Bucatini all’Amatriciana is an easy pasta recipe with pancetta and a spicy tomato sauce that takes less than 30 minutes to make. Add some bucatini and you get a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
Like most Italian dishes, bucatini all’amatriciana is simple. So simple, in fact, that you can make it in about 20 minutes start to finish with just a handful of ingredients. Like my favorite pasta aglio e olio, carbonara and pesto sauce this bucatini recipe is my favorite kind of homemade fast food.
Table of contents
Recipe Notes
My bucatini all’Amatriciana recipe strays from other more classic versions which call for whole plum tomatoes, guanciale and pecorino cheese. I swap out some of these and add a couple other ingredients, but the result is the same: a spicy tomato sauce tossed with tender pasta.
- This recipe makes enough to serve two people, but you can easily scale it up to serve more.
- Bucatini is a long pasta that’s thicker than spaghetti. Most most grocery stores have it, but you can substitute any long pasta (like spaghetti or linguini) if you can’t find it.
- Look for diced pancetta at the store (it’s usually near the deli) which is similar to guanciale. They’re both uncured pork but are from different parts of the pig (guanciale is from the cheeks and pancetta is from the belly).
- Instead of whole plum tomatoes, I like to use tomato puree mostly because it’s a lot easier just to open the can and pour it in. If you’re feeling adventurous check out my homemade tomato puree recipe and make your own for this recipe.
- To make this really easy, you don’t have to make your own sauce. Just substitute your favorite jarred marinara sauce. I’ve added a note about this in the recipe card.
What does amatriciana mean?
Like many Italian dishes, the name refers to the place that the dish originated. In this case, the town of Amatrice which is located in central Italy.
Ingredients
- Bucatini
- Olive oil
- Diced pancetta
- Finely chopped yellow onion
- Minced garlic cloves
- Red pepper flakes
- Tomato puree
- Water
- Balsamic vinegar
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley
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How to Make It
Boil the bucatini until it’s al dente. While the pasta cooks, you can make the sauce.
Cook the pancetta in a large skillet until it renders it’s fat and starts to turn crispy. Add the onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook them for a minute or so, just until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the tomato puree and water and stir to combine. Increase the heat to bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer the sauce while you wait for the pasta to finish cooking.
Add the balsamic vinegar, cooked pasta and toss it in the sauce until the pasta is evenly coated. To serve, top each serving with the grated cheese and chopped parsley.
Recipe Tips
- This recipe makes enough for two people, but you can easily double it to serve four.
- Serve it with a green salad on the side or some garlic toast (may favorite).
- The sauce is so easy I don’t make it ahead, but you can. It’s fridge and freezer-friendly!
- Leftovers will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Serve this bucatini all’amatriciana in bowls or straight from the pan – I won’t judge.
Happy cooking!
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Balsamic Mushroom Pasta
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- 5-Ingredient Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo
- Zucchini Orzo with Chickpeas
- Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe along with your recipe star rating.
PrintBucatini all’Amatriciana
This is a quick and easy pasta dish for two with simple ingredients and a little kick of heat from some crushed red pepper flakes. Bring the pasta water to a boil while you prep the ingredients for the sauce and, once you add the pasta to cook, the sauce comes together by the time the pasta is tender.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sautee
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 5 ounces bucatini
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 8 ounces diced pancetta
- 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (see note)
- 3/4 cup tomato puree
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the bucatini and cook according to package directions.
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until it renders it’s fat and starts to turn crispy. Add the onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook them for a minute or so, just until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the tomato puree and water and stir to combine. Increase the heat to bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer the sauce while you wait for the pasta to finish cooking.
- Add the balsamic vinegar to the sauce and stir to combine. Add the cooked pasta and toss it in the sauce until the pasta is evenly coated. To serve, top each serving with the grated cheese and chopped parsley.
Notes
A 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes adds a nice kick of heat. Start with less if you’re worried about the amount of heat – you can always add more after you give the sauce a taste before serving.
If you want to use jarred marinara sauce just cook the pancetta in the oil, add the sauce, simmer and then continue with the recipe as written.
Recipe adapted from Food Network
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 409
- Sugar: 7.8g
- Sodium: 1105.4mg
- Fat: 25.6g
- Saturated Fat: 11.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 67.9g
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Protein: 23.1g
- Cholesterol: 47.2mg
Keywords: bucatini all’amatriciana, spicy tomato sauce, pancetta recipe
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Post, photos, and recipe updated from the archives. First published in October 2014
Smoked Meat says
Add 1/2 to 1 cup of pecorino romana to the sauce and use fire roasted canned tomatoes, can’t go wrong! Mangia
Hank says
Big fan of this sauce, especially how easy it is to make and the spicy flavor!
★★★★★
Katerina says
Mmmm, pasta perfection! Beautifully presented too – thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Albert Bevia says
I am a huge lover of pasta dishes and this here recipe sounds absolutely delicious! I love all the simple ingredients that you used to create this! thank you for the wonderful recipe 🙂