Go Back
–+ servings
Pasta alla gricia closeup.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Authentic Pasta alla Gricia Recipe

My authentic pasta alla gricia is a classic Roman pasta with guanciale, Pecorino Romano and black pepper. I make it creamy, simple and ready in 20 minutes.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: Italian, roman
Keyword: pasta, roman recipe
Servings: 4
Calories: 489kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 9 oz. guanciale
  • 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb. dried rigatoni pasta
  • 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano 2½ oz. divided
  • Fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. Prep the guanciale: Place the guanciale on a cutting board and with a sharp knife, carefully slice off and discard the seasoned crust of the guanciale. Slice into ¼-inch-thick slices. Cut the slices into chunks about ½ x 1-inch pieces.
  2. Cook the guanciale: Heat a large saute' pan to medium-low. Add in the guanciale and cook it. If your pan is not nonstick, add in some olive-oil. Stir it as it starts to cook up. Cook until it is crispy and a dark golden color (about 10-15 minutes). If you like the guanciale darker and crispier, cook it a few minutes more.
  3. Reserve the guanciale fat: Once the guanciale has cooked up, use a slotted spoon to remove the guanciale and add it to a small bowl. Reserve the guanciale fat in the pan.
  4. Boil pasta water: Meanwhile, fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, salt the pasta water with a tablespoon of sea salt (less salt is needed than typically used for pasta as the guanciale and cheese are salty).
  5. Cook the pasta: As soon as the water boils again after adding in the salt, add in the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's just about al dente (check the time on your pasta box, as you'll be cooking it about a bit more than half of the boxes' recommended cooking time). Set a timer to remind yourself to check it. It will be a little chewy, as it will be a couple minutes before the al dente time, but it will finish cooking with the sauce.
  6. Heat the black pepper: When the pasta is few minutes before al dente, turn the sauté pan heat with the gaunciale fat to low heat. Add in the freshly ground black pepper. Give the pepper a swirl in the pan and as soon as it foams a little, it's ready.
  7. Add pasta water: Carefully scoop out 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water and add it immediately to the pan and set aside another ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
  8. Raise heat: Turn up the sauté pan heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Use a wooden spoon to stir the water with the fat and let it reduce a little.
  9. Drain the pasta: When the pasta is before al dente, drain the pasta in a colander and add immediately to the sauté pan.
  10. Finish cooking the pasta: Keep on cooking the pasta in the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon, and swirling it in the sauce. The sauce will emulsify and become glossy, and the pasta should finish cooking to a perfect al dente. Toss in the cooked up guanciale pieces and stir to combine.
  11. Remove pan from the heat: Stir in ¼ cup of the Pecorino and stir to combine until it is melted. Stir in another ¼ cup of the Pecorino and keep stirring, until it is melted and has a glossy consistency. If you add the cheese all at once, it may not melt correctly and break the silky emulsion, which will be clumpy. If the sauce is too thick, add in a little bit of the ½ cup of reserved starchy pasta water and stir to loosen it a little.
  12. Check the seasoning: Taste the pasta. The cheese and guanciale is salty, but if needed, add in a bit of sea salt, and stir to combine.
  13. Plate up pasta: Serve the pasta immediately. Optional: Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese and add on some more black pepper. Enjoy!

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Notes

  • Guanciale: If you cannot find guanciale, look for pancetta. Bacon will work, but it's not the same. In a pinch, you could substitute with those ideas.
  • Cheese: If Pecorino Romano is not available, go ahead and substitute with Parmigiano Reggiano. Be sure you buy authentic pecorino or Parmigiano.
  • Salt: I like to cook the pasta with some salt. But keep in mind, this is going to be a salty sauce from the guanciale and the cheese. Taste the pasta as it's cooking, and add some salt to the sauce, if you feel it needs it.
  • Pasta water: We use less water to cook the pasta. Using less water makes it more concentrated in starch from the pasta, which helps to loosen create the gricia sauce.
  • Keep some pasta water:  Be sure to follow the recipe and reserve some of that pasta water. The starchy water the pasta cooks in is key to emulsifying this sauce. It's key to making it creamy and helps the cheese to melt.
  • Take care: When you add pasta water to the guanciale fat, it may splatter, so be careful and be aware of that.
  • Stir often: Keep on stirring the sauce. Make sure it's in constant movement. When you add the cheese, the pan needs to be off the burner. Too much heat and not enough fast movement will make the cheese clump.

Nutrition

Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 547mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringpasta or tag #savoringpasta!