remove from heat, toss with 60 g Pecorino, and divide into warm bowls. Finish with the remaining 30 g cheese and the reserved crisp guanciale.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Reserve pasta water before draining; its starch helps the sauce cling without adding cream.
Finish the pasta in the sauce and serve at once; the texture changes quickly as it stands.

Common mistakes

Do not cook the pasta fully in plain water; leave it firm enough to finish in the sauce.
Add pasta water gradually; too much at once makes the sauce thin and difficult to emulsify.

Substitutions

Use another durum-wheat pasta of similar thickness when the named shape is unavailable.
Use a well-aged hard Italian-style cheese with similar salt and fat when the specified cheese is unavailable.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 2 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water; creamy pasta is best eaten fresh.

Cultural context

Amatriciana takes its name from Amatrice in Lazio and became a Roman trattoria staple. Guanciale, tomato and Pecorino define the sauce.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Bucatini amatriciana Roma 2019 — Photograph by Blackcat; CC BY-SA 4.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Italian recipes

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Ingredients

Method

Render the guanciale

Build the tomato sauce

Boil the bucatini

Finish in the sauce

Add Pecorino and serve

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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