Get ready to fall in love with this spicy tomato sauce exploding with the flavors of garlic, basil, hot red pepper flakes, and pancetta. <3

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of spaghetti or other kind of pasta
• 28 ounce can of Italian plum tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 yellow or sweet onion, diced
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• a pinch of hot red pepper flakes
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 pound of pancetta, diced (bacon can be substituted)
• grated parmesan cheese
• basil leaves
• reserved 1/4 cup of pasta water

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, cook the pancetta in the olive oil until the pancetta becomes golden on the edges and renders more fat. Traditionally, this dish is made with pancetta, which gives it a milder flavor. However, some people like the sauce with the rich, smokiness from the bacon.
2. Add a pinch of hot red pepper flakes, the minced garlic, and the onion. Saute for about five minutes to give the onions and garlic a chance to soften and sweeten with the pancetta.
3. Pour the plum tomatoes into the pot with a pinch of salt, breaking the tomatoes apart with the back of the spoon. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 25 minutes to thicken the sauce. Stir on occasion.
4. While the sauce is simmering, cook the spaghetti. Reserve a quarter cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
5. Turn the sauce down to low and incorporate the cooked spaghetti into the sauce. Cook for at least one minute on low, adding some of the reserved water if the sauce is too thick. Note: If you desire more sauce with your spaghetti, you will only need about two-thirds of the pound of spaghetti.
6. Plate the Spaghetti alla Amatriciana with whole basil leaves and grated cheese. Drizzle olive oil over the spaghetti for a last touch. Buon appetito!