I love a good pasta sauce. Not that I have pasta a lot, but when I DO have it (usually with a whole grain noodle), I want something substantial on it. Now, this dish has a few variations on it, as it’s a traditional staple in Italy, but most use guanciale (pig cheeks-Oy!) or pancetta. These have over 25 grams of fat per serving. Are you kidding me?! Who needs that?! I use prosciutto. This is high in sodium, I know, but all cured meat is. It’s only 4 grams of fat per serving and is sliced thin, so a little goes a long way.
Rona’s all’ Amatriciana Sauce for Pasta
Serves 4-6, depending on how hungry you are.
Ingredients:
1/4 lb prociutto
1 lb whole wheat linguini or other noodle
6 cloves of garlic, chopped small
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
28 oz can of low sodium diced tomatoes
1 lb ripe roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup red wine
Olive oil spray
1/4 cup fresh basil, slivered
Boil salted water in a large pot.
Meanwhile, spray a large saute pan well with the olive oil. Heat over a med-high flame. Add prosciutto and cook about 60-90 seconds on each side. Take it off just before it gets crisp and drain on paper towels.
Add pasta to the water and cook until al dente.
After the last piece of prosciutto has been taken out of the pan, add the garlic and let cook for 1 minute. Add all tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Stir and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Add wine and reduce heat so it simmers for about 5 minutes. Add prosciutto and basil. Stir and cook one more minute.
After pasta is done and strained, put it in a large bowl. Pour sauce over the top and serve with cheese on the side.
I really love this dish. It’s perfect for a Sunday night when you don’t want to take forever in the kitchen. Double the recipe, add a side salad and you can make this for Sunday night football with friends!
Enjoy!
Talk to you soon,
Rona
