Amatriciana Sauce
Fresh and spicy tomato sauce with a depth of flavor from guanciale. If you love hearty, flavorful, and spicy pasta sauces, you will love this sauce. It tastes like something you’d order at your favorite Italian restaurant! The best part of this classic sauce is that it comes together within 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- 6 oz guanciale cut into small or medium dice (or pancetta)
- 2-3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- ¼ cup dry white wine optional
- 28 oz can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 Calabrian chili or 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or less
- Salt to taste
- ⅔ cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- 1 lb spaghetti
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the guanciale and the chili pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until the white fat part of the guanciale has become transparent and golden.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring so the garlic doesn't burn. Pour in the white wine; allow to simmer and reduce for 2 minutes.
- Add in the crushed san Marzano tomatoes and salt, to taste. Add in the reserved pasta water. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened. Discard the chili pepper.
- Toss in the pasta and pecorino romano cheese. Serve with extra cheese.
Notes
What's the difference between the Roman recipe and the original? Both are equally amazing, but there's a slight difference between the two recipes. There's no wrong answer to this!
- Amatrice: This is where this recipe got its name from. It's made with simple ingredients and still packs so much flavor. The ingredients include guanciale (cured pork jowl), chili pepper (I used Calabrian), spaghetti, San Marzano tomatoes, white wine (which is optional), and pecorino romano cheese.
- Roman: People say this is where the origins came from. The Roman version includes the ingredients listed above, plus the addition of onions and garlic. They also use bucatini instead of spaghetti, which is typically the pasta you'll find when looking up the recipe for Amatriciana sauce.
- Reheat: Reheat the pasta in the microwave or sauté it in a pan with a tablespoon of oil.
- Freeze: Make the sauce without adding the pasta. Put it in a freezer-safe container or a Ziploc bag for up to one month. Thaw it completely at room temperature before heating.
- Pancetta is acceptable if you can't find guanciale.
- Regular Whole Peeled Tomatoes are acceptable if you don't want to use them or can't find San Marzano tomatoes.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes are acceptable if you can't purchase a single Calabrian chili, or don't want to buy a bunch just to use one.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese is acceptable if you only have Parmesan cheese or don't want to buy Pecorino Romano.