This Rigatoni all' Amatriciana recipe is savory, salty, spicy, and oh so perfect! Adapted from a Top Chef-winning recipe, you can't go wrong with this beloved classic Italian pasta dish.
Amatriciana is a traditional pasta sauce originating in Amatrice, a town in northern Lazio, the same region in Italy where you'll find the Italian capital of Rome. Amatriciana is one of the most popular and beloved pasta sauces in Italian (and Roman) cuisine.
On its most basic level, sugo all'amatriciana features guanciale (cured pork cheek), tomato, onion, and often chile pepper. Of course it's finished with a shower of pecorino Romano cheese, which comes from the same region.
What I personally love about this rigatoni amatriciana (or rigatoni all' amatriciana / all'amatriciana) is the intensity of the sauce. It's super umami! The cured pork component (in my case pancetta as it's easier to find) adds richness and saltiness. The tomatoes are sweet and not too acidic, while the chile flakes add a lingering but not overwhelming heat to the dish.
This rigatoni amatriciana is adapted from Top Chef Season 19 winner Buddha Lo's "Marry Me Pasta," which won him an elimination challenge on the show. His Marry Me Pasta was inspired by his now-wife's rigatoni amatriciana, which she made for a staff meal years ago when they worked together at the same restaurant in London. He loved it so much that he told her he would marry her someday.
The Top Chef judges raved over this dish! After making it myself, I agree that it's absolutely outstanding and worthy of all the accolades. Although I've eaten my share of pasta amatriciana over the years, I can honestly say this is the best version I've ever had!
Ingredient notes
- Guanciale or Pancetta: Guanciale (which comes from pork jowls/cheeks rather than pork belly) is the traditional cured pork component for amatriciana sauce. However pancetta is popular and easier (cheaper) to find in the United States. It's a bit less fatty than guanciale, but it still works really well in this rigatoni amatriciana recipe.
- Tomato Paste: A small amount of tomato paste makes a big impact in this recipe! It really helps build tons of concentrated flavor along with the slow-cooked San Marzano tomatoes.
- San Marzano Tomatoes: San Marzano is a specific variety of plum tomatoes from Italy. They have fewer seeds, are sweet, less acidic, and are perfect for pasta sauces, such as this one. There's a lot of debate around canned San Marzano tomatoes. There are a lot of brands claiming to be San Marzano but really aren't. Ideally, purchase a brand of canned San Marzano tomatoes which are whole peeled tomatoes (real San Marzano tomatoes are only sold whole) and imported from Italy. I used Cento San Marzano Tomatoes which contain a large sprig of fresh basil in the can. If you do the same, remove the fresh basil before adding to your amatriciana sauce.
- Pasta: I use rigatoni in this recipe, but a couple of other very popular pasta shapes for amatriciana are spaghetti (used in Amatrice) and bucatini (used in Rome). I love how the amatriciana sauce fills the inside of the rigatoni tubes, but any of these shapes will work great! For my rigatoni all' amatriciana, I use bronze cut pasta from Aldi. It's very reasonably priced for such high quality pasta imported from Italy. Bronze cut pasta is a durum wheat pasta which has a coarser texture. It does a much better job of allowing the sauce to stick to the surface compared to other industrial types of pasta where it can slip right off. I recommend using bronze cut pasta if possible, regardless of the shape you choose.
- Pecorino Romano Cheese: The authentic cheese for this beloved Italian pasta dish is pecorino or pecorino Romano, which is a salty sheep's milk cheese from the region.
How to make it
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped guanciale and cook until crispy (PHOTOS 1-2).
Use a slotted spoon to remove it, leaving the rendered fat in the Dutch oven. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
To the Dutch oven with the rendered fat, add finely chopped shallots, thyme, crushed red pepper, and kosher salt (PHOTO 3). Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the shallots are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes (PHOTO 4).
Add crushed garlic and cook until fragrant. Next, add tomato paste and cook for another 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly (PHOTO 5). Finally, stir in canned undrained San Marzano tomatoes (PHOTO 6).
Remove from the heat, cover and place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven. Bake until the oil separates from the tomatoes, about 45 minutes (PHOTO 7). Use the back of a spoon to crush the tomatoes into a sauce (PHOTO 8).
Stir in the crispy guanciale, black pepper, and kosher salt (PHOTOS 9-10).
Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook rigatoni until al dente. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta directly into the sauce in the Dutch oven, reserving the pasta water (PHOTO 11). Place the Dutch oven over low heat and toss the pasta with the sauce. Add a splash or two of pasta water as needed to help loosen the sauce while stirring to coat the pasta evenly (PHOTO 12).
