Last updated on October 27, 2023
Tomato sauce, white wine, Pecorino cheese and guanciale (or pancetta): Amatriciana is one of the most delicious Italian pasta sauces - with spaghetti like in the town of Amatrice or with bucatini as in Rome. We share the original recipe
Amatriciana is a very popular pasta sauce typical of central Italy.
The recipe has evolved over the centuries and is derived from the customs of the shepherds of Amatrice, a small town in the province of Rieti, on the border between the Italian regions Lazio and Abruzzo. Hence the name «Amatriciana».
The ingredients of the original Amatriciana recipe are tomato, white wine, Pecorino cheese and guanciale, the pork cheek prepared according to the traditional method.
Guanciale is the most characteristic ingredient of Amatriciana, but it is also the most difficult to find abroad: that is why we propose pancetta as an alternative in our recipe, as is also common for many families in Northern Italy.
The type of pasta that traditionally goes well with Amatriciana sauce is spaghetti. In Rome, the city where the Amatriciana initially became famous, they use bucatini instead: those are similar to spaghetti, but thicker and hollow in the middle, like a long cylinder of pasta. The sauce slides into the cavities of bucatini and makes this dish truly unique.
On this page of All Italian we prepare a delicious pasta all'Amatriciana, just like we make it in Italy.
The Italian words of this page:
| 🔊 Sugo per pasta | Pasta sauce |
| 🔊 Buttare la pasta | Put the pasta (in the pot) |
We wrote that one of the main ingredients of Amatriciana is the so-called «guanciale», which purists would never replace with pancetta. But what is guanciale?
Guanciale is a meat product obtained from the part of the pig between the head and the shoulder.
The meat is processed with salt, pepper, herbs and then aged.
The original guanciale is produced in the Amatrice area, so hard to find outside of Italy. In our recipe we use pancetta instead. But what is the difference between guanciale and pancetta?
Pancetta and guanciale are both typical Italian meats that are very famous and appreciated all over the world.
Like guanciale, pancetta is also a typical Italian meat product made from pork. But pancetta is made with the belly of the pig, while guanciale with the part between the head and shoulder.
Even the original carbonara pasta recipe contains guanciale as an ingredient, such as the Amatriciana. But even in Italy, many use pancetta because it's easier to find (and because of the lower fat content).
We share the official recipe, published by the municipality of Amatrice.
This recipe uses ingredients typical of central Italian cuisine; the preparation is simple, but there are some details that must be observed to obtain a perfect Amatriciana.
Traditionally in Amatrice they make the sauce with spaghetti; while in Rome they eat bucatini all'Amatriciana.
Bucatini is an exceptional type of pasta with Amatriciana sauce, and a classic dish. We have prepared it with Amatriciana sauce on the page dedicated to bucatini.
We provide a handy tool to calculate the ingredients.
For Italians, a portion of pasta corresponds to about 80-100 grams (2.8-3.5 oz) of dried pasta per person; it is a common and accepted quantity in Italy, also confirmed by the Italian Ministry of Health.
So 160g for 2 people, and so on. In other countries this amount can vary, and often start from 100 grams per person.
We are in the middle and consider a 100 gram portion of pasta.
In Italian, someone who likes to eat a lot is nicknamed (not derogatory) 🔊 una buona forchetta (literally a good fork).
| Ingredient image | Ingredient name | Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|
Spaghetti | 10.6 oz | 300 g | |
|
Pancetta | 4.4 oz | 125 g | |
|
Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 0.5 oz | 15 g | |
|
Peeled tomatoes | 14.1 oz | 400 g | |
|
Pecorino Romano cheese | 3.5 oz | 100 g | |
|
Chilli pepper | 1 piece | ||
|
White wine | 1 drop | ||
|
Salt | 1 pinch |
Guanciale is hard to find outside Italy. It is available in some online stores that import Italian products, but we have not tried these services.
Even though the original recipe contains guanciale, many Italians commonly make Amatriciana sauce with pancetta; especially in Northern Italy.
If you make Amatriciana with pancetta, then add a little olive oil to fry the pancetta.
Instead, with guanciale the oil is not needed, because guanciale fries in its own fat, as in the traditional Amatrice recipe.
👉 According to the original recipe, the amount of guanciale or pancetta in the Amatriciana sauce is about a quarter of the amount of pasta. We adjust this amount to make the pasta richer in sauce.
The original recipe from Amatrice contains no onion; though many in Italy use it at the beginning of the recipe to flavor oil and pancetta.
Onion is also used in the version of the Amatriciana made in Rome. So adding it is not a bad idea, even if it's not among the original ingredients.
👉 One of the things to watch out for is not to salt the Amatriciana sauce too much: both the pancetta and guanciale already contribute to abundantly salt the sauce.
Place the oil, whole chilli and pancetta (or guanciale cut into small pieces) in a large skillet. A wok is also fine.
Turn on the heat and brown the pancetta on fuoco vivo (heat to medium) for 15 minutes. Add a drop of white wine to add flavor.
Chop the chili pepper into small pieces and add them to the pan.
The fat from the pancetta will begin to melt and the pancetta will turn a light pink color. Add a drop of white wine to deglaze and add flavor.
Cut the peeled tomatoes into smaller pieces and then add them to the pan.
Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to low and let sauce cook slowly; cover the pan with the lid to retain the aromas.
If using guanciale: The chunks of guanciale are usually removed before the tomato is added, and the sauce is mixed with the fat left in the pan. This is because the guanciale becomes too salty if cooked for too long.
Fill a saucepan with cold water and bring it to the boil. Cover the pot with the lid to boil the water faster.
👉 In Italy we also have a rule for the amount of cooking water: 1 liter is sufficient for every 100 g of pasta.
Also see the steps to cook the pasta al dente.
When the pasta water boils, you can add the spaghetti or bucatini (🔊 buttare la pasta in Italian).
Mix the pasta immediately, for a few moments: this will prevent it from sticking.
The cooking time is indicated on the pasta packaging; but if you want it al dente, it's better to check the actual cooking status from time to time.
Is the pasta al dente? With a spaghetti spoon, move the pasta to the pan with the sauce.
Mix the pasta well through the sauce. Serve with plenty of grated Pecorino cheese.
Your Pasta all'Amatriciana is ready. Buon appetito! 🍝
In the restaurant in Italy, when you finish eating, the waiter will ask: 🔊 andava tutto bene? (was everything fine?)
In the eighteenth century, the guanciale was already produced in the vicinity of Amatrice: pork cheek processed with salt, pepper, spices and aromatic herbs.
With the guanciale, the inhabitants of Amatrice made the Gricia, a sauce like the Amatriciana but without the tomato. The Gricia was mainly eaten together with bread.
Amatriciana sauce with tomato, as we know it today, is the result of the evolution of the recipe, influenced by the culinary tradition of another important Italian city: Naples, where tomatoes have been grown since 1700.
Thanks to the commercial relations with Naples, the inhabitants of Amatrice began to add tomato to the Gricia recipe, creating the modern Amatriciana. It is the end of the 18th century, as evidenced by the cookbooks of the time.
Thus, the Amatriciana became a sauce suitable for pasta. And the iconic pasta for Amatriciana is spaghetti.
We constantly enrich our pages with new recipes to make authentic Italian pasta!
I am Italian from Trentino. I studied philosophy in Padua and worked for many years between Milan and Amsterdam in the field of media and culture.
Since 2021 I write on All Italian to practice foreign languages; meanwhile I share with you the customs and traditions of my country, and the recipes that I prepare at home.
