Amatriciana Twist Pasta
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Pasta with smoky guanciale and sun-dried tomatoes cooked in olive oil with garlic and white wine. Bucatini simmered al dente, tossed in a rich sauce with pecorino and fresh parsley. Slightly reduced pancetta, added chili flakes for hint of heat. Cooking steps shuffled: sauce first, then pasta, then cheese. Sun-dried tomato adds depth contrasting the cured pork. Shorter simmer on tomatoes, slower pancetta render. Water from pasta used to bind sauce instead of extra oil. Mild tweak on traditional flavors, gluten-free, no nuts or eggs.
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
30 min
Total:
50 min
Servings:
4 servings
#Italian
#pasta
#guanciale
#pecorino
#sun-dried tomatoes
#quick meals
#smoky flavor
#pasta sauce
Garlic and olive oil start everything. Not much time to lean on. Tomatoes simmered just enough — some whole chunks left for bite. Guanciale diced finer, crisped longer for extra crackle. Bucatini chosen for its saucy hollow center, official rigatoni skipped this time. Pecorino fresh, not too salty, melts in quick. White wine adds sharp undertone, sun-dried tomatoes bring unexpected touch. Heat turned low on pork so fat renders slowly, flavors steep and deepen differently. Sauce thicker but rustic, a bit chunky. Finished with fresh parsley — fresh pop after smoky pig and rich cheese. Chili flakes sneak in quietly, no fire, just tickle. Water from pasta used smartly to loosen sauce. Not strictly traditional but close. Gluten-free pasta not a problem. No nuts or eggs per constraints. Shorter cooking of some elements, slightly longer on others — timing shuffled for texture contrasts. Easy. Works with any bucatini or substitute shaped pasta you prefer. Simple ingredients arranged uncommon way. Trust the method, patience matters here.
Ingredients
- 3 gousses d’ail, hachées
- 25 ml (1 ½ c. à soupe) d’huile d’olive
- 1 boîte de 550 ml (19 oz) tomates italiennes entières
- 170 g (3/8 lb) guanciale, coupée en dés de 1 cm
- 340 g (3/4 lb) bucatinis
- 60 g (2/3 tasse) de pecorino romano frais râpé
- 15 ml (1 c. à soupe) vin blanc sec
- 10 g (1 c. à soupe) tomates séchées, hachées
- persil frais haché, pour garnir
- poivre fraîchement moulu
- pincée de piment rouge broyé
About the ingredients
Pancetta swapped for guanciale here — the cheek meat gives richer flavor, less salty than pancetta. Sun-dried tomatoes in place of straight canned only add complexity and umami depth, subtle sweetness but no overpowering. Garlic amount upped slightly for punch, olive oil cut back a bit to balance fat from pork. Pecorino reduced marginally since guanciale is fattier, making overall dish less salty. Adding white wine is a twist for acidity and brightness, not typical but lifts the sauce nicely. Pasta unchanged but can switch rigatoni for bucatini or spaghettoni if preferred. Parsley freshened the finish, new color and herbal notes. Chili flakes optional but recommended for balance. Quantities altered roughly 30% to shift flavors and servings remain four. Ingredients scaled back or increased for better harmony, no nuts or eggs to respect dietary requirements. Measuring in ml and grams for precision. Tomatoes reduced by about third to cook down faster and leave vibrant sauce.
Method
- Écraser l’ail finement. Chauffer l’huile dans une casserole à feu moyen. Ajouter l’ail, cuire 2 minutes sans dorer.
- Incorporer tomates entières, vin blanc, tomates séchées, piment rouge. Laisser mijoter 15 minutes. Écraser doucement les tomates à la fourchette pour avoir une sauce grumeleuse, pas complètement lisse. Cuire encore 4 minutes.
- Dans une grande poêle, cuire le guanciale à feu moyen-doux 7 minutes. Retirer quand gras rendu et morceaux bien croquants. Égoutter sur papier absorbant. Poivrer légèrement.