Serve rigatoni amatriciana immediately, topped with grated pecorino Romano cheese.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips and FAQs
Store leftover rigatoni amatriciana in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Add a few splashes of water to help re-hydrate the sauce and reheat in the microwave or in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
To make the amatriciana sauce in advance, cool it completely, and refrigerate it in a covered container for 3 to 4 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, gently reheat the sauce on the stovetop before adding the freshly boiled pasta and a couple splashes of pasta water.
Although some people use bacon, it's really not the best choice for amatriciana. Bacon is smoked and will lend a completely different (smoky) flavor profile to the sauce, which is really not authentic to the classic dish.
You can use a long pasta shape (like spaghetti or bucatini) in place of the rigatoni. If you do, I recommend one small change to the process. Reserve some pasta water in a cup and then strain all the pasta in a colander rather than fishing long strands of pasta out of the pot with a slotted spoon. What works for a short, fat shape like rigatoni won't work for the longer pasta shapes.
Both sauces come from the same region in Italy. Both are similar spicy, tomato-based sauces, but amatriciana contains guanciale while arrabbiata does not contain any meat. Thus arrabbiata is vegetarian while amatriciana is not.
Both sauces come from the same region of Italy and both contain guanciale and pecorino Romano. Amatriciana is a tomato-based sauce, while carbonara doesn't contain any tomato. It instead uses egg to create a silky, luscious sauce.
Other recipes you may like
- Spaghetti alla Carbonara
- Bucatini Cacio e Pepe (Roman Cheese and Pepper Pasta)
- Penne all' Arrabbiata (Spicy Tomato Pasta)
- Pasta e Piselli (Pasta and Peas)
- Pasta alla Norcina (Creamy Pasta with Sausage)
- Gnocchi al Sagrantino all'Amatriciana
- Älplermagronen (Swiss Alpine Macaroni and Cheese)
- Browse all Pasta Recipes
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Rigatoni all’ Amatriciana
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces (225 grams) guanciale or pancetta finely diced
- ½ cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 medium shallots)
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt divided, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves (about 3 cloves)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (28-ounce / 794-gram) can whole peeled San Marzano plum tomatoes undrained
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound (455 grams) rigatoni
- Grated pecorino Romano cheese for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the guanciale or pancetta and cook until crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the crispy guanciale, leaving the rendered fat in the Dutch oven. Transfer guanciale to a small bowl and set aside.
- To the Dutch oven with the rendered fat, add the shallots, thyme, crushed red pepper, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the shallots are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds. Next, add the tomato paste and cook for another 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly to avoid scorching. Finally, stir in the canned undrained tomatoes.
- Remove from the heat, cover and place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven. Bake until the oil separates from the tomatoes, about 45 minutes. Use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to crush the tomatoes into a sauce. Add the crispy guanciale, black pepper, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and stir until incorporated.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook the rigatoni until al dente. Use a slotted spoon or large skimmer to transfer the pasta directly into the sauce in the Dutch oven, reserving the pasta water. Place the Dutch oven over low heat and toss the pasta with the sauce. Add a splash or two of pasta water as needed to help loosen the sauce while stirring to coat the pasta evenly. Serve immediately, topped with grated pecorino Romano cheese.
Notes
- Store leftover rigatoni amatriciana in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Add a few splashes of water to help re-hydrate the sauce and reheat in the microwave or in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
- To make the amatriciana sauce in advance, cool it completely, and refrigerate it in a covered container for 3 to 4 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge, and then gently reheat the sauce on the stovetop before finishing with the freshly boiled pasta and a couple splashes of pasta water.
- Guanciale (which comes from pork jowls/cheeks rather than pork belly) is the traditional cured pork component for amatriciana sauce. However pancetta is popular and easier (cheaper) to find in the United States. It's a bit less fatty than guanciale, but it still works really well in this recipe.
- In this recipe, I used Cento San Marzano Tomatoes which contain a large sprig of fresh basil in the can. If you do the same, remove the fresh basil before adding to your amatriciana sauce.
- I use rigatoni in this recipe, but a couple of other very popular pasta shapes for amatriciana are spaghetti (used in Amatrice) and bucatini (used in Rome).
- If you use a long pasta shape instead, I recommend one small change. Reserve some pasta water in a cup and then strain all the pasta in a colander rather than fishing long strands of pasta out of the pot with a slotted spoon.
- This recipe is adapted from Buddha Lo, winner of Top Chef Season 19
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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