This authentic Bucatini all'Amatriciana recipe is the real deal- made with no garlic- just a simple tomato sauce and the highest quality ingredients. You can make this amazing Italian pasta from scratch in only 30 minutes!
Heat the olive oil (2 tablespoons) in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.
Add guanciale/pancetta (6 oz.)- sauté until crispy and golden (about 5 minutes).
Stir in crushed red pepper (1/2 teaspoon) and sauté for 10 seconds. Add onions and sauté until golden and softened, about 3 minutes.
Add red wine (1/4 cup)- stir until mostly evaporated, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (about 2 minutes).
Stir in crushed tomatoes (28 oz.), season with salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a low simmer. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions, stopping cooking one minute before it's al dente.
Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and add to tomato sauce, or use tongs to add it to the sauce directly from the pan.
Toss pasta with tomato sauce and add 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Turn heat to high and continue to toss pasta with sauce, adding more pasta water as needed until sauce thickens and coats every noodle (I used about 1/2 cup total).
Turn off heat. Add half (1 oz.) of the cheese to the pasta and stir until it's incorporated into the sauce.
Serve immediately topped with remaining cheese and more pepper to taste.
Notes
In traditional recipes, white wine is often used. I like using red because I think it enhances the flavor of the tomatoes. Use whichever you prefer.
I used an immersion blender to crush whole peeled tomatoes in the can. Just a few pulses does the trick. You can also use a standing blender or a food processor- just be sure not to overdo it!
The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.