You can never have too many pasta recipes. Do you feel me?
Rigatoni All’Amatriciana was a hit in my house. Pancetta sizzles up in a pan, followed by onions, red pepper and garlic. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes and dinner is basically done.
Sometimes a big bowl of pasta is just right. In my opinion, that’s all the time!
Traditionally, amatriciana sauce is served with bucatini – thick spaghetti with a hole in the middle. But my little man requested rigatoni – one of his fave pasta shapes – and the sauce worked really well with it.
I finished my dish with grated cheese, which is traditional for amatriciana. But, I also added a handful of fresh chopped parsley for some brightness. This add is non-traditional, but I thought it was a fab touch.
You could totally double this recipe and freeze a batch for use at a later time.
If you are unfamiliar with pancetta, it is an Italian bacon.
It is less fatty than American bacon. I always keep some sliced on hand in my freezer and just pull it out when I need to use some and pop the remaining slices back in the freezer for use later on.
Rigatoni All’Amatriciana
Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes40
minutesIngredients
3/4 pound rigatoni
4 slices of pancetta, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp. grated parmigiano cheese, plus more to serve
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, I like Cento
Directions
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook rigatoni as per the instructions on the box.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Brown pancetta, about 5 to 8 minutes. Pancetta should be crispy and fragrant.
- Add onion and cook for five minutes longer. Onion should be soft and glistening in the oil.
- Add red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook for another minute or two.
- Add crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Partially cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes over low heat. You want a calm bubble. Stir occasionally.
- Add three tablespoons of parmigiano cheese. Stir.
- In a serving bowl, add two ladles of sauce. Using a spider strainer, add the pasta directly from the cooking water into the serving bowl. Ladle in about two to three more cups of sauce. Ladle in a cup or so of pasta cooking water. Toss to coat the pasta.
- Top with fresh parsley and serve with extra sauce and grated cheese.
