Spaghetti All'Amatriciana

Amatriciana is one of Rome’s iconic pasta sauces, and it’s beautifully uncomplicated. Cured pork renders its fat into the pan, onion and chili pepper build the aromatic base, white wine adds brightness, and sieved tomatoes simmer into a concentrated sauce that clings to every strand of spaghetti.

Pushing the canned tomatoes through a sieve before cooking removes seeds and any fibrous bits, giving you a smoother, more refined sauce. This step is traditional and worth the two extra minutes.

Tossing the cooked spaghetti directly in the sauce for a couple of minutes lets the pasta absorb flavor and the starch thickens everything into a cohesive coat. Finish with a generous shower of grated pecorino Romano, the sharp, salty cheese that ties the whole dish together.

Chef Tips

• Guanciale (cured pork cheek) is traditional, but pancetta or good thick-cut bacon works if you can’t find it.
• Fry the pork slowly to render the fat without burning. That rendered fat IS the sauce base.
• Break the chili into pieces rather than mincing it so you can fish it out if you want less heat.
• Use pecorino Romano, not Parmesan. The sharper, saltier bite of pecorino is what defines this sauce.

Variations

• Use bucatini instead of spaghetti for a more traditional Roman presentation with hollow noodles that trap the sauce inside.
• Add a pinch of smoked paprika if using regular bacon to get closer to that guanciale depth.
• Leave the sauce chunky by roughly crushing the tomatoes by hand instead of sieving for a more rustic version.