We are vegetarians ~ will omitting the pancetta change the taste of this pasta recipe. Also unable to find bucatini pasta at my local markets...an...

Although Bucatini is similar to spaghetti (it is a long, round pasta) it is quite different. There's a hole down the center of each strand of pasta, and bucatini is thicker and chewier. I would make it with spaghetti, but keep looking for that bucatini. :)

Omitting the pancetta will change the flavor of the sauce. The sauce will no longer be Amatriciana sauce which is a pork-based sauce where the cured pork provides a distinctive richness and flavor to the sauce. Without the pancetta, it will be a plain tomato sauce.

If you can't find bucatini, just use a thick spaghetti. You might want to try looking for bucatini at Italian deli/grocery stores or retail food stores like William Sonoma or Sur La Table.

Yes, it will change the flavor, but it will still be good! Bucatini can sometimes be difficult to find -- you can use linguine, spaghetti, or really any other kind of pasta.