Recipe #21: Bucatini All’Amatriciana

In the quest to eat less meat, pasta dishes are a great option. They are really easy to dress up with loads of vegetables and different sauces (and cheese), quick too cook up, and are very satisfying as a meal.  And if you’ve met me, you’ll know that I do enjoy my pasta. Sadly, not every occasion can be one for homemade pasta (although I have been thinking I need to make some again soon), but store-bought pasta works equally well, especially when you’re making your own sauce to go on top.

Ok, so this dish isn’t necessarily a meat-free dish, but it is one in a long line of pasta dishes that we have enjoyed lately. I’ve got plenty of recipes around the house, but Matt came across this one online and suggested we make it one Friday night. So, to cap off a busy week, we uncorked a bottle of red wine, settled in at the kitchen table, and enjoyed our Bucatini All’Amatriciana while we chatted about our day.

I couldn’t find guanciale to make this dish a true Amatriciana, but the pancetta works just fine as a substitution, and if you’re really stuck, the bacon would be great, too (bacon makes everything better). The simple sauce is made with just 5 ingredients, not including the salt and pepper, and the crushed red pepper flakes give it a really nice kick of heat. For a quick meal, this is a great recipe to keep on file.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces thinly sliced guanciale, pancetta, or chopped unsmoked bacon

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes with juices, crushed by hand

Kosher salt

12 ounces dried bucatini or spaghetti

1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino (about 1 ounce)

DIRECTIONS

HEAT oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add guanciale and sauté until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes. Add pepper flakes and black pepper; stir for 10 seconds. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 15-20 minutes.

MEANWHILE, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 2 minutes before al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

ADD drained pasta to sauce in skillet and toss vigorously with tongs to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and cook until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. (Add a little pasta water if sauce is too dry.) Stir in cheese and transfer pasta to warmed bowls