# David's Birthday Amatriciana

A classic, spicy Roman pasta dish made with rendered guanciale, onions, and hand-crushed tomatoes, finished with fresh garlic and cheese.

- Servings: 4 servings
- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Dinner
- Difficulty: easy
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 4 oz guanciale
- olive oil (optional)
- onion, sliced
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- whole peeled tomato, hand-crushed
- chili flake
- rigatoni
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- cheese

## Instructions

1. Boil a pot of salted water for the pasta.
2. Cut the guanciale into half-inch cubes.
3. Add guanciale to a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of olive oil and render slowly until fat is released.
4. Add sliced onions to the skillet with the rendered pork fat and season with salt and pepper.
5. Add chili flakes to the fat in the skillet.
6. Add the hand-crushed tomatoes to the skillet.
7. Simmer the sauce to cook down and take the edge off the tomatoes.
8. Cook the rigatoni until al dente, drain, and reserve some pasta water.
9. Add the pasta to the sauce, pour in some reserved pasta water, and finish cooking together until the sauce reaches desired consistency.
10. Finish with grated garlic, extra pepper, chili flakes, and a shower of cheese.

## Equipment

- pot
- skillet
- knife
- grater

## Tips

- Use pancetta as a substitute for guanciale if needed.
- If using slab bacon as a substitute, choose unsmoked to avoid a smoky flavor.
- If the guanciale browns too quickly before rendering, lower the heat.
- If the sauce gets too thick, use reserved pasta water to loosen it.
- Hand-crushing whole tomatoes provides a better texture than canned crushed tomatoes.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.alisoneroman.com/recipes/pasta-amatriciana/
- Creator: Alison Roman
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/1a333f5e-9ced-4aa6-85b1-7a6e7a52e443
- Extracted: 2026-09-25

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt