Rigatoni all'Amatriciana (Roman Guanciale Tomato Spicy Pasta)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 35 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
This two-serving rigatoni all'Amatriciana uses 200 g pasta, 120 g guanciale, and 400 g whole peeled tomatoes.
Read more
Cut the guanciale into small batons and give it 6 to 8 minutes with 1 tablespoon olive oil at medium-low heat. The next ingredients should not go in until the pork fat has rendered and the edges are brown and crisp. Add the broken peperoncino for only 30 seconds, then pour in 50 ml white wine and scrape the browned residue from the pan while the sharp alcohol aroma cooks off. Crush the tomatoes by hand so some texture remains, add them to the pan, and maintain a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. The sauce is reduced enough when it coats a spoon instead of running off in a thin stream. Taste before adding salt because both guanciale and the 50 g Pecorino Romano contribute substantial seasoning. Boil the rigatoni until al dente, transfer it to the sauce, and toss for 1 minute with the burner low so the ridges collect the reduced tomato mixture. Grate the Pecorino over the finished pasta, where its sharp saltiness balances the tomato acidity and the rendered cured-pork fat.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Cut 120 g guanciale into small batons and break the peperoncino in half.
Crush the 400 g whole peeled tomatoes by hand in a bowl, keeping some texture so the sauce thickens without becoming watery.
- 2Control
Put 1 tablespoon olive oil and the guanciale in a pan over medium low heat.
Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the fat renders and the edges turn brown and crisp without burning.
- 3Heat
Add the peperoncino and let it perfume the fat for only 30 seconds.
Pour in 50 ml white wine, scrape up the browned bits from the pan, and let the sharp alcohol smell cook off.
- 4Control
Add the crushed tomatoes and bring them to a simmer over medium heat, then lower the heat.
Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, and partially cover the pan only if the sauce splatters too much.
- 5Season
When the sauce coats a spoon instead of running off thinly, taste it.
Because guanciale and Pecorino Romano are salty, add salt only if the sauce still tastes flat after reducing.
- 6Finish
Boil 200 g rigatoni in salted water until al dente, then transfer it into the sauce.
Toss over low heat for 1 minute so the ridges catch the sauce, then grate 50 g Pecorino Romano over the pasta and serve.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Roman pasta featuring crisp-rendered guanciale fat and a spicy, simmered tomato sauce.
- Finish cue
- Boil 200 g rigatoni in salted water until al dente, then transfer it into the sauce.
- Avoid this
- Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the fat renders and the edges turn brown and crisp without burning.
- Substitution
- The sauce is reduced enough when it coats a spoon instead of running off in a thin stream.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
35min, 8 ingredients
Category median
35min, 9 ingredients
Based on 109 recipes
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