An Italian classic, spaghetti all’Amatriciana is a tomato-based sauce that gets a punch of flavor from pancetta and plenty of garlic.
This is just one of a long list of dishes I know I should probably have tried making years ago – it’s an Italian classic, uses only a few ingredients and comes together in minutes. Nearly every one of my Italian cookbooks has a version, all fairly similar. This is my version, which has plenty of pancetta, plenty of garlic and a little white wine for extra flavor. Pour yourself a glass while you cook 🙂
One of my newer discoveries is pasta cut on bronze dies. It’s a little coarser than regular pasta which makes the sauce cling to all those little nooks and crannies. My go-to brand right now is DeLallo, which you can find at many supermarkets. I also typically let the pasta cook right in the sauce for the last couple of minutes, letting it absorb some of the flavor. It’s an easy enough trick that goes a long way.
Other Italian classic I love to make on weeknights? Carbonara and puttanesca are two of my favorites!
- 1 lb. spaghetti, preferably bronze cut
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces thinly slice pancetta, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced paper thin
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- ¾ cup white wine
- 1 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed with your hands
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until barely al dente - it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- While the pasta cooks, swirl a little olive oil (about a tablespoon) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a paper towel. Leave the oil and any rendered fat in the pan.
- Add the garlic and cook until just starting to turn golden around the edges, about 30-60 seconds. Stir in the crushed red pepper and then add the white wine. Allow to boil until most of the liquid has reduced, then add the tomatoes. Reduce the heat and let them cook for about 5 minutes.
- Drain the pasta, reserving the cooking liquid.
- Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid to the sauce and increase the heat to medium high. Stir in the drained pasta and allow to cook until the pasta is cooked though and coated with the sauce. Season to taste with salt (the pancetta is salty so you might not need much!) Stir in the pancetta and divide among plates. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Leave a Reply