Pasta all'Amatriciana is a delicious and easy-to-make dish of spicy bacon and tomato sauce served over pasta. Bucatini is the best pasta to use - read on to find out why.
*Post updated September 2025
Traditionally, this sauce is made with guanciale, cured pork cheek with a strong, porky flavour. But you can use pancetta or smoked bacon, as I did, as that was all I had at the time.
I know, I know, bell pepper isn’t a traditional ingredient in amatriciana sauce, but I think it brings a pop of colour and a hint of sweetness to the dish. 😋
Bucatini Pasta is the way to go!
Bucatini pasta is available at most good supermarkets. It features a hole running through the centre, perfect for soaking up delicious sauces, and is especially popular in Rome.
For this recipe, you can of course use whichever pasta you prefer. You can also use bucatini in the Greek dish Pastitsio.
Ingredients for amatriciana sauce
- olive oil
- pancetta or smoked bacon
- red pepper flakes
- onion
- red bell pepper
- garlic
- red wine
- good quality tinned tomatoes - I use Cirio
- dried oregano
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- balsamic vinegar
- freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan to serve
Recipe Top Tips!
I use Maldon sea salt flakes because they truly are the best - if they’re good enough for Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, they’re definitely good enough for me!😉
A quick word on tomatoes and balsamic vinegar:
I know I go on about tinned tomatoes, but it really is worth buying good-quality ones.
I used to use Napolina, but then I discovered Mutti tinned tomatoes, and I find them so much better. They're incredibly thick and flavorful, with hardly any juice.
Any tomato-based sauces you make will only be as good as the tinned tomatoes you use, and I find cheap brands are watery and, in a word, horrid.
Balsamic vinegar is definitely an ingredient worth splurging on if possible. Some varieties can be thin and nearly flavourless, but a rich, thick balsamic is what you should aim for.Food & Wine magazine says balsamic is the king of all vinegars, and that the older a bottle is, the more expensive it is.
The quality of balsamic matters; its sweet and syrupy flavour is almost impossible to reproduce any other way.
How to make it
Warm the oil in a large frying pan, cook the bacon until done, then use a slotted spoon to remove it and set it aside.
Without washing the pan, add the onion and bell pepper. Cook over low-medium heat until they are nice and soft but not coloured.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water according to the packet instructions.
Now add the wine and cook for a few minutes to reduce.
Add the tomatoes, including the juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano and heat until bubbling.
Add the bacon back in, and cook over medium heat, adding a splash of the pasta water (this will help thicken the sauce) and cook for about another 15 minutes or so.
Add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the sauce, stir and have a taste - season with salt and black pepper.
Season to taste, serve the cooked pasta, and finish with a generous sprinkle of Pecorino or Parmesan.
Oh, and I added the obligatory food bloggers' chopped flat-leaf parsley!
A nice side of homemade garlic bread would go well with this. 😋
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Bucatini Pasta Amatriciana Recipe
Traditionally, amatriciana sauce doesn't include bell peppers, but I think they add a nice sweetness to the dish.
Ingredients
- 400g bucatini pasta (or spaghetti)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 200g pancetta or smoked streaky bacon - cut into strips
- 1 large onion - chopped into small dice
- 1 red bell pepper (capsicum) - deseeded and chopped into small pieces
- 60ml of red wine
- 1 x 400g can of good quality tomatoes, including the juice - I use the brand Mutti
- 2 nice fat garlic cloves - minced
- a good pinch of dried red pepper flakes - or more to your taste
- a pinch of dried oregano
- a splash of good-quality balsamic vinegar - or a pinch of sugar
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
- freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan to serve, and some chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the bacon until it is cooked, then remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
- Without washing the pan, add the onion and bell pepper. Cook over low to medium heat until they are nice and soft but not coloured.
- While that's happening, cook the pasta in salted water as per the packet instructions.
- Add the wine to the onion and peppers and cook for a few minutes to reduce.
- Add the tomatoes, including the juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano and heat until bubbling. Add the bacon back in, and cook over medium heat, adding a splash of the pasta water (this will help thicken the sauce). Cook for about another 15 minutes or so.
- Add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the sauce, stir and have a taste - season with salt and black pepper.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve with the cooked pasta. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and grated pecorino or parmesan.
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