Amatriciana sauce pairs incredibly well with the long and hollow spaghetti-like bucatini noodle. Rich, red, warming and simple to make, Bucatini all’Amatriciana is hands down Trevor’s favourite pasta dish. He first discovered the dish thanks to Anna Wallner of “Anna and Kristina’s Grocery Bag” fame who proclaims it’s her favourite too. Serve it in your favourite bowl, top it with additional cheese and maybe a dash of parsley if you feel like it and if there are any leftovers, the flavours intensify absorbing into the noodles the next day.
Tip: Salt your pasta water generously. At least 4 tablespoons per pasta pot. Use kosher or sea salt. No need to use expensive artisanal salt.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
115 grams pancetta (or guanciale)
½ to 1 teaspoon teaspoon crushed chili pepper flakes, depending on spice tolerance?
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1x 800 gram can peeled San Marzano tomatoes
¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano)
450 grams Bucatini pasta
Salt for pasta water
- Boil a large pot of well-salted* water to cook pasta.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pan.
- Dice pancetta into small cubes, add to a heated pan and cook until golden brown.
- Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside (do not remove rendered pancetta fat).
- Lower heat to medium low and add onions and garlic to the pan.
- Cook onions and garlic until softened (around 4 to 6 minutes).
- Add crushed chili flakes and freshly ground black pepper to onions and garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Reduce heat to low and add can of peeled San Marzano tomatoes to the pan, crushing tomatoes with a wooden spoon (or potato masher) until no large tomato pieces remain.
- Cook tomato sauce uncovered until thickened (approximately 15 to 20 minutes).
- Add bucatini to boiling water and cook for approximately 6 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
- Before draining bucatini, reserve 1 cup pasta water in a measuring cup.
- Add drained bucatini and Pecorino Romano to tomato sauce and stir until pasta is well coated, cooking on low for an additional 2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time to thin sauce.
- Divide bucatini into four bowls.
- Garnish with additional grated cheese, if desired.
Recipe inspired by Bon Appétit and adapted by Gluggable.
