1 Shares

Pasta alla Gricia is a classic Roman dish often referred to as the “white amatriciana.” It’s a delicious and simple pasta dish featuring crispy guanciale, pecorino cheese, and black pepper. This dish doesn’t have the tomatoes that amatriciana typically includes, making it a rich, creamy experience with the flavors of Italy’s finest ingredients. It’s an easy-to-make, flavorful pasta dish that’s sure to impress!

Full Recipe:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon black pepper (preferably freshly ground, medium-coarse)
6 oz pecorino romano cheese (semi-aged)
6 oz guanciale (or pancetta)
½ cup white wine
11 oz spaghetti (or tonnarelli)

Directions

Toast the Pepper:
Toast black pepper in a dry pan over low heat for about 1 minute, until it releases a fragrant aroma. Transfer it to another container and set it aside.
Fry the Guanciale:
Cut the guanciale into thick slices and then into ½-inch strips. Fry the guanciale in a dry pan over medium-low heat until the fat becomes translucent. Increase the heat slightly to crisp up the guanciale pieces.
Partially Cook the Pasta:
While the guanciale fries, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for about ¾ of the recommended cooking time for al dente texture.
De-glaze the Pan:
Once the guanciale is fried, add white wine to the pan to de-glaze it, pulling all the flavorful bits from the bottom into the sauce.
Finish Cooking the Pasta:
Add the partially cooked pasta (drained) to the skillet with the guanciale. Add a few ladles of hot pasta water to help finish cooking the pasta and create a silky sauce. Add the black pepper to the pasta as it cooks.
Make the Cheese Sauce:
Gradually drizzle one ladle of hot pasta water into the finely grated pecorino cheese while stirring continuously to make a smooth, creamy paste.
Combine and Serve:
Once the pasta is cooked, remove the pan from heat and mix in the cheese paste using tongs. Serve immediately and enjoy your authentic Pasta alla Gricia!

Nutritional Information (Approximate per serving):

Calories: 700 kcal
Carbohydrates: 80g
Protein: 28g
Fat: 30g
Saturated Fat: 9g
Cholesterol: 50mg
Sodium: 700mg
Potassium: 300mg
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 2g

Pasta alla Gricia is a perfect blend of flavors and textures, offering a comforting dish with simplicity and elegance. Enjoy the taste of Rome with every bite!

The Key Ingredients: Guanciale, Pecorino, and Black Pepper

The beauty of Pasta alla Gricia lies in its minimalism, relying on just a few high-quality ingredients to create a flavorful and satisfying dish. The key ingredients are:

Guanciale: This cured meat made from pork cheek or jowl is the star of the dish. Guanciale is richer and more flavorful than pancetta due to its higher fat content and the unique curing process. When fried, guanciale releases a wonderful, savory fat that forms the base of the sauce, giving the pasta a deep, umami-packed flavor. If guanciale is not available, pancetta can be used as a substitute, though the taste may differ slightly.
Pecorino Romano Cheese: This sharp, semi-aged cheese adds a creamy, tangy depth to the dish. Pecorino Romano is a perfect match for the savory guanciale and black pepper, creating a rich, flavorful sauce that clings to the pasta. Its strong, salty flavor enhances the overall taste without overpowering the other ingredients.
Black Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper is toasted to release its aromatic oils and add a spicy kick to the dish. The pepper balances the richness of the guanciale and cheese, adding an essential level of complexity and heat.

These simple yet powerful ingredients come together to create a dish that’s both rich and comforting while remaining remarkably straightforward.

The Cooking Process: Simple Yet Flavorful

The preparation of Pasta alla Gricia is quite simple, but there are a few key steps that ensure the flavors come together perfectly:

Toasting the Black Pepper: The first step is to toast the black pepper in a dry pan over low heat. This helps to release its essential oils and enhances its aroma, providing a deeper, more aromatic flavor in the dish. Toasting the pepper for just one minute is enough to achieve the perfect flavor profile.
Frying the Guanciale: The guanciale is sliced into thick strips and fried in its own fat over medium-low heat. As it cooks, the fat becomes translucent, and the guanciale crisps up, rendering it crispy and golden brown. This process is essential for extracting all the rich flavors from the meat.
De-glazing the Pan: Once the guanciale is crispy, a splash of white wine is added to de-glaze the pan. The wine helps lift all the flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, incorporating them into the sauce and enhancing the dish’s depth of flavor.
Cooking the Pasta: The pasta is cooked until it’s just shy of al dente, then transferred to the skillet with the guanciale. A few ladles of hot pasta water are added to help finish cooking the pasta and create a silky sauce that coats each strand of pasta. The toasted black pepper is also added at this stage, ensuring it evenly distributes throughout the dish.
Making the Cheese Sauce: The pecorino cheese is finely grated and gradually mixed with hot pasta water to create a creamy cheese paste. This paste is added to the pasta and guanciale mixture, resulting in a smooth, velvety sauce that perfectly clings to the noodles.

Serving and Enjoying Pasta alla Gricia

Once the pasta is well-coated with the creamy cheese sauce and the guanciale is evenly distributed, the dish is ready to serve. The key to Pasta alla Gricia is serving it immediately while the pasta is hot, and the sauce is rich and creamy. This dish is traditionally garnished with additional black pepper and sometimes a sprinkle of extra pecorino for added richness.

Pasta alla Gricia is perfect on its own, but it can be paired with a simple salad or some crusty bread to make the meal even more satisfying. A light green salad with a tangy vinaigrette will provide a refreshing contrast to the richness of the pasta, while the bread is perfect for soaking up any leftover sauce.

Customizing the Dish

While Pasta alla Gricia is traditionally made with just the three main ingredients—guanciale, pecorino, and black pepper—there are ways to customize the dish if desired. You can add a touch of garlic or onions to the guanciale as it cooks, though it’s not common in the classic recipe. For a slight variation, some people add a small amount of white wine or even a squeeze of lemon juice for extra brightness. However, the traditional preparation focuses on the simplicity of the ingredients, and this is what makes the dish so beloved in Roman cuisine.

If you prefer a lighter version, you can use a reduced-fat pecorino or swap the guanciale for pancetta. However, to truly capture the authentic taste of Pasta alla Gricia, it’s best to stick to the traditional ingredients.

Conclusion: A Timeless Roman Classic

In conclusion, Pasta alla Gricia is the epitome of Italian simplicity and flavor. By relying on just a few key ingredients—guanciale, pecorino, and black pepper—it creates a rich, satisfying dish that captures the essence of Roman cuisine. It’s a comforting meal that’s easy to prepare yet full of bold, savory flavors, making it perfect for weeknight dinners, special occasions, or any time you’re craving a taste of Italy.

With its irresistible creamy sauce, crispy guanciale, and aromatic black pepper, Pasta alla Gricia offers a true taste of Rome that will leave you wanting more. Whether you’re making it for yourself or sharing it with friends and family, this dish is sure to impress and transport you straight to the heart of Italy.

Pin1