Cook's Illustrated

The Best Pasta all’Amatriciana

Published November 1, 2000.

Simpler is better when making this classic Italian sauce with tomatoes, bacon, and onion.

The Problem

Authentic pasta all'Amatriciana relies on a type of bacon, guanciale (made from pork jowls), found only in Rome.

The Goal

Pasta all'Amatriciana is a lusty pasta dish that contains tomato, bacon, onion, dried chile, and Pecorino cheese. Like most Roman cooking, this dish is bold and brash. We wanted to create a recipe that would do this classic sauce justice, using ingredients found locally.

The Solution

Substitute pancetta, if available; if not, use bacon. Use canned diced tomatoes and hot red pepper flakes, and add the cooked pancetta at the end to keep it crisp. Finish with grated Pecorino cheese and toss with bucatini, perciatelli, or linguine.

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