Pasta all'Amatriciana

The Roman tomato and guanciale pasta from Amatrice. Rendered guanciale, canned tomatoes, Pecorino Romano — no onion, no garlic, no olive oil in the authentic version.

Serves: 4Prep: 5 minCook: 25 minTotal: 30 minDifficulty: EasyCuisine: Italian
→ Calculate ingredient cost for this recipePrices are editorial estimates (Q1 2025). Confidence rating shown after calculation.

Pasta all'Amatriciana

Amatriciana originates from Amatrice, a mountain town northeast of Rome. The authentic recipe — as designated by the municipality of Amatrice and the Italian Academy of Cuisine — uses guanciale, Pecorino Romano, and canned peeled tomatoes. No onion. No garlic. No olive oil.

This recipe is gricia with tomatoes. If you have made gricia, the technique is identical up to step 3.

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 320g dry pasta (rigatoni or bucatini — the two canonical formats)
  • 120g guanciale, cut into 1cm strips or lardons
  • 400g canned peeled tomatoes
  • 60g Pecorino Romano DOP, finely grated
  • 2g dried chilli pepper (optional, traditional in Amatrice)

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to package time.

2. Render the guanciale Place guanciale in a cold, dry pan. Set over medium heat. Render for 5–7 minutes until golden and some fat has pooled. Remove guanciale pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add crumbled dried chilli (if using) to the fat; cook 30 seconds.

3. Build the tomato sauce Add the canned tomatoes to the pan with the guanciale fat. Break them with a spoon. Add a pinch of salt. Simmer uncovered over medium-high heat for 12–15 minutes, until reduced and no longer tasting raw.

4. Combine Drain the pasta. Add directly to the tomato sauce. Toss over medium heat for 1–2 minutes.

5. Finish Remove from heat. Add the guanciale pieces back. Toss. Add most of the grated Pecorino Romano — reserve a small amount for serving. Toss again.

6. Serve Plate immediately. Finish with the reserved Pecorino.

Notes

The debate about whether to add onion to amatriciana is long-standing. The Amatrice municipality's official recipe does not include onion. This recipe follows that specification.

Do not use pancetta as a substitute if guanciale is available. The fat profile of guanciale (cheek fat) is softer and renders differently from belly fat (pancetta), producing a richer, silkier sauce.

Cost Context

At Italian supermarket prices (Q1 2025): pasta-secca (€1.65/kg), guanciale (€15.00/kg), pomodori-pelati (€1.90/kg), pecorino-romano (€13.50/kg), peperoncino-secco (€30.00/kg). Total for 4 servings is approximately €3.95 — roughly €0.99 per serving. Guanciale represents about 45% of ingredient cost.