Pasta Alla Gricia

If Cacio e Pepe and Carbonara had a baby without the egg, you’d get Pasta Alla Gricia. It’s a traditional roman pasta and apparently is the oldest pasta recipe in Rome. Whilst Pasta Alla Gricia consists of only 4 ingredients, it’s the perfect balance of salty, peppery, funky and creamy. Traditionally cooked with rigatoni or a long pasta like bucatini or spaghetti, however it will work with anything you’ve got at home for the perfect pantry pasta recipe.

Serves- 2
Ingredients- 4
Cooking Time- 10 minutes
Skill Level- Easy

Ingredients

• 150g of pancetta (pork belly), guinciale (pork cheek) or bacon
• 200g of rigatoni, spaghetti or bucatini
• 100g of pecorino romano, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon of freshly cracked black pepper

 Watch the process

@__jessicanguyen Let's make Pasta Alla Gricia 🍝 #foodies #pasta #foodtok ♬ original sound - Jessica Nguyen - JESSICA NGUYEN-HOME COOK

1. Dice 150g of pancetta into small cubes and place into a cold pan, turning your heat on medium-low. Add a dash of water and allow the pancetta to render its fat in the pan for about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water, generously salting and begin cooking your pasta till al dente (approx 6 minutes).
3. Once the pancetta is golden brown, add in your cracked pepper to the pan and allow to infuse for about 1 minute.
4. Pour in ½-1 cup of your starchy pasta water and allow it to emulsify with the pancetta fat to create a brownish sauce for another minute.
5. Add in 200g of pasta and allow it to soak in the sauce for 1 minute gently stirring.
6. Then sprinkle in half (50g) of your cheese, turn off the heat and stir gently until the cheese has dissolved into the pasta sauce. Sprinkle in more cheese as you desire.
7. Transfer to a platter or plate and finish off with the remaining cheese on top to garnish. Serve hot!