Spaghetti with pancetta and pecorino cheese

Among the most famous dishes of the Roman culinary tradition is our subject today: spaghetti with pancetta and pecorino cheese, a recipe that is regarded as the true ancestor of pasta sauce ‘all’amatriciana’. What unites these two recipes from Lazio is the use of pancetta, pepper and ‘pecorino romano’ cheese, while the ingredient that differentiates them is the tomato, not included in the sauce described here. For the preparation of this tasty pasta course you can decide whether to use long pasta like spaghetti (as in this recipe), tonnarelli or bucatini, or to use short pasta like rigatoni. The end result will be delicious with a sauce that is so easy it can be prepared whilst the pasta is cooking. Are you ready to cook with us? Just follow the recipe and you will have a traditional dish from Lazio!

Ingredients

Information
5 minutes Total time
15 minutes Active time
Serves 4 persons
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Preparation

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of lightly salted water. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into strips and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring often. When the pasta is ‘al dente’, drain and keep a little cooking water. Transfer the spaghetti to the pan with the bacon and sauté for a few minutes to blend the flavours. Season with pepper and pecorino cheese and serve immediately.

Tips
Given the intense and specific flavour of spaghetti with pancetta, we recommend pairing this dish with a red wine such as Chianti Classico. The flavours and fragrances will be a real triumph.
Trivia
This seems to be an ancient dish, invented by peasant farmers who had only a few ingredients to hand when preparing their dinner after a long day in the fields.

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