The Ultimate Pancetta Guide: 16+ Recipes & Tips

If you’ve got a packet of pancetta sitting in your fridge and you’re wondering what to do with it, you’re in the right place! Below you’ll find 16+ of my favourite pancetta recipes, plus everything you need to know about how to cook with pancetta, what it is and how it compares to bacon or prosciutto.

Whether you’re tossing it through pasta, crisping it over roasted vegetables or folding it into creamy risottos, pancetta adds instant flavour and richness to any meal! It’s one of those small-but-mighty ingredients that can transform even the simplest dinner.

What is Pancetta?

Pancetta is an Italian cured pork belly meat, similar to bacon but with a few important differences. It’s made by seasoning the pork belly with salt, herbs and spices, then rolling it tightly and dry-curing it for several weeks.

• Unsmoked pancetta (the traditional Italian version) has a wonderful savoury flavour and melts beautifully into sauces.
• Smoked pancetta (easier to find in UK supermarkets) adds a deeper, more complex flavour – a little like smoky bacon, but with an Italian accent.

I tend to cook mostly with smoked pancetta because it gives such incredible depth to pastas, soups and sauces, but both types work perfectly.

Types of Pancetta

There are actually a few different types of pancetta, and knowing which one you’ve got makes a big difference to how you use it.

In Italy, you’ll often find pancetta arrotolata – the rolled version. It looks a bit like a cured meat log, with layers of fat and meat spiralled together. This is the one usually sliced thinly and served cold in antipasti or sandwiches.

Then there’s pancetta stesa, which is flat. This one is the type you’ll most often find diced into little cubes or lardons, ready to cook. It’s perfect for frying and letting that gorgeous, savoury fat render out into your pan.

For cooking, you’d mostly want to use pancetta stesa, though pancetta arrotolata is INCREDIBLE wrapped around chicken breasts – it goes crispy and delightful. For the majority of my recipes below I use pancetta stesa, and if in doubt that’s what you should get.

How to Cook Pancetta

Because pancetta is fairly fatty, I often use it instead of cooking oil or butter. The fat renders out as it cooks, leaving you with golden, crispy cubes or ribbons and a pan full of rich, salty flavour.

Here’s how to cook it perfectly:

1. Start cold: Put the pancetta in a cold pan (no oil needed).
2. Cook slowly: Heat gently over medium heat so the fat renders out and the pancetta crisps up evenly.
3. Save the fat: Don’t waste it! Use that pancetta oil to cook onions, garlic, or vegetables for extra depth of flavour.

How Italians Use Pancetta

Because pancetta is such a staple in Italian kitchens, it’s woven through so many classic recipes. It’s often the starting point of a dish – just a handful of cubes gently fried to release that fragrant fat before anything else goes into the pan.

A few famous examples:

• Pasta alla Gricia – the Roman classic, with just pancetta (or guanciale), Pecorino Romano, and black pepper.
• Amatriciana – a tomato-based version of Gricia, made richer and deeper thanks to pancetta’s salty kick.
• Carbonara – creamy, silky, and indulgent, made properly with eggs and cheese (no cream required!).
• Minestrone – a tiny bit of pancetta in the base gives that signature savoury depth.

In Northern Italy, you’ll sometimes find it cooked into stews or bean dishes; in the South, it’s used alongside seafood or vegetables.

Why Pancetta Works so Well

Because pancetta is Italian, it naturally pairs beautifully with other Mediterranean ingredients – think tomatoes, garlic, Parmesan, herbs and olive oil. It’s also the perfect shortcut to umami. You can toss a handful into a dish and it suddenly tastes like it’s been simmering for hours.

Where to Buy Pancetta

These days, pancetta is easy to find in most supermarkets — look near the bacon or cured meats section. It often comes pre-diced or in thin slices.

If you can’t find it locally, it’s widely available online from Italian suppliers. Because pancetta is cured, it travels and stores very well, so it’s a great ingredient to keep on hand.

Pancetta vs Bacon vs Prosciutto

One of the most common questions I get is: “Can I use bacon instead of pancetta?” The short answer: yes, with caveats.

If a recipe calls for pancetta and you only have bacon, use it, just skip any added salt and watch the cook time.

Substitutes, Storage & Tips

If you can’t find pancetta, don’t panic – there are a few good substitutes.

• Bacon: The closest swap, especially if you choose unsmoked streaky bacon. Just go easy on the salt, and render it slowly for the same effect.
• Guanciale: Another Italian cured meat, made from pork jowl. It’s slightly richer and more intense, and the true ingredient for carbonara and amatriciana.
• Prosciutto: Works in a pinch for lighter dishes, but it won’t give you the same crispiness or rendered fat.
• Vegetarian option: Try chopped sun-dried tomatoes or smoked tofu to mimic that savoury, smoky depth.

Storage-wise, unopened pancetta keeps for weeks in the fridge. Once opened, wrap it tightly and use within 3–5 days, or freeze it in small portions. Because it’s cured, it freezes brilliantly and can go straight into the pan from frozen.

My Best Pancetta Recipes

Here are my best pancetta recipes. They all work beautifully with salty pancetta, and all are simple to make with just a handful of ingredients.