- Chauffer grande casserole d’eau salée. Cuire bucatinis 8 minutes, très al dente. Réserver 200 ml d’eau de cuisson, égoutter.
- Verser pâtes dans la sauce tomate. Ajouter eau de cuisson petit à petit. Cuire 6 minutes, mélanger souvent. Épaissir sauce, pâtes s’imprègnent.
- Retirer du feu. Ajouter pecorino, remuer vigoureusement. Incorporer guanciale.
- Garnir de persil frais. Servir immédiatement avec un moulin de poivre.
Cooking tips
Start with sauce simmer — garlic lightly sweated to prevent bitterness, not browned. Tomatoes crushed mid-way, leaving texture, about 20 minutes total simmer, a bit less than standard. White wine deglazing folds acid into sauce early. Pancetta (guanciale here) cooked slowly on medium to low heat for about 7 minutes to render fat without burning; paper towel drains excess, retains crispness but keeps fattiness manageable. Pasta boiled till almost al dente, saving exactly 200 ml water for sauce loosening. Combining pasta with sauce off direct heat first, then cooking 6 minutes in sauce to absorb flavors. Pecorino added last off heat prevents clumping and encourages melting into silky coat. Final toss with guanciale and sprinkle parsley immediately for color and fresh aroma. Poivre added early on pancetta stage and again at service if desired. Adjust timing ±5% to balance texture: too mushy avoided by controlling cooking times. Heat managed carefully to avoid overcooked pasta or burnt pork. Step order reversed somewhat to develop sauce and crisp meat separately before joining with pasta. Method practical for stovetop and helps build layered flavors without long hands-on time.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Garlic crushed fine not chopped rough. Sweat gently in olive oil low heat. Avoid browning burnt bitter notes. You want aroma not color. Add after olive oil warm, stir constantly for 2 mins max. Timing critical. Don’t rush or scorch it.
- 💡 Cook guanciale slow medium-low heat 7 minutes. Render fat gradually keep pieces crisp. Paper towel drain excess fat after. Saving fat adds flavor but overdo makes greasy. Poivre sprinkled early to begin seasoning pork as fat renders.
- 💡 Pasta boiled very al dente exactly 8 mins. Reserve 200 ml pasta water before draining. Water starch binds sauce avoids extra oil. Mix pasta off heat in sauce first then simmer 6 mins low stir often. Thickens sauce, lets noodles soak flavor, texture contrast matter here.
- 💡 Tomatoes simmer 15 mins crushed with fork mid-way for rustic chunks. Not smooth puree. Adding sun-dried tomatoes chopped adds umami and depth. White wine early in sauce lifts acidity, balances pork fat. Shorter simmer keeps brightness intact, avoids heavy sauce.
- 💡 Add pecorino off heat only. Stir vigorously so cheese melts evenly coats pasta. Prevents clumping. Final toss with crispy guanciale last step keeps textures distinct. Garnish fresh parsley chopped raw for fresh contrast on rich, smoky background.
Common questions
Can I substitute pancetta for guanciale?
Yeah but flavor changes — guanciale fattier less salty. Pancetta quicker to crisp less depth. Cook time slight tweak needed. Garlicky, smoky punch less intense. Use pancetta same cook method just watch fat render.
Can dry rigatoni replace bucatini?
Usually yes. Bucatini hollow helps sauce cling inside pasta tube. Rigatoni thick outside holds sauce differently. Cook rigatoni al dente but test bite earlier. Sauce absorption trick less pronounced but still tasty. Adjust simmer to avoid mush.
What if sauce turns too thin?
Add reserved pasta water gradually not all at once. Simmer with pasta longer to thicken clever. If loose after, take off heat add more pecorino stirs in thick coat. Or simmer uncovered briefly to reduce moisture. Avoid extra oil to keep balance.
How to store leftovers?
Cool quickly, fridge 2-3 days max. Reheat low heat with splash pasta water for moisture. Not microwave high power — dries out cheese sauce. Freeze possible but texture changes, omit parsley garnish until fresh serving. Warm gently for best texture.
