Amatriciana sauce is a very simple Italian preparation that is enjoyed in spaghetti and other types of pasta. It comes from Amatrice, in the Lazio region, and is made with tomatoes, guanciale, chili peppers and other ingredients. On this occasion, we are going to prepare a recipe for spaghetti amatriciana or pasta all’amatriciana, as it is called in Italian.
If you don’t have guanciale, you can use pancetta or bacon, although if you can find it we recommend that you use it so that you can enjoy the authentic flavor of this delicious Italian sauce. Guanciale is a type of bacon made from the cheek of a pig that is left to cure with salt and black pepper for several weeks. In any case, you will see that in any way you prepare it, it will be incredible and it will become an excellent option for lunch or dinner. Find out how to make spaghetti amatriciana and enjoy!
Ingredients to make Spaghetti amatriciana:
- 2 large, ripe tomatoes
- 150 grams of guanciale or pork belly
- 1 piece of green Chile or chili
- 1 tablespoon brown or white sugar
- 1 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 splash of olive oil
- 2 bunches of noodles
- 3 tablespoons cured sheep cheese (grated)
How to make Spaghetti amatriciana:
- Peel the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes. If the tomatoes are not very big, use a couple more so that the sauce is abundant.
- Sauté the bacon and the chili. To do this, cut the chili into rings and the bacon into medium pieces. In this way, when the bacon is frying, it will fall apart and become smaller. Put a few drops of oil in the pan and fry without letting it brown too much, three minutes will suffice.
- Once fried, remove from the pan and reserve. Now, in the juice of the bacon sauce, fry the tomato cubes over medium heat for three minutes. Do not stop stirring so that, little by little, the tomato pieces fall apart and become a spectacular homemade amatriciana sauce.
- Important! Add salt, sugar and ground black pepper to the tomato sauce, this will give it a more intense and flavorful touch, while the sugar will reduce the acidity of the tomato. You can use white sugar if you don’t have brown.
- The amatriciana sauce is ready. Now add the previously mentioned bacon sauce and lower the heat while you stir it a few times to integrate the flavors. Cover for a couple of minutes over low heat, turn off the heat and let it rest while you continue with the dish.
- Fill a deep container with water and a pinch of salt, let it cook and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and let it sink into the container with the steam. Stir immediately to loosen and cook until al dente(approximately 8 minutes).
- Drain the pasta and heat the sauce a little if necessary, add the ingredients to the dish and sprinkle grated cheese if you like. You need nothing more than to eat them instantly to delight in the aromas and flavors of Italy in these spaghetti alla amatriciana.
