Bucatini all’Amatriciana (25 Minutes!)
Updated May 17, 2025, Published Jun 30, 2021
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Make this Amatriciana Sauce in 25 minutes. Bold, rustic, and bursting with authentic Italian flavor, this bucatini all’amatriciana is the soul of Rome in every bite. Made with crispy guanciale, sharp Pecorino Romano, and sweet San Marzano tomatoes, it’s a rich, savory pasta sauce that comes together with just a few pantry staples.
It’s a perfect match for serving with crusty bread.
What is Amatriciana Sauce?
Amatriciana sauce is a simple peasant dish. Sugo all’amatriciana, also known as salsa all’amatriciana, is a traditional Italian pasta sauce with simple ingredients: guanciale (cured pork cheek), pecorino romano cheese, and Italian tomato sauce. My Roman friend, Stella, taught me to make this when she visited us in Sardinia years ago, and I’ve never made it any other way since!
“Delicious! Easy! Authentic! Tastes exactly like the Amatriciana we had in Rome. I’m going to double it for family coming over and I hope it tastes just as good. Elena, you are my go to Italian chef!”
– Adrianna
More Roman pasta dishes you will love: traditional carbonara, pasta alla zozzona, cacio e pepe, and pasta alla gricia.
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
If you love authentic Italian cooking, you have to try this—it’s comforting, quick, and deeply satisfying. One bite and you’ll be transported to a Roman trattoria.
- Tomatoes in pulp – Use high-quality canned Italian tomatoes for a rich, naturally sweet base.
- Guanciale, pancetta, or thick cut bacon – Guanciale is traditional and adds unbeatable flavor, but pancetta or bacon work in a pinch.
- Spaghetti or bucatini pasta – Bucatini is classic, with its hollow center catching every drop of sauce. Spaghetti works beautifully too!
- Pecorino Romano Cheese – Sharp, salty, and essential for finishing—don’t skip it!
- Salt and Pepper to taste – Simple seasoning that lets the main ingredients shine.
- Red pepper flakes (optional) – Adds a touch of heat if you love a little kick.
See quantities on the recipe card.
Recipe Variations
- Different Cheeses: Replace the pecorino with parmigiano cheese or use half parmigiano and half Pecorino Romano. You’ll also love my Fettuccine Alfredo pasta.
- Make your own Pasta—Make a full night of it by making your own homemade pasta to add to the dish!
- Garlic and Onion: Many people like to cook the cured meat with a clove of garlic or a small onion. This is used a lot in Rome and the surrounding areas. The traditional Amatriciana recipe doesn’t approve, but in the end, do what you love!
How To Make Bucatini all’Amatriciana
Making amatriciana sauce with pasta is simple and requires little effort and time.
Step #1: Heat a large pan over a high heat. Add guanciale/pancetta or bacon pieces and red chili flakes (if using).
Step #2: Fry until all the fat has been rendered out and the meat is very crisp. Scrape the bottom of the pan often to prevent food from sticking.
Step #3: Add the canned tomatoes to the pan. Stir everything through, then reduce heat to low and simmer for a few minutes.
Step #4: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and add to skillet with sauce.
Step #5: Place the drained pasta on top of the sauce in the pan. Stir to combine the pasta water, the sauce, and the pasta. Add the rest of the cheese.
Step #6: Add half of the cheese and stir the pasta with the cheese without mixing with the sauce, yet.
Serve the pasta in serving bowls and top with plenty of freshly grated pecorino romano cheese. You can also add a drizzle of olive oil if you wish. Mangia! (eat!)
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tips
- Start the guanciale in a cold pan – This helps slowly render the fat and crisps the meat perfectly without burning.
- Use quality whole peeled tomatoes – Crushed San Marzano or Italian plum tomatoes in pulp yield the right balance of sweetness and acidity. No added sugar needed.
- Simmer the sauce in the rendered guanciale fat – This builds a rich, porky tomato base that clings beautifully to the pasta.
- Finish pasta in the sauce with pasta water – This creates that silky, starchy emulsion that binds the sauce to every strand.
- Use Pecorino Romano—not Parmigiano – Sharp, salty Pecorino is key for the true Roman flavor. Grate it fresh for best results.
- Stick with bucatini or spaghetti – Bucatini is traditional and great for catching the sauce, but spaghetti works well too.
- Add red pepper flakes to taste – Traditional Amatriciana has a touch of heat, but it’s optional. A little goes a long way.
Storage Instructions
Save your leftovers by storing them in an air-tight plastic or glass container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for a few months.
FAQ’S
Guanciale and pancetta are different sections of pork meat. Guanciale is from the jowl and pancetta is from the belly.
