Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Guanciale and San Marzano, the way Amatrice does it — no garlic, no onion.
Ingredients
- 400 g Bucatini
- 200 g Guanciale
- 1 tin San Marzano tomatoes (DOP)
- 100 g Pecorino Romano
- ½ tsp Red pepper flakes
- 40 g Salt
- 60 ml White wine (optional)
Method
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily.
- Cut the guanciale into short batons.
- Crush the tomatoes by hand.
- Render the guanciale in a cold skillet over medium-low until crisp — about 6 min.
- Deglaze the pan (loosen the browned bits with liquid) with the wine and let it sizzle off, about 1 minute. (optional)
- Tip in the tomatoes and chilli. Simmer until thickened, about 12 minutes.
- Drop the bucatini and cook one minute shy of al dente (firm to the bite).
- Reserve a mugful of pasta water, then drain.
- Toss the bucatini in the sauce off heat for a minute, loosening with pasta water until glossy.
- Plate and shower with pecorino.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Bucatini all'amatriciana is one of the pillars of Roman and central-Italian cooking, though it takes its name from the town of Amatrice in the mountains northeast of Rome. It is defined as much by what it leaves out as what it contains: no garlic, no onion, just guanciale (cured pork jowl), tomatoes, pecorino Romano, and chili. Rendering the guanciale slowly from a cold pan draws out its fat and turns the batons crisp, and that rendered fat — not oil — becomes the flavor base for the whole sauce, giving the dish its savory, faintly funky richness. San Marzano tomatoes bring a clean sweetness, pecorino adds sharp salt, and the red pepper flakes keep a low warmth running underneath.
Bucatini — thick spaghetti pierced by a hollow center — is the traditional shape, catching sauce inside and out, and the dish is served as a first course or a satisfying main. The technique that separates a good amatriciana from a great one lives in the finish: pulling the pasta a minute shy of al dente, then tossing it in the sauce off the heat with reserved starchy pasta water until everything emulsifies into a glossy coating that clings to each strand. A splash of white wine deglazes the pan and lifts the browned bits before the tomatoes go in, so nothing rendered from the guanciale is wasted.
Bucatini all'Amatriciana: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Bucatini all'Amatriciana?
A serving has about 813 calories — 25g protein, 79.4g carbs, 43.4g fat, 5.3g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 25g of protein, roughly 12% of its calories.
Is Bucatini all'Amatriciana gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Bucatini. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Bucatini all'Amatriciana dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Pecorino Romano. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Bucatini all'Amatriciana take to make?
About 25 minutes start to finish, but only around 16 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Bucatini all'Amatriciana?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out white wine — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Bucatini all'Amatriciana make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.