By Carla Vigos

Special to the Globe

Being 100% Italian, I thought it was about time that I did a pasta dish. Growing up we had pasta twice a week, on Sunday and Thursday.

On Sunday, my mother would make a huge pot of sauce. My father was a butcher, and she would add a variety of meats. Meatballs always, and then it would be sausage or pork chops, braciole, and sometimes chicken. It would simmer all day. We would get a slice of bread and cover it with sauce and some pepper to tide us till dinner.

For this column, I try to submit recipes that are on the easier side yet still delicious and flavorful. One of my favorite pastas that is quick and easy is pasta amatriciana. Twenty-five minutes of cooking time and a few ingredients and you have a delicious homemade sauce.

You can use any pasta, but traditionally I use bucatini, a thick hollow spaghetti. Add a salad and some bread and you have a meal that serves four. For questions or comments, email [email protected].

Pasta amatriciana

INGREDIENTS

1/4 pound of pancetta diced small (bacon can substitute)

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, chopped fine

28 ounces Italian tomatoes, cut up ( I use San Marzano or good-quality whole tomatoes like Hunts.)

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3/4 teaspoon of salt

3/4 teaspoon of sugar

6 tablespoons grated cheese, Romano or Parmesan or a combo of both

12 ounces pasta

PROCEDURE

1. Saute the pancetta on medium till rendered and cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon.

2. Measure and save 2 tablespoons of fat and add to pan 1 tablespoon of butter. Add onions and cook on medium till a pale gold color. Add tomatoes, pancetta, crushed red pepper, salt and sugar and cook uncovered on a low simmer for 25 minutes. Taste and correct for salt and crushed pepper.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente in heavily salted water to coincide with the sauce being done. Tips: Always, always save some pasta water before you drain it. Never rinse your pasta. Do not put olive oil in the water when you cook it.

4. After you have drained the pasta and the sauce is done, marry the pasta with the sauce by adding the pasta to the sauce and cooking them together for a minute while stirring. Turn off the heat, add the cheese and stir. If too dry to your liking, add pasta water a little at a time. Again, taste to adjust seasonings.

5. Serve in bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, more cheese and optional crushed red pepper.