Amatriciana and arrabbiata are tomato-based sauces. Amatriciana has guanciale or pancetta. Arrabbiata typically includes garlic and parsley and not meat, an authentic amatriciana sauce does not.
Amatriciana originated in the green pastures on the hills overlooking Amatrice. Shepherds used to bring cheese and pieces of pork jowl with them during long days away from home. They would cook them in an iron pan, and add the pasta and cheese to make a simple and fast meal.
This is the original dish now known as white amatriciana. Since that time period, the recipe developed and changed a bit to add tomato sauce, making it a red base.
I prefer it with the red sauce, but I’ve always been curious to try it the other way.
You won’t find extra olive oil in the pan, onions, garlic, or other types of cheese. This recipe stays true to the true Roman Amatriciana way!
More Italian Pasta Recipes
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Bucatini all’Amatriciana Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes in pulp , crushed tomatoes also work
- 12 ounces guanciale, pancetta, or thick cut bacon (if using bacon add a little oil to pan)
- 1 pound bucatini pasta , any long pasta will work
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, 8 oz
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Cut the guanciale, pancetta or bacon into chunks less than one-half inch thick.
- Heat a large pan over a high heat. Add guanciale/pancetta or bacon pieces and red chili flakes (if using), and stir fry until all the fat has been rendered out and the meat is very crisp. Scrape bottom of pan often to prevent from sticking.
- Add the canned tomatoes to the pan. Stir everything through then reduce heat to low and simmer for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of cold water to a boil and add salt to taste. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and add to skillet with sauce.
- Place the drained pasta on top of the sauce. Add half of the cheese and stir the pasta with the cheese without mixing with the sauce, yet. Add pasta water and stir to combine the sauce and pasta. Add the rest of the cheese.
- To serve, portion out the pasta into serving bowls, top with plenty of freshly grated pecorino cheese.
Notes
- Start the guanciale in a cold pan – This helps slowly render the fat and crisps the meat perfectly without burning.
- Use quality whole peeled tomatoes – Crushed San Marzano or Italian plum tomatoes in pulp yield the right balance of sweetness and acidity. No added sugar needed.
- Simmer the sauce in the rendered guanciale fat – This builds a rich, porky tomato base that clings beautifully to the pasta.
- Finish pasta in the sauce with pasta water – This creates that silky, starchy emulsion that binds the sauce to every strand.
- Use Pecorino Romano—not Parmigiano – Sharp, salty Pecorino is key for the true Roman flavor. Grate it fresh for best results.
- Stick with bucatini or spaghetti – Bucatini is traditional and great for catching the sauce, but spaghetti works well too.
- Add red pepper flakes to taste – Traditional Amatriciana has a touch of heat, but it’s optional. A little goes a long way.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I grew up eating and loving this dish my mom made often us, but this version is even better, and simpler to make which is a huge plus in my book!
So happy you loved it! Thank you. Yes, Italian cooking is simple at the core!
Delicious! Easy! Authentic! Tastes exactly like the Amatriciana we had in Rome. I’m going to double it for family coming over and I hope it tastes just as good. Elena, you are my go to Italian chef!
Yes! So happy you loved the recipe! You can totally double the recipe.
Made this over the weekend and it was a big hit! I will definitely make this again. Super easy and delicious!
Yay! Happy you loved this authentic Italian recipe!
This has become one of our families go to recipes. It’s quick enough for weeknights and delicious enough for dinner parties! So simple and yummy!
Thank you, Molly. It is a family favorite in out house too. Enjoy!
This recipe is so delicious! It is an easy recipe that comes together so quickly. I didn’t make any adjustments to the recipe and it turned out perfect.This meal puts the biggest smile on my face. I love the simplicity of Elena’s recipes and how comforting they are. I really hope she will come out with a cookbook soon.
Hi Rae! So happy you loved the recipe! Yes, I hope to write a cookbook in the future :).
Simplicity is the true sense and heart of Italian cooking 🙂
Good morning Elena, do you have a sauce for ravioli, from the Genoa area? Thank you. Rich.
Hello, yes, you can try my classic pesto Genovese.
My wife and I spent a month in Italy over the summer and I ate sugo all’ Amatriciana 2-3 times a week while we explored central Italy. I was sad to come home thinking I would have to wait till next summer when we returned to Italy till I could enjoy one of my favorite meals. I then discovered you and all your delicious recipes and it took me back to all those authentic family restaurants we visited during our travels. Thank you and your Nona’s for sharing a little bit of Italy with those of us that wish we were still in Italy and were a little bit Italian.
Hi Michael, it sounds like you had a fantastic summer in Italy! It is a pleasure to share my Italian recipes with you. I hope to bring a taste of Italy to your home with many classic Italian recipes. Enjoy!