Calling all pasta lovers! Our tagliatelle amatriciana recipe is here to satisfy your cravings with its perfect balance of smoky pancetta, tangy tomatoes, and al dente perfection.
What Is Tagliatelle Amatriciana?
Amatriciana pasta is a dish from the Italian village of Amatrice. Traditionally made with guanciale, chilli, tomatoes and pecorino, it is simple yet delicious and full of flavour. A simple hearty tomato-based sauce this is ready in no time!
Tagliatelle Amatriciana Ingredients
This tomato sauce pasta is made up of these simple ingredients:
- Tomatoes – I have opted for good quality tinned chopped tomatoes for this dish. If you use cheaper tomatoes you may need to add sugar to balance out the acidity. You could also use fresh tomatoes and cook them down for a fresher tomato flavour to the sauce.
- Pancetta – traditionally this dish is made with guanciale, but this can be difficult to find at times so I have opted to use smoked pancetta. If you don’t have any pancetta, you could also used smoked bacon equally well for that savoury salty pork hit to the sauce.
- Pecorino – I love this cheese – salty and creamy it pairs well with the salty pancetta.
- Pasta – this dish is usually made with spaghetti or bucatini. I have went with tagliatelle but you can use your favourite pasta.
- Garlic & Onion – these help build flavour to the tomato sauce
- Chilli Flakes – provides a gentle heat at the back of the sauce. If you like it spicier you can always add more.
How To Make Amatriciana Sauce
This flavourful sauce is simple to make by following these simple steps:
- Boil the pasta in well-salted water. Start this first as the pasta will take around 10 minutes to cook and you need the pasta water to help make up the sauce.
- After the pasta has cooked for 5 minutes or so, start cooking the pancetta over medium-high heat until golden and crispy
- When the pancetta is crispy, add the garlic and onion and cook for a minute or so to soften
- Add the tomato puree and cook it out for a minute
- Add the chopped tomatoes and pecorino along with the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce
- Toss together, adding a splash of pasta water to get the right sauce consistency
- Plate the pasta and garnish with some fresh grated pecorino, cracked black pepper and chopped parsley
FAQ’s
Both of these sauces are tomato-based and spicy, but amatriciana has the addition of guanciale/pancetta and pecorino.
The traditional recipe does not include garlic but I like to add it for extra flavour – if you like garlic add it and make the dish extra tasty!
Homemade Tagliatelle Amatriciana
Ingredients
- 200 g dried tagliatelle
- 80 g cubed smoked pancetta
- 30 g grated pecorino plus extra to garnish
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp tomato puree
- 200 ml chopped tomatoes
- ½ small onion finely diced
- 1 garlic cloves
- Splash of pasta water
- Salt
- Black pepper
