Name: Rigatoni all’Amatriciana – Searching for Italy Recipe – Pasta.com
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 11 oz. rigatoni ((or penne)); 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 5 oz. guanciale pork (cut into cubes (can also use pancetta or high quality bacon)); 4 oz. dry white wine; 1 can crushed tomatoes (preferably imported from Italy) ((28-ounce)); 2 tbsp tomato paste; ⅓ cup Pecorino Romano cheese (grated (can also use Parmigiano Reggiano)); white pepper (to taste); salt (to taste)

Amatriciana sauce (also referred to as sugo all’amatriciana) is a rich pasta sauce that’s made with guanciale (a cured pork cheek). It might sound weird to use pork cheek, but trust us, it’s absolutely my favorite. Which is why I was so excited to see it featured by Armando al Pantheon in the Rome episode of Searching for Italy.

Since getting a hold of guanciale can be a bit of a challenge, you can swap it out for pancetta or a really nice fatty piece of great quality bacon. Also, the recipe uses rigatoni since it does a good job of holding such a thick sauce, but honestly any pasta will work.

Rigatoni all’Amatriciana Recipe – Searching for Italy Recipe

Rigatoni all’Amatriciana from 'Searching for Italy' with Stanley Tucci. A decadent guanciale Amatriciana recipe from Armando al Pantheon in Rome.

4.63 from 8 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories 545 kcal

Ingredients

11 oz. rigatoni, (or penne)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 oz. guanciale pork, cut into cubes (can also use pancetta or high quality bacon)
4 oz. dry white wine
1 can crushed tomatoes (preferably imported from Italy), (28-ounce)
2 tbsp tomato paste
⅓ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (can also use Parmigiano Reggiano)
white pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Instructions

Heat a large pot of salted water to bring to a boil.
While waiting, heat extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Brown guanciale/bacon until crispy and its fat becomes translucent.
Add white wine and let simmer for about a minute. Remove guanciale/bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In the same pan with the wine and fat, add the canned tomato and tomato paste. Stir well to combine and let simmer.
Cook pasta and drain 1 minute before the time indicated on the package instructions. Can reserve some pasta water if needed for the sauce.
Put the drained pasta and the guanciale/bacon into the pot with the tomato sauce. Add pasta water as needed for consistency.
Season with white pepper and stir in Pecorino Romano cheese. Add salt and optional red pepper flakes, to taste.
Serve and enjoy.