Amatriciana is a classic pasta that is simple but pure comfort. Crispy smoked bacon, sauteed onion and garlic all in a smooth tomato sauce with silky pasta. Add chilli flakes and parmesan to make this the perfect 30-minute pasta.

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Why You'll Love This Amatriciana
Ingredients needed
Step By Step Instructions
Amatriciana FAQS
Recipe

This simple spicy tomato pasta sauce is made by frying bacon and sauteeing the onion and garlic in the bacon fat. But don't worry too much about the fat and calories. The batch is big enough that it really doesn't make too much difference to the overall nutrition count.

Often, this recipe is made with guanciale which is pork cheek, but in the modern Aldi dinner world, we're just using simple smoked bacon. Or, feel free to use unsmoked if you prefer.

Crushed tinned tomatoes are the other common ingredient, but when I shopped for this recipe, my local Aldi only had passata and was sold out of crushed tomato tins.

If you need some more pasta inspiration you can try creamy chicken and bacon pasta, roasted tomato pasta, or these ideas... 10 easy pasta recipes, 10 healthy one-pot recipes.

Why You'll Love This Amatriciana

It's quick and easy.
Uses mainly pantry ingredients.
Is very cheap to make.
Simple enough that even your pickiest eaters will love this.

Ingredients needed

tomato passata
tomato pure
onion
garlic
smoked bacon lardons
parmesan or grana padano
chopped parsely
crushed chilli flakes

Step By Step Instructions

Boil the pasta according to the package instructions and set aside being sure to reserve some of the pasta water.

Step 1 & 2

Heat the olive or vegetable oil in a skillet or large saucepan. Once the oil is hot and shimmers, add in the smoked bacon lardons.

Cook the lardons over medium heat until they're very golden brown and crispy. Don't rush this step and don't be tempted to turn up to heat. We want to render out the bacon fat nice and slow and not burn the bacon.

Step 3 & 4

Once the bacon is very golden and crispy add in the minced garlic and chopped onion. Saute them until they're soft, fragrant and translucent.

*It will look like the onions have started to colour because the golden bits from the bottom of the pan will start to stick to the onions and garlic.

Add in the tomato pure and the passata or crushed tomatoes if you're using them. Bring everything in the pan to a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes and taste to adjust the seasoning.

Step 5 & 6

Toss the cooked and drained pasta with the sauce and mix in the chilli flakes. Top with chopped parsley and fresh black pepper.

If you would like your pasta sauce a little more silky and saucy, add in some of the pasta water that was set aside for this very purpose.

Adjust your seasoning one last time and taste for chilli flake heat, adding more if you need to. Or just serve some flakes on the side so everyone can adjust their own.

Amatriciana FAQS

Can I store this pasta in the fridge?

Absolutely! This pasta keeps really well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Can I use any kind of tinned tomatoes?

Yes. Of course, you can. It's traditional to use tinned crushed tomatoes, however, when I was doing my shop for this recipe all my local Aldi had was passata and this recipe was just as good as if it was chopped. Also, feel free to use a tin of whole plum tomatoes and just give them a quick chop in the pan while you bring everything to a simmer.

Can I freeze this recipe?

Honestly, I don't recommend it. The noodles are so thin and just won't stand up to being defrosted and reheated without going mushy. But it takes less than 30 minutes to make this, so no real need to make it ahead of time.

So, while this version of Amatriciana may not be the most authentic out there, it's a solid bacon tomato pasta for any night of the week.

If you make this recipe leave a rating or a comment below and let me know if it's a new favourite! As always, thanks for following along, cooking the recipes and tagging me in your photos!

Recipe

Pasta Amatriciana

Author: Deborah Thompson
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Amatriciana! Spicy, bright and full of salty bacon, sweet onions and garlic and topped with lots of fresh parsley and cheese! Perfect pasta dinner using Aldi ingredients!

Ingredients

Scale

2 tablespoons olive oil
200g smoked bacon lardons
1 yellow onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
500g carton passata, or 400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g spaghetti cooked according to package instructions

For serving

Grana Padano or parmesan
chopped parsley

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain, reserving about 250ml of the pasta water.
In a heavy based sauce pan or high sided skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the smoked bacon lardons and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until the fat starts to render out and the lardons are turning golden.
Add in the onion and garlic and about a teaspoon of salt. continue to cook until they’re both softened and fragrant. This should take about 5 minutes. Mix the tomato pure into the onions and garlic and let cook for about 2 minutes. Pour the passata or chopped tomatoes into the pan and bring to a simmer. Check for seasoning. If the sauce needs thinning out, pour in a spoonful or two of the reserved pasta water. Add it sparingly so as not to make the sauce too thin.
Toss the cooked spaghetti into the sauce to coat all the pasta. Divide between bowls and top with the grated Grana Padano and chopped parsley. Feel free to also top with lots of fresh ground black pepper.

Category: pasta
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: Amatriciana, spicy pasta sauce, bacon tomato pasta, spaghetti dinner, Aldi recipe, 30 minutes