Description
One of the 4 quintessential ‘primi’ from the Lazio region in Italy, this pasta is beautiful in its simplicity with soft guanciale and tangy Pecorino cheese. No onion, no garlic, no oil – this flavorful dish gets its character from slowly sauteeing the guanciale and then creating a creamy sauce with the pasta water and a bit of Pecorino Romano before tossing with thick spaghetti. With only 4 ingredients, this is also a quick meal when you’re in a rush.
Ingredients
- 1 pound thick spaghetti
- 8 ounces guanciale (smoked pork jowl), thinly sliced
- black pepper to taste
- 3 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water
- stirring occasionally.
- While pasta cooks
- immediately heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add guanciale and cook until tender
- about 5 minutes. Add 1 ladle of pasta cooking water
- stir
- and cover pan. As pasta cooks
- add another ladle of cooking water to the pan with the guanciale to create a sauce.
- At about 10 minutes of pasta cooking time
- reserve a cup of cooking water and drain pasta. Add spaghetti to the pan with the guanciale; toss
- adding reserved cooking water if necessary. Turn off heat. Add 1/3 the Pecorino Romano cheese to the pasta and toss until creamy.
- Divide pasta between 4 plates. Top each with remaining Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Servings: 4