Italian Tagliatelle Amatriciana Pasta – With Passata

A delicious tomato-based pasta dish from Rome. My own unique version of Tagliatelle Amatriciana is easy to make, a perfect family dinner idea that’s packed with flavour. What’s more, the sauce can be made ahead and frozen too!

Equipment Needed:

• Sharp Knife and Chopping Board: For slicing the onion, crushing the garlic and chopping the guanciale.
• Large Frying Pan or Skillet: Choose one that will not only fit the sauce ingredients into but one in which you can add the cooked pasta to as well. This way, you can serve your Amatriciana in the pan and save on washing up.
• Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula: For stirring the sauce as it cooks.
• Slotted Spoon: This makes removing the guanciale from the pan much easier but isn’t essential.
• Grater: With a fine grater side for preparing the cheeses.
• Measuring Equipment: Digital scales, measuring spoons and measuring jugs always come in handy and give you the best result when you measure the ingredients accurately.
• Large Saucepan: For cooking the pasta. Choose one that will fit 500g of pasta comfortably.
• Colander: To Drain the Pasta.

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil: Used for cooking the guanciale or pancetta and sautéing the onions and garlic.
• Guanciale: If you’ve never heard of this ingredient, you’re not alone. Guanciale is popular in Italy (especially in Rome) for use in regional pasta dishes like traditional amatriciana and carbonara. It’s a cured meat derived from pork jowl (pork cheek).
• Red Onion: Add some mild sweetness and flavour to the sauce.
• Garlic: We peel and crush the garlic cloves but add them whole into the sauce. You can remove them before adding the pasta to the sauce. However, I quite like finding a whole garlic clove in my sauce and eating it. Obviously, that’s not for everyone, so you can choose to remove it before serving if you wish.
• Dry White Wine: Using white wine deglazes the pan, adds flavour to the sauce. You can just use a cheap wine for this. And, don’t worry about serving the sauce to the whole family. The method of cooking the wine will burn off the alcohol present.
• Canned Finely Chopped Tomatoes: I prefer a smoother sauce, so usually choose to use finely chopped tomatoes in this tomato pasta.
• Passata: Adding in some passata enhances the smooth texture of the sauce and adds in even more tomato flavours. Choose a plain passata without any added flavourings.
• Chilli Flakes: Adding in some chilli flakes will give the sauce a mild spicy kick. Of course, you can omit it if you prefer or alter the amount you use to make it stronger or milder to suit your tastes.
• White Sugar: This may seem like a strange ingredient to add, but believe me, it’s worth it. I always add in a little sugar to any tomato-based sauce. The sweetness will balance out the acidity in the tomatoes and make it more palatable for everyone at the dinner table.
• Pecorino Romano Cheese: A popular cheese from the Lazio region of Italy. Traditionally, in the authentic Amatriciana recipe, you will only use this type of cheese, But, it’s quite strong, so I choose to combine it with parmesan in a 50/50 ratio.
• Parmesan Cheese: I will usually choose to use Parmigiano Reggiano for the exceptional flavour, but feel feel to use a different parmesan cheese if you wish.
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Used as a seasoning (and to salt the water of the pasta). I don’t add in too much extra salt in the sauce (and sometimes I omit it entirely) as the guanciale and cheeses are already salty enough.
• Tagliatelle Pasta: This is a particular shape of pasta that looks like long flat ribbons. It’s usually best to cook it according to the package instructions to al-dente. This way you won’t end up with soggy overcooked pasta once it’s added to the sauce.

Substitutions and Additions:

Wondering if you can substitute or add an ingredient? Here, I will tell you if that’s possible.

Substitutions:

• Guanciale: If you cannot find guanciale in the supermarket or grocery store, you can replace it with pancetta. You can choose smoked or unsmoked, but be aware that smoked pancetta will have a stronger flavour.
• Red Onion: You can use a shallot in it’s place.
• Finely Chopped Tomatoes: A can of chopped tomatoes can be used instead. The sauce will have a chunkier texture however.
• Passata: You can blend up a can of tomatoes and strain them through a sieve as a substitute.
• Chilli Flakes: Substitute flakes with fresh or dried chili peppers (seeds removed for a milder spice), red pepper flakes or some chilli powder to suit your tastes.
• Pecorino Romano Cheese: You can omit the pecorino and substitute it completely with extra parmesan cheese.
• Tagliatelle: You can use a different shape of pasta, such as fusilli, penne, rigatoni or bucatini pasta.

Step-By-Step Guide – How To Make Tagliatelle Amatriciana Pasta

• Don’t Rush, Simmer: Allow the sauce to simmer gently for at least 20-25 minutes. This gives the sauce time to build a depth of flavour so don’t turn up the heat and rush it.
• Save Pasta Water: Before draining the cooked pasta, reserve a cup of pasta water. If needed, you can add a splash of pasta water to the sauce to adjust consistency and help the sauce adhere better to the pasta.
• Serve Immediately: Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce immediately before serving. This ensures the pasta is hot and well-coated with the sauce.

Storage

For best results, the sauce should be stored once cooked, but before you add in the cheese and pasta.

• Storage: Once the sauce is cooked but before adding pasta and cheese, allow it to cool completely. Transfer the cooled sauce to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

• Freezing: You can freeze the sauce in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Freezing the sauce without pasta and cheese works well because it retains its flavours and texture better.

• Defrosting: Defrost frozen sauce overnight in the fridge or defrost more quickly by placing the container in a bowl of cold water. Once thawed, reheat as directed.

• Reheating: To reheat, heat gently in a large saucepan or frying pan over medium-low heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water or passata if needed to adjust the consistency.