Pasta alla Zozzona | Rome’s “Dirty” & Delicious Pasta Recipe
“Pasta alla Zozzona” roughly translates to “Dirty Pasta,” a provocative name which you’ll understand when you taste it! It shares the guanciale and cheesy egg sauce of a classic carbonara, but with the addition of onion, tomato, and crumbled sausage. It's kind of like a combination between carbonara and amatriciana, plus sausage and onion. What’s not to love?
Watch the Pasta Grammar video where we make Pasta alla Zozzona here:
PASTA ALLA ZOZZONA RECIPE
Makes: 2 servings
Cook Time: 30-45 minutes
For this recipe, you will need:
2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 white onion, diced
2 oz. (55g) guanciale, skin trimmed and chopped into small cubes
1 Italian pork sausage, removed from the casing
14 oz. (400g) canned whole peeled tomatoes
Salt
Fresh black pepper
1 large egg
1 oz. (30g) grated pecorino cheese
5.5 oz. (160g) rigatoni pasta
Large pan
Forks
Wooden spoon or spatula
Bowl
Pasta pot
Add the olive oil and diced onion into a large pan over medium heat. Sauté until the onion is tender and slightly transparent. Add the chopped guanciale and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the meat releases some fat. Next, add the sausage and break it up into a crumble.
Once the sausage is browned, add the whole peeled tomatoes. Break them up with a fork and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. The sauce should cook for at least 30 minutes. Add a little bit of warm water as needed to keep it simmering and to prevent it from thickening too much.
While the sauce cooks, whisk the egg, grated pecorino and plenty of black pepper into a thick paste in a bowl. Set aside for later.
When the sauce is nearing completion, bring a pot of water to boil and salt it generously. Add the rigatoni and cook for 2-3 minutes less than the recommended “al dente” cook time. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta into the sauce. Continue to cook the pasta in the pan, stirring almost constantly, until it is al dente to your taste. Add a little pasta water into the pan as needed if the sauce is too thick to coat the pasta.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the egg/cheese mixture. Serve immediately.
Buon appetito!
If you enjoy Pasta alla Zozzona, then you might like our classic Carbonara recipe and Bucatini all'Amatriciana!